There may be a lead in the case of the missing Polk County child - February 19, 2024

The Texas Department of Public Safety has identified Don Steven McDougal as the lone person of interest in the disappearance of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham of Livingston. DPS Lt. Craig Cummings said in a news briefing that McDougal, 42, was arrested Friday on an unrelated charge of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and is jailed in Polk County. The Polk County Sheriff's Office is offering a $7,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. The search continued Saturday for the missing girl. Lt. Cummings told reporters Saturday that a backpack was found near Lake Livingston that may belong to her. The FBI searched a creek Saturday morning in the investigation linked to her disappearance, while Texas Equusearch scoured the Trinity River near the Highway 59 bridge and an area at the edge of Lake Livingston for any evidence linked to the missing girl. The DPS posted a photo Saturday of what it called a vehicle of interest in the case, a 2003 dark blue Chevrolet Suburban driven by McDougal. The 11-year-old girl is the focus of an AMBER Alert heard across Texas. The Texas Department of Public Safety is calling it an 'all hands on deck investigation' to find her. The Polk County Sheriff says Audrii was supposed to get on her school bus at 7 a.m. Thursday, but never did. Her family didn't know, and thought she'd return home at the end of the school day. When she didn't, they contacted law enforcement officers and the AMBER Alert went out Thursday night. Dozens of officers, including state troopers, Polk County deputies, San Jacinto County deputies, first responders from other agencies, and the F.B.I., are involved in trying to find Audrii. Lieutenant Craig Cummings with the DPS says investigators are 'actively talking with persons of interest' and they call the search area a 'location of interest.' They're using boats near the Lake Livingston Dam and bringing in K-9s to help find the little girl. Lt. Cummings told reporters that Audrii's family and many in the community area are doing everything they can to bring her home. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Audrii was last seen at about 7 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15 in the 100 block of Lakeside Drive in Polk County. Her family first reported Audrii missing at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday when she didn't arrive home on the school bus. Investigators then discovered that Audrii never got on the school bus that morning. In a late Friday afternoon update, Lt. Cummings told reporters that deputies were leaving the search area but will resume at daybreak Saturday. The DPS warned the public not to descend upon the area and not the disturb the scene. Deputies are expected to secure the perimeter. Audrii is a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes. She weighs 75 pounds and is 4-foot-1-inch tall. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie with white lettering, a camo backpack, black pants, and black high-top tennis shoes. "The focus right now is on bringing Audrii home," Lt. Cummings said. "The family has been very cooperative. Everybody here, the entire community here, has been nothing but cooperative and helpful. Our prayers collectively are that we bring Audrii home soon." Authorities urge anyone who may have seen Audrii to contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office at (936) 327-6810. DPS is also working with Crime Stoppers to put together a reward in the case, Lt. Cummings said.