Police in Texas are investigating the whereabouts of an 11-year-old girl who disappeared on Thursday as she was waiting for the bus to school.
Audrii Cunningham was last seen last Thursday at 7 a.m. local time near her home in the East Texas town of Livingston, in Polk County, approximately 70 miles northeast of Houston.
Although Audrii should have gotten on the school bus, school officials reported to the county sheriff’s office that she did not report to school and was not on the bus.
The sheriff’s office reported on Friday that Audrii was carrying a “bright red ‘Hello Kitty’ style backpack.” On Monday, a similar backpack was reported to have been found near the Lake Livingston Dam, relatively close to the child’s home.
Lake Livingston is one of the largest reservoirs in Texas, with 83,000 surface acres, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife, providing water for Houston and other East Texas cities.
Authorities arrested Don Steve McDougal, an identified person of interest in the case, on an unrelated assault charge. McDougal reportedly has a lengthy criminal background, beginning in 2001, including two counts of enticement of a child in 2008.
Audrii’s mother, Cassie Matthews, told local news outlet Fox26 Houston that she believes Audrii’s father is a friend of McDougal’s, alleging that McDougal occasionally would babysit Audrii. Authorities have not confirmed this information.
The Washington Examiner contacted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is currently being assisted by the Texas Ranger Division, the Department of Public Safety, the Livingston Police Department, the Texas State Guard, and several local fire departments, according to Friday’s press statement.
Matthews told CNN affiliate KPRC that she is devastated.
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“There’s not words for it,” Matthews said. “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.”
Anyone with information in the case is encouraged to call the Polk County Sheriff’s office at 936-327-6810 or submit an anonymous tip on their website.
