Officials hinted it was coming, and indeed it has. Capital murder charges have been filed against Don Steven McDougal in the death of 11-year old Audrii Cunningham
After six days of searching, the little girl's body was found in the area of the Trinity River and US-59.
“My heart aches with this news,” Sheriff Byron Long said.
The Polk County District Attorney confirmed they are preparing capital murder charges against the man they have had in custody on a unrelated charge since Friday, Don Steven McDougal. They did not rule out seeking the death penalty.
These developments come one day after officials confirmed that McDougal was the last person to see Cunningham. They also said there was a pre-existing relationship between McDougal and the girl’s family.
Authorities would not answer if McDougal told them to lower the Trinity River levels to find her body. McDougal "had advised" that the location where she was found was somewhere he had been, though he didn't confirm that's where the body was, officials said in the press conference.
Sheriff Lyons said McDougal lived in a trailer behind the family’s home, and did not have to register as a sex offender. This is despite his lengthy criminal record, with more than a dozen convictions, including attempted indecency with a child and enticing a child.