After the 11-year-old’s corpse was discovered in a river, the autopsy determined Audrii Cunningham’s cause of death

According to PEOPLE, authorities have verified that 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham’s cause of death was traumatic head trauma. She went missing in Texas and was discovered dead in the Trinity River five days after going missing. Court documents from Polk County state that Cunningham’s family friend who was suspected of murdering a Texas girl was first charged with capital murder. The reason of death has now been officially disclosed.

What caused Audrii Cunningham’s death?
People report that the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences characterized Audrii Cunningham’s death as “homicidal violence,” establishing that it was a murder. Authorities said that on February 15, Audrii was reported missing after missing school in Livingston, Texas. Five days after the first report, on Tuesday afternoon, February 20, detectives located her corpse in the Trinity River close to the Livingston US Highway 59 bridge.

When questioned, the institution authorities refused to comment on any new injuries. On the other hand, the police have declared that Don Steven McDougal, 42, is accused of first-degree murder in relation to her demise.

Don Steven McDougal: Who is he?
Authorities say they discovered Audrii’s corpse tied to a “large rock” using a rope that was “consistent” with rope discovered in the suspect’s vehicle a few days before, according to a charging document that people saw. It has been discovered that McDougal is a friend of Cunningham’s dad. He lived in a trailer behind the home but sometimes drove the eleven-year-old to school. He was arrested last week on separate accusations of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon.

Authorities said that they discovered Audrii’s corpse tied to a “large rock” with a rope that matched the one discovered in the suspect’s vehicle a few days before, according to a court document. “The rope used matched the rope found in McDougal’s car during a traffic stop two days earlier.”

It was then discovered that the suspect had a criminal history that began in the early 2000s. He was already facing several charges, including striking a relative, luring a kid in Brazoria County in 2008, and eluding arrest in Liberty County, among other acts.