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Parents of Andrew "AJ" Freund, age 5, incur first-degree murder and other charges related to the murder of their son, whose body was found Wednesday, wrapped in plastic in a shallow pit outside Woodstock, police said.
Crystal Lake Police Chief Jim Black said Wednesday at a press conference that the cause of death had not yet been determined. An autopsy is tentatively scheduled for Thursday morning, according to a joint statement from the McHenry County Sheriff's Office and the McHenry County Coroner's Office.
Crystal Lake police and FBI agents interviewed the parents all night after information had been obtained through a forensic analysis of data from a cell phone, Black said.
The information provided by the parents led the investigators to the site where AJ's body was found. The McHenry County Coroner's Office has been called to the scene to assist in the recovery and identification of the body of "pre-adolescent men," officials said.
JoAnn Cunningham, AJ's mother, is charged with first degree murder, severe abuse, domestic abuse and failure to report a missing child.
Andrew Freund Sr., AJ's father, is charged with first degree murder, severe abuse, domestic abuse, concealment of a homicide and failure to report a missing child.
If they are convicted of first degree murder, Cunningham, 36, and Freund, 60, risk being jailed for life. Both will be taken to McHenry County Jail, where they will be waiting for a bail hearing.
"We wish the AJ family that you have some comfort in knowing that AJ is no longer suffering and that her killers have been brought to justice," Black said in a statement. "We also want to thank the community for their support and assistance during this difficult time. For AJ, we know that you are at peace and that you are happy to not have to suffer anymore. "
Officers from Crystal Lake, McHenry County sheriff's deputies and FBI agents found the body Wednesday near a field in Woodstock, off Dean Street, just north of Gayle Drive.
"This is not the result we want to talk about when we address you, but it's the unfortunate outcome of this investigation," said FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Sallet, when Wednesday's press conference.
DCFS has been in contact with the AJ family since its birth in 2013 with opiates in his system and among allegations of negligence against his mother, said DCFS Deputy Director of Communication, Jassen Strokosch. The agency had intermittent contact with the family until the end of last year.
Seven-month-old Cunningham, the mother of two other sons, was trying to regain custody of her youngest son, who was arrested by the DCFS last Thursday, his lawyer said.
In 2013, Cunningham was involved in a dispute with his mother, Lorelei Hughes, for the custody of his eldest son.
Hughes' application for a protection order in the course of the proceedings accused Cunningham and Freund of forcing his eldest son to live in "fear, hunger and dirt" while denying him medical care, food , clean clothes and a healthy environment.
"This news is heartbreaking," said Marc Smith, acting director of DCFS in Illinois, in a statement. "The protection of vulnerable children brought to our attention is at the heart of our mission at DCFS. We all feel this loss. Our priority is to look after the care and safety of Andrew's younger brother. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as part of the ongoing investigation. The Department is committed to a thorough review of all of our work with Andrew's family to understand our shortcomings and to be as open as possible to the public about the actions that we are taking. we take to solve these problems. "
The Crystal Lake police have responded to the house several times over the last five years for checks on their well-being, investigations of stolen prescription drugs, a loose dog, fights and code violations. the road.
Cunningham's lawyer, George Kililis, could not be reached for a comment on Wednesday.
Research efforts
Police closed part of Dean Street north of Highway 176 and south of Lucas Road on Wednesday morning when the body was found. Around 3 pm, a body was placed on a cart and loaded into a blue van.
In recent days, police have also searched for AJ at Veteran Acres, Sterne's Woods and Lippold at Crystal Lake.
Carolina Bermudez, who lives near the property in Woodstock, said that a police officer in an unmarked car had knocked on his door around 6 am Wednesday, and that her husband had answered the call. The officer wondered who owned the neighboring property, which according to Bermudez includes a barn where agricultural equipment is stored.
Bermudez, who has been living at home for three years, recounted that she had her own children – aged 11, 6 and 1½ years – and that when they came out early Wednesday to go to the school, they were not there. school, the nearby gravel road was blocked.
"I never would have thought that they could not be alone here," Bermudez said.
Bermudez said she had not seen any suspicious activity in the area over the past week.
A small group of residents gathered Wednesday morning on the site of the police investigation on Dean Street. Nikita Chieco, a mother from Woodstock, was holding a stuffed toy against her chest as she watched the investigators capture images taken by a drone from a short stretch of road along the wooded area.
"Since he had a dog, I wanted to leave it to him," Chieco said.
Police were at Freund's home Wednesday morning on Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake. There, they recovered evidence, including a shovel, a toddler mattress, a large tub, several grass bags filled with items and the family's dog, a boxer named Lucy.
In a redacted 911 call issued by Crystal Lake police on Tuesday, Freund told a police officer that he had discovered his missing son on April 18 after returning home after going to the doctor. between 8:15 am and 8:30 am. saw AJ when they put her to bed the night before.
• Journalist Katie Smith contributed to this report.
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