XCR1250 Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 (edited) WGN-TV WEATHER 62° Parents face charges in death of 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy after remains found POSTED 2:01 PM, APRIL 24, 2019, BY MIKE EWING AND MARCELLA RAYMOND, UPDATED AT 06:06PM, APRIL 24, 2019 Parents face charges in death of 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy after remains found > CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — Nearly a week after they reported 5-year-old Andrew "AJ" Freund missing, his parents are now facing multiple charges in his death, after investigators found his apparent remains in a remote area near Woodstock, IL. "It is with heavy heart that the Crystal Lake Police Department has located what we believe to be the body of Andrew 'AJ' Freund earlier this morning," Crystal Lake Police Chief Jim Black said during a press conference Wednesday. Black said information discovered through "forensic analysis of cell phone data" led investigators to speak with both AJ's father, Andrew Freund Sr., and his mother, JoAnn Cunningham, overnight Tuesday. During their interviews, Black said the parents separately shared details that led investigators to search a rural area near Woodstock, IL Wednesday morning. "Investigators located what they believe to be AJ's body buried in a shallow grave, wrapped in plastic in a remote area of Woodstock, Illinois," Black said. The McHenry County Sheriff and Coroner said the remains were found in a "makeshift grave" near a farm access road west of Dean Street in unincorporated Dorr Township. The location is about 15 minutes away from Freund's Crystal Lake home. The McHenry County Coroner's Office and FBI Recovery Unit removed the remains from the scene, and will work to definitively identify the body and determine a cause of death during an autopsy tentatively scheduled for Thursday morning. Andrew Freund Sr. and JoAnn Cunningham face multiple charges in the death of their 5-year-old son (Mugshots provided by Crystal Lake Police Department) Both parents now face multiple counts of First-Degree Murder and Aggravated Battery, and a count of Failure to Report a Missing Child or Death. In total, Cunningham is charged with 12 counts, while Freund faces 11, including additional charges of Concealment of Homicidal Death. Both are in police custody, and will be taken to McHenry County Jail to await a bond hearing Thursday morning. During a Wednesday press conference, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Sallet expressed condolences to AJ's family while praising the joint law enforcement effort, saying they were working "24 hours a day" on the investigation. "It was apparent to me that nobody was going to sleep, and nobody will sleep until justice is brought for AJ," Sallet said. Remains believed to be missing 5-year-old boy found in `shallow grave` in rural area > Initially reported missing by parents The search for AJ began April 18, after his father Andrew Freund Sr. called 911 to report him missing. Freund and AJ's mother, JoAnn Cunningham, told police they had last seen him around bedtime the night before. Police never issued an Amber Alert after his disappearance, indicating there was no evidence he was abducted. The FBI, McHenry County Sheriff and Crystal Lake Police conducted searches of nearby parks and bodies of water in the days since he was reported missing. On Wednesday, they could be seen searching the rural area where the remains would eventually be found. Law enforcement's focus shifted after police said canine units were only able to pick up AJ's scent inside the family home, meaning he likely did not leave on foot. Investigators returned there Wednesday and removed several items, including a shovel, a mattress, two lawn bags and a large bin. The family dog was also removed from the home by Animal Control officials. Family had history with DCFS, complaints of abuse As the search was ongoing, details emerged about the family's history with DCFS and Crystal Lake Police, including multiple reports of abuse, neglect and drug use. DCFS involvement with AJ dated back to 2013, when he was born with opiates in his system. He was taken into protective custody less than a month later, and spent seven months with a foster family before being returned to his mother. He was involved with DCFS "on and off" through the end of 2018, according to the agency. Freund Sr. was formerly Cunningham's divorce attorney. While the two never married, they were said to be living together with their children and no longer dating. Their other son has been in protective custody since AJ was reported missing. DCFS Acting Director Marc Smith said in a statement that AJ's younger sibling will remain in their custody, and the agency plans on reviewing its practices and potential improvements in a "transparent" manner. "Protecting vulnerable children who come to our attention is at the core of our mission at DCFS. All of us feel this loss," Smith said. "The Department is committed to conducting a comprehensive review of the entirety of our work with Andrew’s family to understand our shortcomings." Community members mourn the loss Community members held out hope he might be found alive, but are now planning to honor AJ's memory. A makeshift memorial is beginning to grow in front of the family's home on Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake, including a cross made by Aurora's Greg Zanis. “Let’s just say a prayer for AJ," neighbor Patrick DeFrancisco said. "It’s a very sad day right now.” A vigil is planned for Woodstock Square and outside the family home, both at 7 p.m., according to community posts on social media. Edited April 24, 2019 by XCR1250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member steve from amherst Posted April 24, 2019 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted April 24, 2019 scumbags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awful knawful Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 A lawyer and a junkie..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 These two deserve to vote while they're incarcerated. It's only fair. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XCR1250 Posted April 25, 2019 Author Share Posted April 25, 2019 And then there's many decent folks out there too: LIFESTYLE Published 13 hours ago Photo of 3 Alabama men who kept widow company at restaurant goes viral By Brie Stimson The men were dining at Brad's BBQ in Oxford, Alabama when they met the widow. (Google Maps ) A photograph showing three men dining at an Alabama restaurant with a widow they had just met the day before her anniversary has gone viral. The photo was posted with a note by Jamario Howard who was at Brad’s BBQ in Oxford, Ala., last week with two friends. Howard said while they were waiting for their food they noticed the woman eating by herself. “My exact thoughts was ‘dang I’d hate to have to eat alone,’” he wrote in the post. Howard then approached the woman and asked if he could sit down. The two got to talking, and she soon revealed her husband had recently passed, and that the next day would have been their 60th anniversary. "I instantly gave my condolences and asked her to come eat with us, which she was excited to do," Howard wrote. Howard, his friends, and the woman later posed for a photo which he shared to Facebook last week, and it has since been viewed more than 173,000 times and shared just under 50,000. "That was wonderful," one user wrote. "That was a beautiful compassionate gift you & your friends extended to a fellow human being! You blessed her that day," another added. Howard added that he took away a lesson from the dinner to "always be kind and nice to people." “This woman changed my outlook on life and how I look at other people. Everyone has a story,” Howard added. He also urged anyone reading to visit their parents and grandparents. "They miss you!!" he wrote. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spin_dry Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 They don’t look middle eastern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal Rosenberg Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 2 minutes ago, AKIQPilot said: These two deserve to vote while they're incarcerated. It's only fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnloverxtreme2 Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Jimmy Snacks Posted April 25, 2019 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted April 25, 2019 (edited) . Edited April 25, 2019 by Jimmy Snacks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beavis and Butt-Head Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 4 hours ago, AKIQPilot said: These two deserve to vote while they're incarcerated. It's only fair. the only thing they need is a hot lead of .30-06!!! Fuck Bernie, I like him even less more now than I did back in 2016. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKIQPilot Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 Just now, Beavis and Butt-Head said: the only thing they need is a hot lead of .30-06!!! Fuck Bernie, I like him even less more now than I did back in 2016. LOL Yea. Bernie is a whack job no doubt about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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