It started as a missing child case that shocked a small Texas community. Now, investigators believe the young girl was lured by a man her family is calling a monster. The disappearance and subsequent murder of 11-year-old Audrey Cunningham has left the Polk County, Texas, community devastated and her family shattered.
Audrey’s body was recovered from the Trinity River following a nearly week-long search. Now, heartbreaking details are emerging about how the fifth-grader died. According to the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office, Audrey died of homicidal violence, including blunt force trauma to the head.
A young girl with blonde hair smiling
Investigators say that when Audrey’s body was recovered, a large rock was tied to her body, and the rope used was consistent with rope found in her alleged killer’s car. Authorities arrested Dawn Steven McDougall on February 16th, a day after Audrey was reported missing.
Initially, he was arrested on an unrelated charge of aggravated assault. However, four days after McDougall’s arrest, authorities made the gruesome discovery. “At this time, I sadly announce that Audrey’s body was located at the Trinity River under US Highway 59,” said the sheriff. “My heart aches with this news, and I express my deepest sympathies and condolences to everyone who knew, who cared for, and loved Audrey.”
The sheriff’s office vowed to continue to process the evidence to ensure that justice for Audrey is served. “It’s horrible whenever we see cases like this involve children, missing children,” said a spokesperson. “And now we found that she’s killed. So, and it is sometimes hard to know when it is with children if it’s a family friend or maybe a stranger when they’re walking home. We’ve seen all sorts of situations like that. So, I just my heart was going out to the family.”
Attorney and trial consultant Dena Selleck commented on the case, saying Audrey’s final moments must have been filled with complete terror. “It’s horrible. It’s really just unimaginable that this poor, poor young child would have her life, uh, ended that way,” Selleck said. “And they made a point of saying that they weren’t going to comment on whether or not she had any other injuries to her body. So, we don’t really know all that she went through before she was died so gruesomely. And it’s disgusting. I mean, violence against women, I mean, children, women also, but children, in particular, is really disgusting. And um, I’m it’s hard to hear such a young child have to suffer in that way.”
In a shocking new video, the public is getting a glimpse of Audrey’s alleged killer from jail. Bodycam video captures a Polk County Sheriff’s deputy at his jail cell prior to his arraignment. McDougall was seen completely naked and refused to wear clothes for his arraignment.
A man standing in handcuffs
McDougall, wrapped from the waist down in a blanket, is then taken to the jail’s hallway to be arraigned virtually. “Right, Mr. McDougall, I’m Judge Richardson,” the judge said. “I’m going to read your rights, and we’re going to talk about your charge today. You have the right to remain silent, not make any statement at all, and know that any statement that you make can and will be used against you at trial in court. You have the right to have an attorney present to advise her to advise you during any questioning. If you can’t afford one, you do have the right to have an attorney present to advise to or during any questioning. You have the right to terminate any interview at any time, and you have the right to examine your trial. You’re accused of a felony. Do you understand your rights, Mr. McDougall?”
“Okay. Do you want a court-appointed attorney? You’re going to hire your own?”
“No, which one? I don’t. Attorney, you going to hire your own?”
“Okay. All right. All I need you to do is sign right here for me. Your charge is capital murder, and it’s a no bond. Okay. Thank you.”
The seemingly unfazed and now capital murder suspect is then escorted back to his jail cell.
How the Tragedy Unfolded
Audrey Cunningham was last seen near her home in Livingston, Texas, on the morning of February 15th. Her family thought McDougall was taking her down the street to the bus stop. However, she never made it to the bus that morning.
School officials told the Polk County Sheriff’s Office the bus never picked her up, nor did she come to school that day. An Amber Alert was issued to help find Audrey, and her father, Joshua, even posted this message to social media pleading for help to find his daughter.
Authorities later recovered a bag resembling the 11-year-old’s Hello Kitty backpack that was found near the Lake Livingston Dam. Audrey’s disappearance had the Livingston community on the lookout for her—with one of the searchers reportedly being McDougall himself.
Sheriff Byron Lyons told CNN that McDougall joined the search and was even seen knocking on neighborhood doors to ask if anyone had seen Audrey. On February 17th, investigators publicly identified McDougall as not just the last person to see Audrey but also as a person of interest.
Officials say they located Audrey’s body using cell phone records, video analysis, and information from McDougall himself.
A Family Betrayed
How did McDougall even come into contact with Audrey? Authorities say he was a family friend of Audrey’s father, who reportedly walked her to the bus stop from time to time before allegedly murdering her.
In a statement released by Audrey’s family since her brutal death, her family writes, in part, “Audrey did y Cunningham was lured under false pretenses, which led to a senseless act of violence occurring and ultimately to her death. Tragically, Audrey’s death occurred at the hands of a monster we thought was a friend. Only 10 days after Audrey’s 11th birthday. Audrey was a charismatic, beautiful, talented, and kind young lady. She loved singing, dancing, reading, and painting and was even learning the skills of a tattoo artist. Most of all, caring for and playing with animals was her passion, and Audrey’s aspirations were to become a veterinarian or an animal trainer.”
The Munch and Cunningham family are devastated and grieving for what happened to their “little ray of sunshine,” Audrey. “We’re being attacked and criticized on social media platforms for showing compassion and mercy to this formerly incarcerated person,” they said. “But our interactions with this person were a result of our faith. Unfortunately, the system failed us. Due to a loophole in the sex offender registration system, Don Steven McDougall had a history of disrespect for a young female child, but it didn’t show up when we checked the registry before allowing him to stay in our old camper in our backyard while he tried to start a new life. Had we been aware of what we know now, this man would have never set foot on our property, much less been a part of our little girl’s life.”
Selleck, the attorney, questioned the family’s decision to allow McDougall into their lives given his criminal past. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that even if you want to give somebody a second chance, you’re not going to leave that 11-year-old child by yourself with a virtual stranger,” she said. “Never mind you really don’t know what’s going on with this person. So, although that is would have been it sounds like to the family the most important detail about him, I think there was enough other details about him that should have given the family some sort of signal that this is not somebody that you’re just going to leave your child with alone, um, at you know, at least for the time being until maybe they had gotten to know him even more. And it’s really hard because this is an unimaginable loss for them, you know, and I don’t want to add on any um additional pain to the family because this is really devastating. But maybe it could be seen as kind of a message if there’s other families grappling with this decision of how do you—and it sounds like they really were trying to do the right thing and um by their faith by giving people a second chance. And how do you reconcile that when you have young children in your home? And I think that there’s always a risk you’re you’re going to have a risk to a harm to your child. I mean, even if it’s it’s not somebody who’s recently left prison, you have to be—as a parent, you have to be so careful about who you surround your children with, period. Uh, regardless of who that person is. I mean, we it’s you know, it could be anybody, teachers, coaches, um, you know, people released from prison. And so I think that if it’s especially in this case, like I said, them leaving him by them himself with her, to me, you know, I don’t think that we can do that with anybody, um, unless we really, uh, know the person. And even then, you have to really be watchful for how somebody’s going to interact with your child.”
A History of Violence
McDougall had a lengthy criminal history dating back to more than 20 years. In 2007, he was convicted of enticing a child in Brazoria County, Texas. He pleaded no contest, was sentenced to two years in prison, but given credit for more than 500 days of time served. That charge did not require him to register as a sex offender.
“There’s research that, especially when you deal with child sex abusers, that rehabilitation doesn’t always work,” Selleck said. “And so then I think you are going to have to have longer sentences to protect, um, and maybe a lifetime sentence you know, to protect somebody because we do see the same person often comes out and does the same thing again and again.”
The Polk County Sheriff also confirmed to reporters that McDougall has ties to the Aryan Brotherhood. McDougall was also convicted in 2010 and 2019 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The aggravated assault charge that got him thrown in jail during the search for Audrey was issued after McDougall allegedly stabbed a man in the back last August, according to KOUW in Texas. McDougall and a woman the victim knew came to his home asking for help, claiming his car battery was dead. When the victim was jumping the car, McDougall allegedly stabbed him from behind. After Audrey went missing, the victim recognized McDougall as the alleged attacker and contacted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
“So, it does sound like somebody who has uh, you know, like a violent uh tendency and issue,” said Selleck. “And I do think that the victim that he was uh sentenced to two years of prison for, the prior enticing of a child, you know, spoke out and said it was because of her, the lenient sentence that he received in relation to her, that really caused his death. And I think this is an important thing for us to look at because I’ve said it before, and we see it all the time, um, rape against women don’t, I think, carry enough of a sentence whatsoever. And then here, this enticement of a child, a very minor sentence. We see people when they’re violent toward women and children become repeat offenders over and over, and they tend to escalate, and and they do end up killing their victim. And and I do think there’s a failing in our justice system for having such a short sentence when you’re dealing with uh women and and children, in particular, sex.”
Justice for Audrey
In addition to that aggravated assault charge, McDougall is now facing a capital murder charge for Audrey’s death. In Texas, a capital murder charge could carry a punishment of the death penalty, which Selleck says this case has enough cause for prosecutors to seek against McDougall.
“I could see them doing that,” she said. “I mean, this would be a case if you’re ever going to have the death penalty, and it depends, of course, on the jurisdictions in the states in terms of how the willingness of juries and prosecutors to do it. But if you were going to have one, this could be the case. And and depending upon what we learn more about the other entries to her body.”
At this time, it’s unclear if prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Audrey’s alleged killer. Jail records reveal McDougall is still behind bars facing charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for which bond was issued for $500,000 and capital murder where a judge ordered no bond. According to local reports, Audrey was laid to rest on Saturday, March 2nd.
