Autopsy Reveals 11-Year-Old Audrii Cunningham's Cause Of Death

Medical examiners confirmed Audrii Cunningham, a missing 11-year-old Texas girl whose body was found in a river, was killed by blunt trauma to the head.

An autopsy determined that Audriis manner of death was classified as a homicide and caused by homicidal violence, Harris County Medical Examiners Office confirmed to local news outlet KHOU 11 News .

The 11-year-old was reported missing on Feb. 15 after her absence from school. Don Steven McDougal, a family friend, was named a person of interest following the girls disappearance and was taken into custody on an unrelated assault charge.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday , Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said McDougal was the last person to see her. According to Lyons, McDougal would sometimes take Audrii to school and admitted to leaving the house with her on that day. 

Lyons also added that McDougal had ties to the Aryan Brotherhood, one of the U.S.s oldest and deadliest white supremacist prison gangs, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center .

Audriis body was located on Tuesday . McDougal was charged with capital murder in connection with the girls death. 

According to charging documents obtained by KHOU News, authorities found Audriis body in the Trinity River tied to a large rock. Police said the rope was consistent with rope seen in McDougals car during a previous traffic stop. 

In an interview with KHOU , Audriis mother, Casey Matthews, described her daughter as a great child who was smart.

She should be at home where we know shes safe, and shes warm, and shes fed, and she should be with her little brother, Matthews said. She should be doing what Audrii does smiling, laughing, making everybody else smile and laugh.