Parents of Missing Illinois Boy Charged with Murder
The parents of five-year-old Andrew "AJ" Freund were charged with murder in the first degree. AJ went missing six days ago.
The boy's body was found on Wednesday, in a rural area off Dean Street and 176th Street in Woodstock, Illinois. Chief Jim Black said:
"It's with a heavy heart that the Crystal Lake Police Department reports that we've located what we believe to be the body of Andrew AJ Freud earlier this morning."
Both parents – JoAnn Cunningham and Andrew Freund Sr – were interviewed after authorities collected forensic analysis and cellphone data.
The information received from the parents led investigating officers to the location of AJ's body in a shallow grave. The cause of death is still unknown.
An autopsy report will be released once AJ's body has been examined by the McHenry County Coroner's Office.
Both parents are being charged with the death and disappearance of their son. The Crystal Lake Police Department confirmed that they are in custody.
The combined charges against them include 10 counts first-degree murder, six counts of aggravated battery, and three counts of aggravated domestic battery.
In addition to those charges, Freund Sr. faces two counts of concealment of a homicidal death.
