Current:Home > MyAudrii Cunningham died from 'homicidal violence with blunt head trauma,' records show-InfoLens
Audrii Cunningham died from 'homicidal violence with blunt head trauma,' records show
View Date:2024-12-23 19:01:33
Audrii Cunningham, the 11-year-old missing Texas girl found dead in a river this week died as a result of "homicidal violence with blunt head trauma," according to records obtained by USA TODAY Friday.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Science reported Audrii's body was found in the Trinity River in the city of Shepherd located in San Jacinto County Texas.
Shepherd is about 17 miles south of Livingston in Polk County where the girl disappeared from her lakeside home the day after Valentine's Day. A portion of the Trinity River begins at Lake Livingston and flows south to Trinity Bay where it empties in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Tuesday, Polk County Sheriff' Byron Lyons announced divers found Audrii's body in the river along U.S. Highway 59 after the River Authority lowered the river water levels.
Autopsy was conducted Wednesday
The medical examiner's office listed her date of death as Feb. 20, the day her body was recovered from the water.
A spokesperson for the office told USA TODAY via email Audrii's autopsy was conducted Wednesday.
Although official autopsy and toxicology reports were still pending Friday, the spokesperson said the coroner determined Audrii's manner of death to be homicide.
McDougal's violent criminal history:Suspect in Audrii Cunningham killing was previously accused of sex crime involving 10 year old
Don McDougal remains jailed on capital murder
Don Steven McDougal, 42, remained jailed in Polk County Friday without bond on a capital murder charge in connection to Audrii's death, online records showed.
Law enforcement said they were able to zero in on the location of Audrii's body using cellphone records, videos and information they received from McDougal, the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network reported.
The Livingston girl was initially reported missing on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 15, when she did not get on the school bus or report to school.
Audrii Cunningham case timeline:From her disappearance to suspect's arrest
What is homicidal violence?
The state of Texas uses two definitions for criminal homicide:
- A person commits criminal homicide if he intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence causes the death of an individual.
- Criminal homicide is murder, capital murder, manslaughter, or criminally negligent homicide.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (87)
Related
- Tesla Cybertruck modifications upgrade EV to a sci-fi police vehicle
- Executive director named for foundation distributing West Virginia opioid settlement funds
- Want to coach your alma mater in women's college basketball? That'll be $10 million
- What is a 'flat white'? Today's Google Doodle celebrates the coffee beverage
- Whoopi Goldberg calling herself 'a working person' garners criticism from 'The View' fans
- Cashews sold by Walmart in 30 states and online recalled due to allergens
- 'A world apart': How racial segregation continues to determine opportunity for American kids
- AP Week in Pictures: North America
- As US Catholic bishops meet, Trump looms over their work on abortion and immigration
- 2 detectives found safe after disappearing while investigating Mexico's 2014 case of missing students
Ranking
- Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
- Massachusetts investigators pursue six 8th graders who created a mock slave auction on Snapchat
- 'A world apart': How racial segregation continues to determine opportunity for American kids
- Details reveal the desperate attempt to save CEO Angela Chao, trapped in a submerged Tesla
- Will the NBA Cup become a treasured tradition? League hopes so, but it’s too soon to tell
- A new wave of 'tough-on-crime' laws aim to intimidate criminals. Experts are skeptical.
- Former Phoenix jail officer is sentenced for smuggling drugs into facility
- Why FKA Twigs Doesn't Regret Burning Off Her Skin After Bleached Eyebrows Mishap
Recommendation
-
California farmers enjoy pistachio boom, with much of it headed to China
-
Cockfighting opponents in Oklahoma worry support is growing for weakening the state's ban on the bloody sport
-
Kali Uchis Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Don Toliver
-
NLRB certifies union to represent Dartmouth basketball players
-
Champions Classic is for elite teams. So why is Michigan State still here? | Opinion
-
From Asteroids to Guitar Hero, World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists draw from 4 decades
-
New Jersey lawmakers pause open records bill overhaul to consider amendments
-
Deion Sanders' unique recruiting style at Colorado: Zero home visits since hiring in 2022