Indicted alleged child killer transferred to Tyler County Jail

Move was due to resources

WOODVILLE – A man who is currently under indictment on two counts of capital murder in the death of an 11-yearold girl was transferred to Tyler County Jail due to a jailer shortage in Polk County.

According to Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford, 42-year-old Don Steven Mc-Dougal was transferred from the Polk County Jail last Tuesday due to the ability and resources available in the Tyler County Jail to oversee and accommodate visitation purposes for McDougal’s attorneys.

A statement from Jodie Richey, of the Polk County District Attorney’s Office, also noted a VineLink notification that drew attention with McDougal’s transfer of facilities. “Mr. McDougal was not ‘released’ from the Polk County Jail as indicated,” Richey stated.

The exchange, in which inmates from Tyler County were sent to Polk County, was “by agreement of all parties to accommodate visitation purposes for Mr. McDougal and his attorney,” Richey said.

McDougal stands accused of the murder of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham, whose body was found in the Trinity River on Feb. 20, about 10 miles from her home. Cunningham’s disappearance, reported on the morning of Feb. 15, when she did not board her neighborhood school bus, resulted in a search that drew national attention.

McDougal, who had been living behind the Cunningham family home, was named as a person of interest when eyewitness reports linked his vehicle to the case.

He was arrested five days after her body was found and indicted in April on two counts, handed down in the 411th District Court of Polk County: intentional and knowingly causing Cunningham’s death, enhanced due to her age and intentionally and knowingly causing her death with an unknown object during an attempt to kidnap.

Weatherford said that in Tyler County Jail, there are ample staff members to supervise any meetings between McDougal and counsel, as well as a space for him to sit and go over his case.

“We have extra personnel to handle him if he has any visits,” Weatherford said.

Weatherford said such sharing of resources are a sign of a good working relationship between law enforcement agencies, and said that from his standpoint, he hopes that if an opportunity should arise where his office would need the same sort of assistance, they could receive it. “It’s neighbors helping neighbors,” he said.

“We are very blessed to be able to help out,” Weatherford said, and noted that in spite of what some posts on social media indicated, Mc-Dougal is not available for the general public to visit.