SAN ANTONIO – Every year as Halloween approaches, some parents begin to check the sex offender registry ahead of trick-or-treating.
This year’s list may be longer due to a new state law, named after 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham. She was killed last year.
“She was just a child that liked to help others,” Audrii’s grandmother, Tabitha Munsch, told KSAT’s sister station, KPRC, in Houston.
Tabitha and her husband, Phillip, described Audrii as happy and kind.
Their hearts were broken after Audrii was kidnapped and killed by a family friend in February 2024. Her body was eventually found in Lake Livingston.
They did not know Don Steven McDougal had previously pleaded down charges of indecency with a child, which allowed him to escape a requirement to register as a sex offender.
A new state law in Audrii’s name aimed at closing loopholes in cases like McDougal’s went into effect on Sept. 1.
The new law adds child grooming to the list of crimes that require registration and mandates criminals register regardless of a plea deal.
Advocates at centers like ChildSafe in San Antonio are applauding the law. They said it is crucial the community know about the different types and levels of child abuse.
“Grooming goes hand-in-hand with child sexual abuse — because most of the time, when a child has been sexually abused — grooming has occurred before that physical act has then taken place,” ChildSafe Chief Impact Officer Elizabeth Reeves said.
Grooming is when a predator builds a trusting relationship with a child or family, making it easier for potential future abuse.
“Trying to separate your child to get time alone with them. It can be showing favoritism, as well. That can look like gift giving or paying extra attention to a child,” Reeves said. “We don’t want to discourage loving relationships, but there’s a line. So, we really want parents to understand that, if your child is spending extra time with those adults, is that in the appropriate way?”
Reeves is proud that Texas has passed this law, which can now hold criminals accountable for any and all of their abusive behaviors.
“We’re having this conversation now because of this law,” Reeves said. “We’re going to educate the community more because of the law.”
“If we help just one other child avoid this kind of a sexual predator, we will have honored her name,” Philip Munsch said. “Let’s save as many kids as we can.”
Audrii’s family isn’t stopping here. They said they want similar laws passed in every single state nationwide.
Reeves said she believes it’s possible.
“We are part of a national group of children’s advocacy centers, and this is conversation that has been happening in children’s advocate centers for a while,” Reeves said.
In the meantime, anyone who wants to learn more about grooming can go to the ChildSafe website where a full training catalog including live webinars, information sheets and more are available.
ChildSafe’s training portal also teaches:
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