The mom of Audrii Cunningham appears like she “failed” her daughter.
As we’ve reported, the 11-year-old lady — who had been residing together with her father, Joshua Cunningham, in Livingston, Texas — was reported lacking after she by no means made it to high school on February 15. An enormous seek for Audrii started. And authorities instantly had been led to an individual of curiosity within the case, a person named Don Steven McDougal.
McDougal had been a pal of the younger lady’s father. He lived in a trailer behind the Cunninghams and typically watched Audrii, together with bringing her to her bus cease. Mind you, this man had a previous felony document, together with a cost of attractive a minor in 2008. Oh yeah, and a swastika tattoo. And the dad not solely let him round his younger daughter, he would depart him alone together with her at occasions. What the f**ok.
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On the day she disappeared, Don introduced her to the bus cease — making him the final particular person to see her alive. Eventually, he was arrested on an unrelated cost. But between his statements, cellphone information, and surveillance footage, police had been lastly capable of discover Audrii’s lifeless physique within the Trinity River. Absolutely heartbreaking. Charging paperwork revealed the kid had been found tied to a big rock on the backside of the river with a rope. That rope matched one seen in Don’s “vehicle on a traffic stop” days earlier than. The 42-year-old has since been charged with capital homicide.
Audrii’s household is devastated by all the pieces that has occurred, particularly her mom. She fully regrets leaving her toddler within the care of her father now. Before Audrii was discovered lifeless, Cassie Matthews took to Facebook to say in an emotional publish that she “failed” her daughter. Per DailyMail.com, the mother wrote:
“I’ll make this clear one time and one time only, I failed my daughter by being bullied into submission by her father’s family and being made to believe she was in a safe, loving, and normal home with her father.”
And clearly, Audrii had not been. Cassie went on to make it clear she didn’t lose custody of her child because of failed drug assessments — a rumor she accused Joshua of spreading. She insisted she has “nothing to hide” and slammed others for “spreading bulls**t” on-line amid this troublesome time:
“That is my daughter and I never lost any rights to her so as her parent I’m going to involve myself in anything I please concerning my child! I’m tired of all the bulls**t and I’m tired of being silent, scared, and once again bullied into submission by people I don’t f**king know.”
We can’t think about the ache and heartache Cassie should be experiencing after dropping Audrii. Our hearts exit to her as she mourns.
If you could have honest trigger to suspect youngster abuse, name the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org
[Image via ABC 7 Chicago/YouTube, Polk County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook]