The parents of Andrew Freund Jr. have been charged with murder after the boy’s body was found about seven miles from their home in Illinois.
The 5-year-old boy, known as A.J., went missing on April 18 from his family’s house in Crystal Lake. His body was found nearly a week later near Woodstock.
“It is with a heavy heart that the Crystal Lake Police Department reports what we believe to be the body of Andrew ‘A.J.’ Freund,” Crystal Lake Police Chief James Black said at a press conference on Wednesday. “This is still an active and ongoing investigation and we are still processing evidence at this time.”
Police said that they obtained forensic evidence obtained from a cell phone, which they confronted parents Joann Cunningham and Andrew Freund Sr. with.
The parents then “provided information that ultimately led to the recovery” of the boy.
A.J. was found buried in a shallow grave. The cause of the death is unknown pending an autopsy.
The parents were taken into custody and Cunningham was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, four counts of aggravated battery, two counts of aggravated domestic battery, and one count of failure to report a missing child or death.
Freund Sr. was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of concealment of a homicidal death, one count of aggravated domestic battery, and one count of failure to report a missing child or death.
Black said that he hoped that the rest of A.J.’s would find closure after the location of the body and the arrest of the boy’s alleged killers.
“To A.J.’s family, it is our hope that you may have some solace in knowing that AJ is no longer suffering and his killers have been brought to justice. We would also like to thank the community for their support and assistance during this difficult time. To A.J., we know you are at peace playing in heaven’s playground and are happy you no longer have to suffer,” he said.
The discovery of the body came after police released the 911 call made by Freund Sr., made on April 18. The father said his son was missing.
“We’ve checked closets, the basement, the garage, everywhere,” Freund told the dispatcher, adding that he had scoured the park, a nearby school and a “local gas station down here where we sometimes take him to buy treats.” But that there was no sign of the boy.
911 audio of missing child (redacted)
Posted by Crystal Lake Police Department on Tuesday, April 23, 2019
The Crystal Lake Police Department had said on April 19 that after an extensive search of the surrounding area, officers believed the boy never left his home and was not abducted, seemingly implicating the parents.
“During the last 24 hours, several police search and rescue canine units, trained specifically to locate people, were utilized in an attempt to locate Andrew. The canine teams only picked up Andrews ‘scent’ within the residence indicating that Andrew had not walked away on foot,” the department stated.
“In reviewing all investigative information thus far, there is no indication that would lead police to believe that an abduction had taken place. At this point, the police department has no reason to believe there is a threat to the community. Information obtained currently has police focusing on the residence.”
In an update on April 22, the department said that there was still no indication that an abduction had taken place. Officials said that Cunningham remained uncooperative and that Freund had spoken with officers over the weekend.
