Texas authorities search for Audrii Cunningham, 11, reported missing after failing to attend school

LIVINGSTON, TEXAS: Authorities in Texas are currently searching for an 11-year-old girl who was reported missing since Thursday morning, February 15th, when she failed to attend school.

In a press release early Friday morning, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Texas provided details about the missing girl, Audrii Cunningham. 

The release said Audrii was last seen near her residence at about 7 am local time on Thursday in the 100 block of Lakeside Drive in Livingston, Texas.

What did the press release state?

“Audrii should have caught the school bus at her neighborhood bus stop; however, school officials reported to the Sheriff’s Office that the school bus did not pick Audrii up, nor did she report to school,” the release said. “At this time, Audrii’s whereabouts are unknown.”

The sheriff’s office describes Audrii as “a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes. She weighs 75 pounds and is approximately 4-foot-1-inch tall."

What was Cunningham wearing at the time of her disappearance?

Cunningham was last seen wearing black pants, a black hoodie with white lettering, and black high-top tennis shoes, the sheriff’s office said. Audrii was also carrying a bright red “Hello Kitty” backpack at the time of her disappearance.

“Sheriff Lyons asks that anyone with information in this case immediately contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, at 936-327-6810,” said the press release, which included photos of the missing child.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said it’s receiving help from authorities at the Texas Ranger Division, the Department of Public Safety, the Livingston Police Department, the Texas State Guard, and a number of local fire departments.

The authorities sent out an Amber Alert to the residents 

The Texas Department of Public Safety sent out an Amber Alert to residents across Texas late Thursday night, according to local ABC 13. The Austin American-Statesman reported that authorities believe the 11-year-old is in grave or immediate danger.

However, neither the department nor the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has said who may have taken Audrii.

Amber alert issued after 5-year-old Ohio boy vanishes with foster mom without a trace

Meaww previously reported that Darnell Taylor, 5, has gone missing from Ohio, and authorities are actively searching for him. It is believed that his foster mother, Pammy Maye, 48, abducted him.

On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, an Amber Alert was sent out throughout Ohio for Taylor, who is thought to be in danger.

A man called 911 on Wednesday at around three in the morning, claiming that his wife Pammy Maye had woken him up and had made alarming remarks that led him to believe that their foster child Darnell Taylor was in danger, according to ABC, which cited the Columbus police.

Maye's husband revealed that she then left the scene in a Jeep Cherokee with their foster son missing from home. 

According to WKYC, police, who arrived on the scene at 3.08 in the morning, searched the house and several addresses of Maye's family members and acquaintances where he was not found before sending out an Amber alert for the missing boy.

The Columbus Police have asked for information that might help them locate the five-year-old child who went missing in a Facebook post.