Suspect in Killing of 11-Year-Old Audrii Cunningham Indicted on 2 Counts of Capital Murder

A Polk County grand jury handed an indictment on two charges of capital murder against Don Steven McDougal

A 42-year-old Texas man who was arrested in February in connection with the killing of 11 -year-old Audrii Cunningham has been indicted on murder charges, according to multiple outlets.

A Polk County grand jury indicted Don Steven McDougal on two counts of capital murder on Monday, KLTV, FOX 26 Houston and Click 2 Houston report.

The two murder charges McDougal were indicted on have separate provisions. One charge is for the murder of a child with blunt force trauma; the other charge is for the causing a death during a kidnapping, according to FOX 26 Houston and KLTV.

Audrii disappeared on her way to school in Livingston, Texas, on Feb. 15, authorities said at the time. McDougal was arrested on Feb. 16 on an unrelated charge but was promptly named a “person of interest” in Audrii’s disappearance.

Her body was found on Feb. 20 in Trinity River, the Polk County Sheriff's Office told PEOPLE at the time. She died from blunt force trauma, per authorities.

Related: 'It Could Have Been Me': Past Victim of Audri Cunningham’s Alleged Killer Details Attack: Report

McDougal was allegedly the last person to be seen with Audrii, authorities have said. Dr. Brent Hawkins, superintendent of Livingston Independent School District in Texas, told PEOPLE the suspect had escorted Audrii to school three days before her disappearance.

McDougal has a past conviction of child enticement, according to court records previously cited by FOX 26, KHOU 11 and Click 2 Houston.

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Related: Audrii Cunningham's Family Explains Why They Let Sex Offender Murder Suspect Live on Their Property

The suspect was a family friend who was living on Audrii’s family’s property at the time of her disappearance and killing, authorities previously said, according to CNN. He joined her family during search efforts after her disappearance, and helped knock on neighbors' doors, authorities told the outlet.

During the initial stage of the investigation, McDougal allegedly told authorities that he was with Audrii on the morning she went missing, per ABC 13, but did not share any further details, Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said.

Plea information for McDougal was not available as of Wednesday afternoon.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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