Audrii Cunningham: Sheriff admits 'dropping the ball' by failing to arrest suspect earlier in assault case
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POLK COUNTY, TEXAS: The Texas sheriff leading the investigation into the tragic murder of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham has admitted that his department "dropped the ball" or made an error in a previous assault case involving the alleged murderer, 42-year-old Don McDougal.
Last week, following Audrii's reported disappearance, authorities arrested McDougal on a separate assault charge dating back to last summer. Disturbingly, it has come to light that law enforcement missed crucial opportunities to apprehend the suspect before he became a 'person of interest' in the young girl's murder.
The sheriff’s office disclosed to a Houston police station that the assault victim initially misidentified the wrong person. However, the victim’s attorney contradicts this claim, asserting that his client had unequivocally identified McDougal as the attacker back in September, 2023.
Timeline of Audrii Cunningham's murder
McDougal, with a criminal history that includes assault, found himself in the spotlight when authorities revealed he was the last person seen with Audrii before her disappearance.
This week, the Polk County district attorney escalated the charges against the 42-year-old suspect to capital murder after investigators discovered the 11-year-old girl's body tied to a rock in the Trinity River. The medical examiner determined that she died from blunt trauma to the head.
Don McDougal's prior assault incident
The saga began after Audrii’s disappearance when the Polk County Sheriff’s Office initially detained McDougal on an aggravated assault charge. However, court documents reveal that the assault incident took place on August 19, 2023, when the suspect allegedly stabbed a man in the back multiple times after seeking assistance to jump-start a car, as per Fox.
Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons recently admitted that McDougal only started cooperating with authorities when he was arrested last week.
Lyons stated, "During that investigation, there were some circumstances that took place that would not allow us to be able to arrest him at that time, and he would not cooperate – would not – basically lawyered up, would not talk with investigators."
Don McDougal slips through law enforcement's grasp
A timeline shared by the sheriff’s office with the Houston station indicates that McDougal had been on investigators' radar since September, 2023. The victim initially identified another man, leading to a delay in his arrest. The victim's girlfriend expressed her concerns about the lack of progress in the investigation when she met with the sheriff in November last year.
In an audio recording, Sheriff Lyons acknowledged the department's shortcomings, saying, "We dropped the ball on this, and we’re trying to find the ball to get it fixed."
The stabbed victim’s attorney, Dave Feldman, concurred, stating, "It’s a fair statement and conclusion that had this been properly investigated, had the ball not been dropped, I don’t think you’d be talking to me about the disappearance and murder of Audrii Cunningham."
