Southwest
Audrii Cunningham disappearance: Texas babysitter with criminal record named as person of interest
The Texas man named as a person of interest in connection with the disappearance Audrii Cunningham babysat the 11-year-old girl, according to local reports.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS) Southeast Region on Saturday named Don Steven McDougal, 42, as a person of interest in the girl’s disappearance, and Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested him on Feb. 16 on unrelated charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Audrii’s mother, Cassie Matthews, told FOX 26 Houston that she believed McDougal was friends with Audrii’s father and would babysit the 11-year-old girl while he was staying at her father’s home.
Audrii has been missing since the morning of Feb. 15, when she was last seen at her residence in the 100 block of Lakeside Drive, in Polk County, Texas.
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Don Steven McDougal was named as a person of interest in connection with the Feb. 15 disappearance of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham of Polk County, Texas. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office/ TDPS)
The 11-year-old girl “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,” Polk County authorities said in a press release.
A statewide Amber Alert was issued on Feb. 16.
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Texas authorities issued a statewide Amber Alert for Audrii Cunningham on Feb. 17. (Facebook/ Joshua Cunningham)
While McDougal has not been charged in Audrii’s disappearance, investigators believe there may be foul play, according to FOX 26.
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Video footage obtained by FOX 26 shows McDougal in Livingston on Feb. 16 prior to his arrest.
The 42-year-old has an extensive criminal history dating back to the early 2000s. His charges range from enticement of a child in Brazoria County in 2008 to assault of a family member and evading arrest in Liberty County, among dozens of other crimes.
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Don Steven McDougal has a lengthy criminal record dating back to the early 2000s. (Liberty County)
Authorities located McDougla’s dark blue 2003 Chevrolet Suburban, which they believe was involved in Audrii’s disappearance.
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The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said a backpack likely belonging to Audrii was located near the Lake Livingston Dam on Feb. 16.
Audrii Cunningham was supposed to get on her school bus on Feb. 15 but never made it, authorities said. (Polk County sheriff)
“This investigation remains active and ongoing. If you have any information related to the disappe[arance] of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham, contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office,” TDPS Southeast said in a Feb. 17 Facebook post.
Don Steven McDougal was convicted of enticement of a child in 2008. (Facebook)
Polk County officials described Audrii as a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, weighing 75 lbs. and standing approximately 4 ft., 1 in. tall. She was last seen wearing black pants, a black hoodie with white letter and black high-tip shoes with a bright red “Hello Kitty” backpack.
Authorities are offering a $7,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Audrii’s disappearance.
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The parents of an 8-year-old boy tragically killed by a large tree that fell in a Calabasas park last year are expected to receive more than $14 million as part of a settlement agreement with the agency responsible for managing the park.
On July 9, Lamar McGlothurn, along with several others attending Camp Wildcraft on the grounds of King Gillette Ranch Park, was struck when a 25- to 30-foot branch weighing about 100 pounds snapped from a tree.
McGlothurn was airlifted to a hospital, where he later died from blunt force injuries, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner.
An 11-year-old girl with a broken leg was also airlifted to the hospital. A 5-year-old boy suffered head lacerations, a 22-year-old man sustained head and arm bruises, and a 73-year-old man suffered a concussion.
Text messages sent a day before the tragedy by an employee of a tree care company later surfaced, raising concerns about the condition of the tree.
“It is somewhat concerning seeing all the decay at the trunk. It would be wise to thin the canopy and alleviate end weight at a minimum to mitigate risk,” the employee wrote.
A settlement agreement was signed in March, SFGATE reported.
The child’s parents are expected to receive $14.65 million. The bulk of the settlement will be paid by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, which manages the park, along with smaller amounts from Camp Wildcraft and Gomez Landscape & Tree Care.
Six other people injured in the incident are set to receive a combined $4.65 million from insurers representing the MRCA, Camp Wildcraft and the tree care company.
In a statement to SFGATE, an MRCA spokesperson said the agency hopes the settlement will, in some small way, bring solace to the McGlothurn family.
“We at the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority cannot fathom the immense loss and tremendous pain the family of Lamar McGlothurn has endured from Lamar’s tragic death,” the statement said.
The Los Angeles Police Department has released body camera video of an officer-involved shooting in Boyle Heights earlier this year that left a man hospitalized.
The incident happened in May, when officers responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 3000 block Glenn Avenue.
Authorities say Robert Velazquez, 40, came out of the home armed with two knives and a grilling fork and refused to drop the weapons.
Police say he threw a knife toward officers, prompting them to open fire. He then allegedly stood back up, still armed, leading officers to open fire a second time.
Velazquez was taken to a hospital for treatment and later arrested. No officers or bystanders were hurt in the shooting.
A man died in a single-car crash in Sherman Oaks early Wednesday morning, authorities say. According to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, the collision occurred just before 1 a.m. in the 3600 block of Sepulveda Boulevard. “It appears that the driver was traveling northbound on Sepulveda when he lost control, crossed the center median […]
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