Parents of missing boy from northern Illinois have stopped cooperating, police say | State and region

Police said they did not believe the 5-year-old son had been kidnapped, but the boy's father and mother – who attended a candlelight vigil Saturday night – did not cooperate with the investigation . Black described the situation of a missing child in Crystal Lake as being "disturbing".

"The fact that both parents stopped cooperating with us certainly raises our suspicions," Black said.

Black said that no arrests had been made and that the father, also known as Andrew Freund, had returned home after he was escorted at about 1 pm. Saturday with plainclothes police. He was not handcuffed when he entered with them in a black and unmarked police car.

The police inside the police station around 1:15 refused to say why Freund was there or where he was under arrest.

But shortly before 5 pm, Freund left the police station through the back door, carrying a small white bag. He lit a cigarette and hurried to his home nearby.

"Nothing definite for the moment," he told a journalist who asked what had happened at the police station and had learned more about the whereabouts his son. "Pray for the safe return of my son," said Freund.

Freund continued walking as the journalists assailed him, asking how he managed to get through the last days.

"Hell, it was hell, hell on earth."

Freund and JoAnn Cunningham, the boy's mother, who was seven months pregnant, both participated in a community vigil called "Light the Way for AJ", which took place at Crystal Beach Main Beach, 300 Lakeshore Drive, Saturday night.

At least 200 people, including several families and their children, came to the vigil organized by Facebook.

The parents seemed to arrive separately.

"There are no words, there are no words, there are no words", Freund, with a t-shirt over a t-shirt. long sleeves, mumbled softly to a journalist.

A priest from Andrew's church, Reverend Jerome Kutnik, delivered a speech. Several people, including children, lined up to receive candles and sign a large cardboard display.

After reciting prayers and asking the crowd to pray for the family, Kutnik hugged Freund.

When Cunningham arrived, dressed in black leggings, a pink baseball cap was strung over a ponytail and one of AJ's coats wrapped around his neck, sympathizers had him. tight in his arms and surrounded him. Elizabeth Vonau, a lawyer at Cunningham, returned and thanked everyone who attended the vigil for their support.

Freund was standing nearby, watching Cunningham interact before the entire group entered the parking lot to leave.

At one point Freud and Cunningham kissed briefly and Cunningham seemed emotional.

Freund went home, smoking a cigarette, and entered.

Tracy Calhoun, who moved to Crystal Lake last year, has young children and says that she helped organize the vigil to show "solidarity" and support for the missing boy.

Calhoun, who does not know the family, said, "It's terrifying."

"This is not typical of this community.It is very sad.I only hope that we will find a solution quickly.Our heart goes to Andrew."

Andrew was last seen at bedtime around 9 pm Wednesday in the family home of the first block of Dole Avenue in the northwestern suburbs. After waking up on Thursday morning and unable to find him at home, Andrew's parents went missing.

Andrew had blond hair and was wearing a Mario sweatshirt and black jogging pants during his last visit. It is about 3 feet 5 inches and weighs about 70 pounds.

Neighbors said the father was in front of his house earlier Saturday.

A neighbor said that he was out of the house and had hugged a woman who had come to lay flowers near the house and Freund had asked the neighbor to pray.

Black said the evidence collected by the police so far "does not support an unknown offender, and there is no evidence to assert that an abduction has taken place" .

The police follow anyone who is known to have had contact with AJ or who has seen him for the last time.

Black said the police came home Friday "on the basis of new information (obtained)," and he could not say they would return home but he added: "If we must go home, we will do it. "

Black has asked the community to continue to contact the police department to provide him with any information and to keep an eye on her. The agents have covered hundreds of acres in and around the area and will continue to do so.

"Things like this do not happen at Crystal Lake," Black said. "We take this very seriously, we are taking action on everything that comes in. We hope to find it."

Friday afternoon, local defense lawyer George Kililis said that he represented Cunningham.

Kililis said the mother was "depressed" and "sad".

"She's devastated, she's worried … All that interests her is her little boy – that's all," Kililis said.

Kililis said that he told her to say nothing after Thursday's appearance, during his interrogation, by police officers who appeared to be accusing him.

DCFS, which is tasked with protecting children from abuse, released the following statement Friday: "The ministry's involvement with Andrew Freund began with its birth in 2013 and continued until the end of 2018. The last contact between DCFS child protection staff and Andrew's family was in December 2018 while she was investigating allegations of abuse and neglect. "

Dozens of law enforcement officials raided the home on Thursday and Friday.

Late last Friday, child protection officials released information about the boy's family since he was born in 2013 with opiates in his system. DCFS continued its contacts until the end of 2018, said a spokesman.

On Thursday, Andrew's younger brother was placed in another house under a DCFS security plan.

DCFS has released a calendar highlighting the interactions between DCFS and Andrew's family:

– In October 2013, DCFS investigated an allegation of negligence on the part of the mother and found that there was credible evidence to support this allegation. Andrew was born with opiates in his body.

– The following month, DCFS placed Andrew in pre-trial detention. He was placed in a foster home and was sent home only in June 2015. The case was closed in April 2016.

– In March 2018, the DCFS investigated the allegations of negligence of the father and mother, but concluded that they were unfounded. The mother agreed to resume treatment.

– On December 18, 2018, DCFS investigated another allegation of abuse and neglect on the part of the mother. The boy was temporarily fired by the police but was sent home after the charges were found to be unfounded. There was no evidence to support allegations of deplorable home conditions and bruising on the child was attributed to the dog.

After a day of fruitless searches on Thursday, police said in a Friday press release: "By examining all the information from the investigation to date, there is nothing to suggest that would suggest to the police that an abduction took place. " They also said: "The information currently obtained is that the police are focusing on his residence."

Dog teams who "did not detect that Andrew 's smell in the residence indicated that Andrew had not gone on foot," police said.

A neighbor who lives on the other side of the street said that the boy's father had left the house by a back door around 2 pm Friday and began to go down the Avenue Dole. As he walked, he said, "Find my son … find my son," said neighbor Janelle Butler.

Butler said the police had approached him and tried to keep others away from him, but not before pleading with members of the media present at the scene.

"AJ, please, come home," he said. "We love you very much.You have no problem.We are just worried to death.Please, please, come home."

Authorities ask anyone with information to call the Crystal Lake Police Department at 815-356-3620. Anyone with a cell phone and who has information about the child can tip the department anonymous by sending a text message to the word CLPDTIP with tip at 847411 (tip411).