CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — Andrew Freund Sr. told authorities Joann Cunningham killed their 5-year-old son, according to court documents. The new details were made public in a search warrant obtained by authorities prior to the discovery of AJ’s body last week and contained information about Andrew Freund Sr.’s confession. Authorities pressed Andrew Freund Sr. for more information after obtaining a video from Cunningham’s phone from March 4 that shows AJ lying on a bare mattress in a crib in a room, which appeared to be his bedroom at 94 Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake, and holding an ice pack to his face.
When he removes the ice pack, there is deep red bruising around his eyes and yellowish-green bruising on his neck and upper chest, police investigators report in the warrant. A voice, which sounded like Cunningham, can be heard berating AJ for wetting the bed.
AJ was put in a cold shower for an extended period of time and allegedly beaten on April 15. He died of severe head trauma, authorities said. Andrew Freund Sr. reported him missing to authorities the next day and a search followed for nearly a week until Andrew Freund Sr. led police to the shallow grave in Woodstock where he allegedly buried his son.
Prior to confessing, Freund Sr. lied and misdirected authorities to the possible location of AJ Freund, according to the Daily Herald. When police searched Andrew Freund Sr.’s phone, they found the search, “child CPR,” which Freund initially attributed to the fact that Cunningham is expecting a child. Freund Sr. is not the father of the child.
The March 4 video on Cunningham’s phone depicted the “hard physical beatings” AJ was subjected to, according to court documents. The Chicago Tribune reports the court affidavit included more information from Andrew Freund Sr. regarding what led to AJ’s death. Prior to his death, Freund Sr. said he’d asked Joann to choose a less violent form of punishment than beating their son. Cold showers were chosen as an alternative.
He told authorities that on or about April 15, AJ lied about soiled underway and was put in a cold shower, the affidavit states. Andrew Freund told investigators he helped AJ out of the shower after about 2 minutes. He was put to bed “cold, wet and naked.” Joann got up to check on him and then got Andrew Freund Sr. She allegedly used his phone to search for “child CPR,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
In the sworn statement by McHenry County Sheriff’s Office detective Edwin Maldonado, authorities say Cunningham told her 4-year-old son, AJ’s younger brother, that AJ fell down the stairs, according to the Chicago Tribune report. The home had hoarder-like conditions, with garbage bags stacked inside and outside, and authorities found a garbage bag that smelled of bleach and had laundry inside.
Both Cunningham and Freund are being held at the McHenry County Jail on a $5 million bail and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and concealing a homicidal death. Freund is also charged with failure to report the death of a child.
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AJ Freund’s family was not allowed to see the young boy for over a year prior to his death, relatives said in a statement released Wednesday to Patch. In the statement, the relatives, who are not named, said they loved AJ “with all our hearts” and added that AJ, “with his brave short life, made the ultimate sacrifice to save his younger brother and unborn sibling.”
Andrew AJ Freund was born in October 2013 with opiates and benzodiazepines in his system. DCFS removed him from his mother’s care and he lived with a relative until he was 18 months old.
“We, the family that lovingly cared for Andrew (AJ) during the first 18 months of his life and were then allowed to be in his life for another 26 months until the parents abruptly prevented us from having any further contact with him, want everyone to know that AJ was loved by us with all our hearts,” according to the statement released by the family’s lawyer, Peter J. Flowers of Meyers & Flowers Trial Attorneys. “While we had him in our lives, he had a happy, fun-loving life.”
Freund enjoyed Thomas the Tank Engine, playing with fire trucks, bulldozers, cement mixers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
“He was very curious and always wanted to learn about everything,” according to family members. “He was, and will always be, our loving and caring little boy. … His life shall not be in vain. AJ will always be our little superhero.”
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A public visitation is set for Friday for AJ from 1 to 8 p.m. at Davenport Funeral Home, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave. in Crystal Lake.
“We want to thank the Crystal Lake Police and surrounding Police Departments, the FBI, all other first responders, and our community at large,” AJ’s family said in the statement. ” We appreciate all of the kindness, prayers, love, and compassion shown by all.”
Also this past week, Joann Cunningham’s first husband, Craig Summerkamp, spoke out about his time with Joann. They were married in May of 2009 and while they were married, she began to complain of body aches. She got a prescription from a doctor to deal with the pain and shortly after this, their relationship became tumultuous, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Our marriage started off well and it was like a switch flipped in her head,” he told the newspaper. “She was a decent person, but then she got hooked on pills and it all went downhill super fast.”
She met Andrew Freund, Sr., an attorney, during divorce proceedings at the McHenry County courthouse in Woodstock and he consoled her while she was in the hallway “moping and crying,” Summerkamp told the newspaper. Freund ended up representing her in her 2012 divorce case.
Cunningham was allowed to stay in the McHenry home Summerkamp and Cunningham had shared, and Freund moved in, too. The house had bug and mold problems, smelled of dog urine and feces and there were several fires in kitchen appliances, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
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