(NewsNation) — Divers discovered the body of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham in a river near her home Tuesday, Texas police said. Cunningham had been missing since Thursday.
The 11-year-old was on her way to school Thursday in Livingston — about 60 miles northeast of Houston — when she disappeared. Authorities say she never even made it on the bus.
Don Steven McDougal, 42, was identified as a person of interest in Cunningham’s disappearance earlier this week. Now, District Attorney Shelly Bush-Sitton announced Tuesday that Polk County is preparing capital murder charges against McDougal in connection to Cunningham’s death.
Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said McDougal, a friend of the Cunningham family and who lived in a camper behind their residence, was the last to see her.
McDougal was arrested Friday night on an unrelated aggravated assault charge. He told authorities he left the house with Cunningham on Thursday morning but wouldn’t provide any information beyond that.
Although McDougal has a criminal history, including a previous conviction from 2007 on intent for child enticement, Lt. Craig Cummings, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety in Southeast Texas, said he was not required to register as a sex offender.
Law enforcement had been camped out for days by the Trinity River and overpass, looking for Cunningham about 10 miles from where she lived. A backpack believed to be hers was found a few days ago near that area of the river.
The sheriff said a combination of cellphone data tracking, surveillance video and information from McDougal himself led them to that spot.
Lyons believes there is enough evidence to determine the cause and method of Cunningham’s death. However, her body will be transported to the Harris County medical examiner’s office for an autopsy to confirm any police theories.
The news of Cunningham’s death drew a crowd of people from the community dressed in purple and handing out ribbons to show their support for her grieving family.
One neighbor, Maria Castilleja, lined her fence with purple balloons in honor of Cunningham. Castilleja said she would see the 11-year-old walk about a mile to the bus every day, calling Cunningham a ray of sunshine.
“I’ve been so devastated since she’s been missing. I haven’t been able to work or concentrate other than seeing her little smile and waving and seeing her with the dog. It’s hard. It’s going to take some time,” Castilleja said.
Cunningham’s school district released a statement saying their hearts go out to the entire community during this heartbreaking loss. Cunningham was in fifth grade.