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Parents charged after missing Illinois boy found dead

By Darryl Coote
The boy had been missing since last Thursday. Photo courtesy of Crystal Lake Police Department/Facebook
The boy had been missing since last Thursday. Photo courtesy of Crystal Lake Police Department/Facebook

April 25 (UPI) -- Illinois authorities said Wednesday they found the body of a 5-year-old boy who'd been missing for a week, and have charged the parents with murder.

Officials said Andrew "AJ" Freund was found wrapped in plastic and buried in a shallow grave in Woodstock, Ill. Crystal Lake Police Department Chief James Black told reporters Wednesday investigators discovered remains almost a week after he was reported missing last April 18.

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His parents, Joann Cunningham and Andrew Freund Sr., were arrested and charged with murder, he said.

"To AJ's family: 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," Black said.

A search began after the child was reported missing consisting of 15 police agencies, drones and canine units. The father told 911 he'd last seen his son on the night of April 17.

On Tuesday, Crystal Lake police released 63 pages of police reports on interactions with the boy's parents, which detailed living conditions. The report said "dog feces and urine were scattered about the residence" and that one of two children there had a large bruise that a healthcare worker didn't know was a result of abuse.

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Police discovered the body after investigators and the FBI interviewed Cunningham and Freund Tuesday night, with new information obtained through a forensic analysis of cellphone data.

"Once presented with the evidence obtained by investigators, both Joann and Andrew Sr. provided information that ultimately led to the recovery -- what we believe is the recovery -- of the deceased subject AJ," Black said.

Both parents face five counts of first-degree murder and one count of failure to report a missing or child death. Cunningham faces four counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated domestic battery. Freund was also charged with two counts of aggravated battery, one count of aggravated domestic battery and two counts of concealment of homicidal death.

The cause of the boy's death was not immediately known.

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