Body of missing 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham found in Texas river

Divers recover the body of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham from a Texas river, preparing to file murder charge against father's friend.

The body of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham has been recovered from a Texas river days after she went missing, and authorities are preparing to file a murder charge against a friend of her father who lived on her family's property, according to Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons.

Audrii's body was found by divers during a search in the Trinity River in a rural area north of Houston, about 10 miles from her home near Lake Livingston. Sheriff Lyons expressed his heartache at the news of her recovery.

Audrii's family reported her missing on Thursday when she failed to return home after school in Livingston. Investigators later discovered that she never boarded the bus to go to school that morning.

Polk County District Attorney Shelly Sitton stated that officials were preparing an arrest warrant for Don Steven McDougal, 42, on a recommended charge of capital murder. It is not yet known if the death penalty will be sought in the case. McDougal, a friend of the girl's father, lived in a camper on the family's property near Lake Livingston and is currently in jail on an unrelated assault charge.

The girl's body has been taken to the medical examiner's office to determine the cause of death, as confirmed by the sheriff. Texas Dept of Public Safety spokesman Craig Cummings mentioned that the girl lived with her father, grandparents, and other family members. A backpack believed to belong to the child was found near the dam on Lake Livingston on Friday.

The recovery of Audrii's body and the impending murder charge against McDougal are tragic developments in this heartbreaking case. The community mourns the loss of a young life, and our thoughts are with Audrii's family during this difficult time.