Authorities said that Don McDougal, who has a swastika tattoo, may be affiliated with the neo-Nazi Aryan brotherhood and served time in prison for "child enticement."
Divers in Texas Tuesday discovered the body of Audrii Cunningam, six days after the 11-year-old went missing from her father's home on the way to school.
Now all eyes are on Don McDougal, the man allegedly responsible for taking her to the bus stop the day of her disappearance, according to authorities.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office identified McDougal as the main person of interest days before the discovery of Audrii's body and arrested him on suspicion of an unrelated aggravated assault late Friday night.
McDougal, 42, told authorities that he would take Audrii to the bus stop some days and drive her to school if she missed the bus. He also said he left Audrii's home with her on the morning she went missing but would not say if he took her to the bus stop that day, according to authorities.
Sheriff Byron Lyons said at the start of the investigation that McDougal is close friends with Audrii's father, and lives in a trailer on his family's property in Livingston, which located approximately 75 miles northeast of Houston.
Authorities have also sad that McDougal, who has a swastika tattoo, may be affiliated with the neo-Nazi Aryan brotherhood and served time in prison for "child enticement."
This has led some to question why Audrii's father would leave his daughter alone with this man.
"I wouldn't leave my dog with him," reads one comment.
Another says of McDougal: "That man looks like an absolute creep."
Audrii's mother spoke out after her daughter's body was discovered.
"You're broken, you're mad, you're lost, you're empty," said Cassie Matthews. "And right now, I'm empty."
It is unclear when autopsy results will come in, but on Tuesday Polk County District Attorney Shelly Sitton said that McDougal will likely be charged with capital murder and if convicted, will be eligible for the death penalty.
