Who is Audrii Cunningham? All about missing Texas girl, 11, and person of interest in her disappearance

The search for an 11-year-old Texas girl who failed to board her school bus last Thursday, February 15, has intensified. Authorities have stressed that all angles are being covered and several suspects questioned in connection to Audrii Cunningham’s disappearance.

Meanwhile, 42-year-old Don Steven McDougal has been identified as a person of interest in Cunningham’s disappearance. Polk County officials have said that he has somewhat been cooperating and has admitted that he left the house with Cunningham the day she vanished.

McDougal was reportedly Cunningham’s father’s friend. He lived in a trailer behind the house, and would occasionally take her to school.

One clue in her disappearance is a red ‘Hello Kitty’ backpack she was supposed to carry to school the day she went missing. Polk County Sheriff’s Office said that “a small backpack that likely belonged to a child was located near the Lake Livingston Dam.” "We feel strongly that the backpack found is hers," said TxDPS authorities, according to Fox 26 Houston.

Who is Audrii Cunningham and when did she disappear?

On February 16, Polk County Sheriff’s Office issued an Amber alert for Cunningham. “Audrii was last seen near her residence, at approximately 7:00 AM, on February 15, 2024, in the 100 block of Lakeside Drive, in Polk County, Texas. Audrii should have caught the school bus at her neighborhood bus stop; however, school officials reported to the Sheriff’s Office that the school bus did not pick Audrii up, nor did she report to school,” they said in a press release on Facebook.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted in the search by the Texas Ranger Division, Department of Public Safety, Livingston Police Department, Texas State Guard, and several local Fire Departments.

Cunningham has been described as “a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes. She weighs 75 pounds and is approximately 4-foot-1-inch tall.” She was last spotted wearing black pants, a black hoodie with white lettering, and black high-top tennis shoes, as per the press release.

It is believed that McDougal was the last person Cunningham was seen with before she went missing. "We have taken him to certain locations to gather information about his whereabouts during the time of Audrii's disappearance," officials stated

According to TXDPS officials, "McDougal was arrested on Saturday after confessing to assaulting a male following an argument.”

Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons has said that investigators are trying to determine what kind of crime may have been committed, according to CNN. “Once we get all that evidence put together (we will determine) what charges will be filed,” he said. “We want to make sure that whatever evidence that we collect, and that we place on an affidavit today, is going to be something that is going to hold up in the court later.”

The reward grew to $10,000 for information that would lead up to an arrest, Polk County Crime Stoppers shared on Facebook. At this time, it is believed that McDougal and his dark blue 2003 Chevrolet Suburban were involved.

Anyone with information on the case has been urged to contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office at (936) 327-6810 or call 911.