THE father of a murdered 11-year-old has slammed the system for allowing the monster they thought was a friend near his daughter.
Audrii Cunningham's remains were found at the bottom of a river on February 20, six days after she went missing near her home in Livingston, Texas, about an hour north of Houston.
4
4
4
The 11-year-old girl died of blunt force trauma to the head as her remains were found tied to a rock at the bottom of the Trinity River, according to the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office.
Suspect Don Steven McDougal was arrested and charged with capital murder.
Now, Audrii's father is speaking out about his daughter's accused killer, whom he allowed to live in a camper in his backyard to start a new life.
The distraught dad said the family was unaware that McDougal was a sex offender.
Read more in The U.S. Sun
"The Munsch and Cunningham families are devastated and grieving for what happened to our little ray of sunshine, Audrii," the family said in a statement.
"We are being attacked and criticized on social media platforms for showing compassion and mercy to this formerly incarcerated person, but our interactions with this person were a result of our faith, which teaches us to give our fellow man a second chance.
"Unfortunately, the system failed us due to a loophole in the sex offender registration system.
"Don Steven McDougal had a history of disrespect for young female children, but it did not show up when we checked the registry before allowing him to stay in an old camper in our back yard while he tried to start a new life.
Most read in The US Sun
"Had we been aware of what we know now, this man would never have set foot on our property, much less been a part of our little girl’s life."
McDougal was previously convicted of two counts of enticement of a child in 2008 and sentenced to two years for each count.
Moment Audrii Cunningham person of interest Don Steven McDougal is taken into custody a day after 11-year-old vanishedThe family urged lawmakers to fix the loophole, which they said prevented them from knowing McDougal was a convicted sex offender.
"Audrii Danielle Cunningham will be missed, but hopefully not forgotten as we would like to ask Legislators and Law Enforcement both locally and in Washington, DC to look at the loophole that prevented us from knowing what Don McDougal was, a convicted sex offender," the family said.
"The sex offender registry is a valuable tool that parents and grandparents everywhere use to keep their children safe from these violent predators.
"This failing of the system is a crime that we cannot allow to go overlooked."
Carissa Davis, McDougal's past victim, told ABC affiliate KTRK-TV that the predator's sentence after that conviction failed Audrii.
"I think Brazoria County definitely failed me and failed Audrii and possibly more," she told the outlet.
Audrii was last seen at around 7 am near her home in Livingston on February 15.
Police say the 11-year-old was supposed to board a school bus, but she never got on and didn't show up to school that day.
Neighbor Denise Kolojaco told local Fox affiliate KRIV at the time that the 11-year-old walked by her home to the bus stop every morning at around 7 am.
The walk from Audrii's home to the bus stop is about half a mile, and Kolojaco's house is the halfway point.
Kolojaco said her dog always alerts her when Audrii walks by.
The neighbor said she last saw Audrii on February 14, when she stopped by and pet her dog.
Read More on The US Sun
"That would have been Valentine's Day. She was walking by, giving my dog love, and I told her happy Valentine's Day," Kolojaco said.
Kolojaco said Audrii never walked by on February 15.
4
