CHICAGO, IL — Police in northern Illinois say they have found the body of missing 5-year-old Andrew “AJ” Freund, a week after he disappeared from his Crystal Lake home. Investigators said the discovery came after his mother and father were confronted with cell phone evidence and provided information that led officers to the remains.
Crystal Lake Police Chief Jim Black announced Wednesday that the body was found buried in a shallow grave and wrapped in plastic in a rural area near Woodstock, Illinois. Authorities said the boy’s cause of death has not been determined. Black said the case remains under investigation, but police now believe they have recovered AJ’s body.
Parents face first-degree murder charges after investigators link them to the search
Police said AJ’s parents, Andrew Freund Sr. and JoAnn Cunningham, are each charged with five counts of first-degree murder, along with charges tied to his disappearance and death. The charges came after investigators said the parents’ statements and evidence helped lead them to the burial site.
Black told reporters the case had shifted from a missing-child search to a homicide investigation. He also spoke directly to AJ during the news conference, saying the boy was at peace. Police have not said which parent, if either, made specific admissions, but they said the evidence gathered during the weeklong search pointed them to the remains.
Search teams found no signs the child walked away or was abducted
As police searched the area around Crystal Lake, investigators said there was no indication that AJ had been abducted. Canine teams tracked his scent only inside the home, which officers said suggested he did not leave on foot. Crystal Lake is about 50 miles northwest of Chicago.
The boy was reported missing on April 18, according to his mother’s attorney, George Kililis. Police said earlier in the week that Cunningham was being uncooperative with investigators, while Kililis said she had spoken with multiple officers and was fully cooperating when she reported AJ missing.
Kililis also said he believed police viewed Cunningham as a suspect, and he advised her to remain silent. He said she had nothing to do with the disappearance and described her as a grieving mother.
A younger sibling was placed elsewhere under a state safety plan
During the search, AJ’s younger brother was moved to another home under a Department of Children and Family Services safety plan, according to a DCFS spokesman. The agency said it had been in contact with the family since AJ was born with opiates in his system in October 2013.
DCFS said AJ was taken into protective custody and placed in foster care in November 2013 before returning home in June 2015. The agency also said it investigated neglect allegations in March 2018 and found them unfounded. Its last contact with the family came in December 2018 after Cunningham called police to report that AJ’s father stole her cellphone and medication.
After that call, police found dog feces and urine in the home, along with a bruise on one of the children. Officers said they could not determine abuse, and the children were returned to their parents.
State child welfare officials promise a full review of the family’s history
Illinois DCFS acting director Marc Smith called AJ’s death heartbreaking and said the agency’s first priority is the safety of the younger sibling. He said DCFS will keep working with law enforcement as the investigation continues.
Smith also said the department will conduct a comprehensive review of its work with the Freund family to understand any shortcomings. He said the agency intends to be fully transparent about any steps it takes in response to that review.
Questions remain about the boy’s death as investigators continue the case
Police have not said how AJ died, and Black said the cause of death was still unclear on Wednesday. That leaves key questions open even after the discovery of the body and the filing of murder charges against both parents.
The case has drawn attention because of the sequence of events that led from a missing-child report to a homicide investigation within days. For now, authorities are still working through forensic evidence, the parents’ statements, and the family’s history with child welfare officials as they try to reconstruct what happened to the boy.
