Polk County grand jury indicts man accused of killing Audrii Cunningham

Published: Apr. 23, 2024 at 3:03 PM CDT|Updated: Apr. 23, 2024 at 3:19 PM CDT

POLK COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - A grand jury has handed two indictments against a Livingston man accused of kidnapping and killing an 11-year-old girl.

Audrii Cunningham was reported missing on February 15. Her body was found in a river near Houston five days later. Don Steven McDougal, a friend of Audrii’s father who had been living on the father’s property, was arrested and charged with capital murder. On Monday, a Polk County grand jury indicted McDougal on two counts of capital murder. One count is due to Audrii being a child, the second due to the alleged act taking place during the alleged act of felony kidnapping.

McDougal was accused decades ago of indecency with a child by climbing into another Texas girl’s bed and attempting to undress her. That case was pleaded down to a lesser charge of enticing a minor, allowing him to remain off the state sex offender registry, according to Brazoria County documents.

Last year, McDougal was accused of stabbing a man, but authorities said they didn’t have enough evidence at the time to arrest him on a charge of aggravated assault.

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