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Parents of missing Illinois boy Andrew Freund charged with murder after body found in shallow grave
Sam Hussey
Thursday, 25 April 2019 7:47 am
Missing boy's buried body found, parents charged
A desperate police search for a missing five-year-old boy has ended in tragedy after his body was found buried in a shallow grave and his parents charged with murder
Authorities searching for a missing 5-year-old Illinois boy who had lived in deplorable conditions dug up his body Wednesday and charged his parents with murder, sadly declaring that the youngster would "no longer have to suffer."
The body, believed to be that of Andrew "AJ" Freund, was covered in plastic and buried in a shallow grave in a rural area of Woodstock in McHenry County in Illinois.
Authorities said he had been living in deplorable conditions with urine and feces
Black said investigators went to the site after they interviewed the boy's parents overnight and presented them with mobile phone evidence.
A body believed to be that of missing boy Andrew "AJ" Freund has been found in a shallow grave Credit: AP
"This is not the outcome that we want to talk about... but it is the unfortunate result," said Jeffrey Sallet, who runs the FBI in northern Illinois. The parents, Andrew Freund Sr. and JoAnn Cunningham, each face charges of first-degree murder and other crimes.
The couple reported AJ missing last Thursday, telling officers they had last seen him at bedtime the previous night.
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'AJ is no longer suffering.'
Freund told a dispatcher that they'd checked "closets, the basement, the garage, everywhere," but investigators quickly knocked down the possibility of a kidnapping. Speaking to reporters, Black had a message for AJ's relatives: "It is my hope that you may have some solace in knowing that AJ is no longer suffering and his killers have been brought to justice."
Joann Cunningham who along with her husband Andrew Freund Sr. have been charged with murder and other charges in the death of their missing son. Credit: AP
Crystal Lake police had visited the house over the years, according to records released by the department. One report described the home as littered with dog feces and urine, including a child's bedroom where the "smell of feces was overwhelming." Another report said the house was "cluttered, dirty and in disrepair," and sometimes without electricity. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, known as DCFS, had contact with the family since AJ was born with opiates in his body in 2013.
Investigators remove a shovel from the property. Credit: AP
The Northwest Herald said he was in foster care for two years before being returned to his parents. Police removed several items from the home, including a shovel, mattress, paper bags and a plastic storage tub.
Black said the cause of AJ's death remains under investigation.
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