LINVINGSTON, Texas – Livingston Independent School District Superintendent Brent Hawkins announced Thursday that a scholarship will be named in memory of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham.
The Audrii Cunningham Memorial Scholarship will be included in the Green & White Scholarship Ceremony held on May 7, 2024.
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Members of the Class of 2024, who have submitted a Green & White Scholarship application, will be eligible for this scholarship.
The district said it will accept any donations to the Audrii Cunningham Memorial Scholarship fund through the Green and White Program.
“Audrii loved school, so what better way to honor her memory than to help a student further their education,” Hawkins stated.
Donations can be mailed to Green & White Scholarship Fund-Audrii Cunningham, PO Box 1297, Livingston, TX 77351.
For more information, email ldavis@livingstonisd.com.
What happened to Audrii?
Audrii was reported missing on Thursday, Feb. 15, and investigators said Don Steven McDougal, 42, was likely the last person who saw her alive that day.
McDougal was initially named as the main person of interest in Audrii’s disappearance, and later charged with capital murder for her death. He is currently in the Polk County Jail with no bond.
Investigators said McDougal admitted to leaving the house with Audrii that morning, but didn’t clarify whether or not she made it to her school bus. The sheriff said he provided some clues that led to them finding her body.
McDougal lived in a camper behind Audrii’s father and grandmother’s home and sometimes took her to the bus stop or school if she missed it.
“He was a friend of the family, a friend of the father, and he was allowed to live there in a trailer behind the house,” the sheriff said.
Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons confirmed investigators found Audrii’s body at the Trinity River Boat Ramp off U.S. 59 around 1:30 p.m. after lowering water levels.
Records show when the child’s body was recovered in Trinity River, law enforcement found a large rock tied to her body, using a rope like investigators saw in McDougal’s Suburban on a traffic stop two days prior to her death.
Investigators said McDougal, who is a convicted felon, lied about his whereabouts on the day Audrii disappeared.
Lyons said they were able to locate Audrii’s body with the substantial amount of evidence provided by witnesses’ cellphone video, several points of interest provided by McDougal and surveillance videos.
McDougal, who has a lengthy criminal history, was previously convicted of enticing a child in Brazoria County, records obtained by KPRC 2 show.
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- Person of interest spent time in prison for sexual contact with young girl
- What we know about ‘person of interest’ in case of missing 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham
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