What we know about Audrii Cunningham, the Texas girl who vanished on her way to school, and a man being questioned in case | CNN (2024)

Livingston, Texas CNN —

One of the few tangible clues in Audrii Cunningham’s disappearance might be a red “Hello Kitty” backpack she was supposed to carry to school with her last week.

The 11-year-old vanished after she left to catch the school bus Thursday morning in the small, east Texas town of Livingston, about 70 miles northeast of Houston.

Audrii never made it onto the bus, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said. But “a small backpack that likely belonged to a child was located near the Lake Livingston Dam,” the sheriff’s office said.

Now, Don Steven McDougal, a 42-year-old family friend, is being questioned as a “person of interest” in Audrii’s disappearance, Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said.

McDougal was arrested Friday in an unrelated aggravated assault case. No one has been charged in Audrii’s disappearance, and the girl’s whereabouts remain a mystery.

Audrii Cunningham has been missing since Thursday morning.

Here’s what we know about the case:

The ‘person of interest’ joined search efforts for Audrii

McDougal, a friend of Audrii’s father, lived in a trailer on her family’s property and sometimes took the girl to the bus stop, the sheriff said.

Around 7 a.m. Thursday, McDougal and Audrii left for the bus stop, authorities said. That was the last time Audrii’s family saw her.

After Audrii didn’t return home from school, her family reported her missing. A massive search ensued – and McDougal joined in the efforts, the sheriff said.

“Some of the witnesses have even said that he was in the community and knocking on doors … asking have they seen her,” Lyons told CNN.

“To me, it simply tells me is that he’s trying to give the appearances that … he’s not at fault in her disappearance and that (he’s) part of the concerned parties who were trying to locate her.”

CNN has attempted to find attorney information for McDougal and has also reached out to his family for comment.

McDougal said he left Audrii’s home with her on Thursday morning but has not confirmed to investigators whether he dropped her off at the bus stop, the sheriff said.

Why no one has been charged

Authorities believe McDougal was the last person to see Audrii before she vanished and that his dark blue 2003 Chevrolet Suburban may have been involved in Audrii’s disappearance, the sheriff’s office said.

But the investigation is ongoing, and authorities want to be certain before pursuing charges, the sheriff said.

“Once we get all that evidence put together (we will determine) what charges will be filed,” Lyons said Monday. “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.”

While McDougal has not been charged in Audrii’s disappearance, “I do believe that he is our number one person of interest,” Lyons told CNN.

Audrii’s backpack may have been found

Audrii was last seen near her home on Lakeside Drive in Polk County.

“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,” the sheriff’s office said.

Audrii’s home is close to Lake Livingston – “one of the largest reservoirs in the state, with 83,000 surface acres,” according to Texas Parks & Wildlife. “The lake is an impoundment of the Trinity River, and provides water for the city of Houston and other East Texas cities.”

On Friday, “a small backpack that likely belonged to a child was located near the Lake Livingston Dam,” the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities search for Audrii Cunningham, the 11-year-old Texas girl who vanished in Polk County on Thursday.

But the investigation “remains active and ongoing,” the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities ask anyone with video of a road near the lake between 6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. to submit the footage to investigators.

‘This is the stuff you see on TV’

Audrii’s mother, Cassie Matthews, said her heart always broke for the parents of missing children whom she heard about on the news.

“This is the stuff you see on TV, and you can only imagine what the family and the parents are going through,” Matthews told CNN affiliate KPRC.

Now, she’s one of those parents.

“There’s not words for it. There is not one feeling you feel. It’s a roller coaster. You are broken, you are mad, you are empty. And right now, I am empty,” Matthews said.

“She has so many opportunities ahead of her, and she deserves every right to be able to reach those opportunities.”

Polk County Crime Stoppers has announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever is responsible for Audrii’s disappearance.

Audrii is White with blond hair and blue eyes. She stands about 4 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 75 pounds, the sheriff’s office said. The girl was last seen wearing black pants, a black hoodie with white lettering and black high-top tennis shoes.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to immediately contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 936-327-6810 or submit an anonymous tip online.

CNN’s Chris Boyette and Joe Sutton contributed to this report. CNN’s Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfedlt reported from Livingston, Texas, and Steve Almasy, Holly Yan and Raja Razek reported from Atlanta.