CBS News
Emotional vigil held for 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham after family friend charged in her murder
“She was perfection.” That’s how Cassie Matthews, the mother of Audrii Cunningham, described her daughter at a vigil held Wednesday in Polk County, Texas. The 11-year-old’s body was found Tuesday in the Trinity River near Houston after she was reported missing last week.
Don McDougal, 42, who was described as a family friend, has been charged with capital murder in connection to her death.
Family and friends gathered for the vigil wearing purple and carrying purple balloons as they prayed.
“I’m at a loss for words most of the time, other than the fact that I am beyond blessed to be able to give birth to something that is – she was perfection,” Matthews said at the vigil. “And you know, as a parent, we’re all pretty biased that we think our kids are perfect, but it just is what it is. But I I’m truly blessed to have given birth to such an amazing little girl.”
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspap
Mourners lit candles for Audrii. “Hopefully with all of our candles together it’ll be bright enough that maybe she can see it. Maybe she’ll see all the love and support that come together at once,” Matthews said.
“This world is not gonna be the same without her,” said Brenda Cedars, Audrii’s aunt. “No matter where she went or who she met, she just made them light up. She could always make you laugh and no matter what kind of mood you were in. And it just isn’t fair that we all got robbed of that.”
The parent of one of Audrii’s friends who came to the vigil described to KHOU what it was like to explain her death to their kids. “When your baby comes home and says, ‘Momma, did they find her?’ No, they didn’t and that will never happen again,” said Kasey Evans, the mother of one of Audrii’s classmates. “I had to sit down and explain to my 6-year-old and my 10-year-old that she’s no longer with us.”
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspap
Casey Baker, a friend of Matthews, said her friend is “hurting,” and they came out to the vigil for justice. “That’s what we came here for, to shed her light so everybody can see it,” she told KHOU. “You know, there’s nothing we can say. There’s nothing else we can do that’s going to bring her home permanently. It’s tragic for the family.”
“There’s no other questions that can be answered,” Baker said. “Nothing y’all can say or ask will bring her home, will bring her back to us. We will not have her walking through our doors anymore. But instead having her walk beside us in faith”
Visitation for Audrii is scheduled for Friday, March 1 in Livingston, according to Pace Funeral Home, CBS Texas reports. A rosary service and funeral will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Saturday.
Audrii went missing on her way to school and investigators said McDougal was supposed to take her to her school bus stop that day. McDougal was a person of interested and was arrested last week on an unrelated charge of aggravated assault.
According to a criminal complaint, Audrii’s body was found in the river, about 10 miles from her home, CBS Texas reports. She had been tied to a large rock with rope, authorities said. Cellphone data and video footage was used to place McDougal near where her body was found and the rope used was consistent with a rope found in his vehicle during a recent traffic stop, according to law enforcement.
CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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