Audrii Cunningham murder: Family says legal loophole to blame for girl's death
POLK COUNTY, Texas - The family of a girl murdered outside of Houston released a statement over the weekend saying they are devastated.
Audrii Cunningham’s father and grandmother expressed grief over the 11-year-old girl’s death.
Her accused killer, 42-year-old Don McDougal, lived on her family’s property.
Audrii Cunningham autopsy reveals cause of death
A cause of death has been released for 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham, whose body was found in the Trinity River five days after she went missing.
The family said they knew he had a criminal past but wanted to give him a second chance.
"Unfortunately, the system failed us due to a loophole in the sex offender registration system," the family’s statement said in part. "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 backyard."
Audrii’s body was found in the Trinity River after she had been missing for several days.
Audrii Cunningham (left); Don Steven McDougal (right)
The medical examiner said she died from a blunt force head trauma.
McDougal is now in the Polk County jail charged with capital murder.
His lengthy criminal history includes a charge of attempted indecency with a child in 2007. But he was given a plea deal on a lesser charge of child enticement.
Audrii Cunningham murder: Sheriff admits they 'dropped the ball' in alleged killer's previous case
The Texas sheriff investigating the murder of 6-year-old Audrii Cunningham admitted in audio obtained by FOX 4 that his department "dropped the ball" in a previous assault case involving her alleged murderer.
That meant he did not have to register as a sex offender.
Audrii’s family announced a public memorial this Friday at Livingston First Baptist Church.
They encouraged people to wear purple, which was her favorite color.