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McHenry County News DISPLAY ADVERTISING & CLASSIFIEDS: 815-877-4044 • CIRCULATION: 815-877-4044 • E-MAIL: McHenryNews@RVPublishing.com
VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 19
THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2019
11512 N. 2nd ST. • MACHESNEY PARK, IL 61115
Search for Andrew Freund has ended Crystal Lake officers, along with McHenry County Sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents, found the body of AJ Freund near a field in Woodstock, off Dean Street just north of Gayle Drive on Wednesday, April 24. The body was found near Gayle Drive on farmland bounded by woods and a small stream. His remains were wrapped in plastic and buried in a shallow grave. The Coroner has determined that AJ was beaten to death three days before he was reported missing. Police began by focusing on the family’s Crystal Lake home. They said canine teams only picked up Andrew’s scent within the residence, which was an indication that Andrew had not walked away on foot. Police found no evidence that AJ had been abducted. DCFS has had contact with Andrew’s family since he was born in 2013 with opiates in his system. The agency has had contact with the family on and off until late last December. AJ’s younger brother was placed in the care of DCFS last week after AJ was reported missing. Chief Black and Jeffrey Sallet, special agent in charge of the FBI in Chicago presided at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, April 24 to inform the media of progress on the case. Both parents provided information that helped investigators. Both parents are in custody and face multiple charges: JoAnn Cunningham has been charged
5 year-old Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund was found after a week of intensive searching.
with: five counts of 1st Degree Murder, four counts of Aggravated Battery, two counts of Aggravated Domestic Battery, two counts of Concealment of a Homicidal Death, and one count of Failure to Report a Death or Disappearance of a Child. Andrew Freund, Sr. has been charged with five counts of 1st Degree Murder, two counts of Aggravated Battery, one count of Aggravated Domestic Battery, two counts of Concealment of a Homicidal Death, and one count of Failure to Report a Death or Disappearance of a Child.
COURTESY PHOTOS McHenry County News
Andrew Freund Sr. and JoAnn Cunningham have been charged with battery and the murder of their son, 5-year-old Andrew “AJ” Freund.
Chief Black thanked the FBI, the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office, local, state, and county law enforcement, fire departments and emergency management entities. He also thanked the community for their support and assistance. More facts AJ’s younger brother is in the care of
Child Protective services until they can locate a relative or foster home for him. Cunningham is seven months pregnant and receiving appropriate health care. The dilapidated Freund house is on the verge of foreclosure. Trauma care is available for members of the community who have been affected.
MCC fire science students participate in Rapid Intervention Training (RIT) Fire service personnel perform the critical work of saving lives and protecting property. This work can be exciting and rewarding, but it is carried out in difficult and often lifethreatening conditions and requires highly trained, physically fit professionals. It also requires an increasing level of technical knowledge,
including principles of building construction and design, chemicals and codes, and modern methods of extinguishing a fire. Several McHenry Township Fire Protection District probationary firefighters participated in RIT Training as part of their Basic Firefighter class at McHenry County College.
COURTESY PHOTOS McHenry County News
Firefighters often have to deal with electrical wires and hanging wires as they make their way through a burning building or attic.
Rescuing a downed firefighter during a fire is something all firefighters need to be able to handle.
Reaching another floor without the benefit of stairs means cutting a hole in the floor/ceiling.