Audrii Cunningham disappeared from Livingston, Texas, on Feb 15, 2024, and days later, the 11-year-old was found dead in the Trinity River near her home. After her daughter disappeared and before her remains were found, Cunningham’s mom, Cassie Matthews, shared her thoughts in since-deleted Facebook posts.
Matthews did not live with Cunningham, who reportedly lived with her dad, who spent long periods away from home for work. Along with her dad, Joshua Cunningham, Audrii lived with who is presumably her paternal grandmother, and a family friend named Don Steven McDougal, who had a criminal record including attempted indecency with a child, ABC 13.com reported.
Right away, McDougal was a person of interest in the case, and the day after Cunningham’s body was found, McDougal, who admitted he saw the girl the morning she disappeared, was charged with capital murder. He was not a registered sex offender, and the day Cunningham died, McDougal was taken into custody on assault charges unrelated to the case.
Cassie Matthews said she never failed a drug test
In her series of Facebook posts offering some insight into what Audrii Cunningham’s life was like before she died, her mom, Cassie Matthews, said the rumors that she lost custody of Cunningham because she failed a drug test were a lie spread by Audrii’s father, Joshua Cunningham. According to Matthews’ Facebook profile, she also lives in Livingston.
Matthews, who said she never chose drugs over her daughter, added,
“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.”
via The Daily Mail
Matthews, who posted online before Cunningham’s body was found, said she had nothing to hide, and her only priority at that time was bringing her daughter home alive. She said,
“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’ing know.”
via The Daily Mail
Matthews deleted her posts
As mentioned, Cassie Matthews deleted her Facebook posts after her Audrii Cunningham was found, but not before they were screenshotted, and the contents were shared through several outlets. The day after Cunningham was found dead, Matthews changed her profile picture, showing her daughter against a purple background with her name across the bottom and the hashtag #answersforaudrii.
As of this report, the investigation into Cunningham’s death was ongoing.