An 11-year-old girl has gone missing in Texas: police suspect a family friend who was asked to babysit her

An 11-year-old girl disappeared after catching a school bus in the small East Texas town of Livingston on the morning of February 15th. A friend of the girl's father, who sometimes looked after her, came under suspicion, reports FoxNews.

Photo: iStock.com/howtogoto

Audrey Cunningham's family reported her missing after she failed to return home from school.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS) Southeast Region on February 17 named 42-year-old Don Steven McDougal as a person of interest in the girl's disappearance. Polk County Sheriff's Office officials arrested him on Feb. 16 in an unrelated case. He was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon.

Although McDougal has not been charged in Audrey's disappearance, investigators believe he may know something.

Audrey's mother, Cassie Matthews, said McDougal was friends with Audrey's father and sometimes babysat the 11-year-old girl.

McDougal lives in a trailer on the family's property. He sometimes drove Audrey to the bus stop. The man spoke with investigators, but did not admit whether he dropped the girl off his car on the morning of February 15 at the bus stop.

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Audrey went missing on the morning of February 15th. She was last seen at her home at 100 block Lakeside Drive in Polk County, Texas. An 11-year-old girl had to catch a school bus. However, representatives of the school reported to the sheriff's office that Audrey was not there and she did not show up for classes.

A statewide Amber Alert was issued on February 17th.

Criminal biography

McDougal, 42, has an extensive criminal history dating back to the early 2000s. His charges range from luring a child in Brazoria County in 2008 to assaulting a family member and evading arrest in Liberty County, among dozens of other crimes.

Authorities are looking for McDougal's dark blue 2003 Chevrolet Suburban.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said a backpack believed to be Audrey's was found near the Lake Livingston Dam on Feb. 16.

“The investigation remains active and ongoing. If you have any information related to the disappearance of 11-year-old Audrey Cunningham, please contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office,” TDPS Southeast said in a Feb. 17 Facebook post.

Polk County officials described Audrey as a white girl with blond hair and blue eyes, weighing 34 kg and approximately 120 cm tall. She was last seen wearing black pants, a black sweatshirt with white lettering, black shoes and a bright red Hello Kitty backpack. .

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Authorities are offering a $7000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for Audrey's disappearance.

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