Found Deceased IL - Andrew Freund, 5, Crystal Lake, 17 April 2019 *Arrests* - #3

[mju8]

Here's an interesting, possibly irrelevant, possibly relevant fact related to the boyfriend currently in jail: He was confined in McHenry County Correctional Facility on December 19, 2018. Andrew Sr's birthday is December 19.

 

[Trudie]

12/18/18: DCFS investigator interviewed the boys at Crystal Lake Police Department. DCFS investigator attempted to engage the younger brother who would not talk to the investigator. The child appeared to be healthy and well cared for. Andrew was interviewed and reported that he received the bruise when the family dog pawed him. DCFS investigator interviewed JoAnn at the police station. She stated they were remodeling the home and did admit to dog feces and urine being present in the home. DCFS investigator asked her to take Andrew to Immediate are after she was bailed out. The father presented to bond mother out. JoAnn requested to be tested for drugs. DCFS investigator ended Protective Custody and children were returned home.
Murdered boy's mom was former foster parent

4 months before murdering AJ she requested a drug test. Presumably she had not used & knew her test would only show methadone, maybe?

 

[Trudie]

Here's an interesting, possibly irrelevant, possibly relevant fact related to the boyfriend currently in jail: He was confined in McHenry County Correctional Facility on December 19, 2018. Andrew Sr's birthday is December 19.

Musta been one helluva party.
12/18 referenced in my previous post. WTH was going on?

 

[Simply Southern]

Police in my south suburban Cook County community do deal with child abuse very directly and take it very seriously. I've seen nothing that suggests LE did something wrong in this case. Illinois DCFS is the agency that dropped the ball.

JMO

I've tried to apply an objective risk management review for all entities. Review DCPS policy, Illinois law, the DCPS timeline, comparing all "reports" from neighbors, etc to the actual timeline.

I also found this How to win at Illinois CPS Child Abuse Guide. It's a PDF in the attached link. I just scanned but it helps parents bet child abuse!!

Manuals - The Family Defense Center
s/
When a mandate worker
makes an attempt to contact the child, the parent or caretaker does not have to permit the
mandate worker to talk to the child or come into the home. The one exception is that
facilities licensed by DCFS must allow mandate workers and other investigators into the
facility or they may face consequences for their licenses.

DCFS Timeline Shows Interactions With Crystal Lake Family

The March 2018 OD incident receiving much attention.

May 17, 2018
DCFS investigator completed a final safety assessment of the home. Both boys were observed clean and dressed appropriately. Mother reported a history of drug use and current drug treatment. The home was observed to be clean, neat and adequately furnished.

March 21, 2018
DCFS received a hotline report that alleged substantial risk of physical injury/injurious environment and environment neglect against the mother and father. The report alleged that the mother was brought to the emergency room after being found unresponsive in a car. Andrew was observed at the hospital to have odd bruising on his face.

March 21, 2018
DCFS investigator met with JoAnn, Andrew and his younger brother. JoAnn was interviewed while the boys played outside in the driveway of the home. DCFS investigator observed the boys to be clean and did not find signs of maltreatment.
This is the SAME day of complaint.
Did DCPS verify she was in the ER?
Why did ER not call LE, OD mom with 2 kids in ER with bruises...mandated reporting is required!!!
Or was this made up???

May 18, 2018
DCFS investigator verified mother’s participation in a drug treatment program. The report from March, 2018 was unfounded and the investigation closed.

May 17, 2018
DCFS investigator completed a final safety assessment of the home. Both boys were observed clean and dressed appropriately. Mother reported a history of drug use and current drug treatment. The home was observed to be clean, neat and adequately furnished.

May 18, 2018 Was the OD made up ?
DCFS investigator verified mother’s participation in a drug treatment program. The report from March, 2018 was unfounded and the investigation closed.

 

[Trudie]

Idk how the OD could have been made up.
The dates are most interesting.
I assume the drug treatment program was court ordered.

 

[NYCCANUSA]

I keep reading a lot about JC dragging AF Sr down but unless I’m missing something on the timeline her child abuse issues and involvement with DCFS began at the time AF Sr came into her life(this is by no means an excuse)? 2012?

 

[osu]

Dad Charged in 5-Year-Old AJ Freund’s Murder Had Law License Suspended After Criminal Conviction, Cocaine Use
April 24, 2019

~snip

“Disciplinary records indicate that upon seeing a psychiatrist, Freund was diagnosed with opioid and cocaine use disorders. Among the conditions of his probation, Freund was ordered to attend a 12-step program.”


“Residents of Crystal Lake told Law&Crime that Freund is “very well known in this county” and had problems while he worked at a “very well known law firm.” They said the law firm “tried mightily” to help Freund and even paid for him to go to rehab twice. “Everyone who knows him really thought he was a nice guy,” they said, although they described the family as “dysfunctional.”


Dad Charged in 5-Year-Old AJ Freund’s Murder Had Law License Suspended After Criminal Conviction, Cocaine Use

 

[Whiteorchids]

Give him ten grand, he’ll sign on the dotted line.
I doubt they can use his physical appearance against him.
IMO, the child will need long term medical care, the person appointed to care for her will need to be most reliable. Perhaps family will adopt? Idk.

He doesn’t look like father of the year.

 

[osu]

Photos of AJ when he was a baby from Andrew Freund Sr., Facebook.

 

[Whiteorchids]

What a beautiful thought!

And all the other little murdered or killed boys and girls. There is a big club in heaven with a huge playground.

 

[Stunned]

All I know is that sweet baby will certainly be spending Independence Day independent of her host. Which is a wonderful thing.

Another thing to be thankful for on my birthday!

 

[Simply Southern]

Does anyone know if it's possible that DCFS has a system in place that would reward the ratio of or % of cases that a worker has that end with the family staying intact/case being closed? I ask because DCFS's stated mission is to preserve the family, first and foremost. Given that this is their mission, could some supervisors be incentivizing (bonus, raise, other things) this type of behavior in order to make it look like they themselves and their case workers are indeed succeeding in meeting the stated mission of the organization?

I ask this in the context of how extremely poorly (and suspiciously) AJ's case had been handled by DCFS/CPS, especially given that this type of behavior has been found in the past in the organization (e.g. DCFS investigators competed for $100 gift cards for closing most cases).

I am so confused, is it Illinois law or hospital operating procedure to call DCPS hotline? I'm in Virginia most hospitals here call LE, first, they contact the ON CALL CPS worker. Hospitals here want the LE report for proof and documentation in the event of a law suit.

I see legal liability opportunities for a good lawyers... DCPS, LE and hospital, if in fact she ODed. That's all the family will have at the end of the day. But these agencies need to pay and the only way is with money. Rarely are agency employees prosecuted. No amount of money will bring AJ back or relieve the pain from his brothers and grandmother.
So sad...

 

[Stunned]

Wonder if she’s had prenatal care?
The baby will definitely have a rough start.
I hope she has no input as to where the child goes.
I hope they keep her calm, comfie & well nourished until she delivers, for the sake of the baby! Then get her thru the system asap so we don’t have to see her.
Jmo

These are the children I work with.
It takes specifically trained foster parents (they are uncelebrated heroes) and early childhood educators (also heroes) to get these children ready to enter public schools.
They come to us feral, I know that sounds so harsh! Spend a day with me! We work tirelessly to gain their trust and respect. It takes months! There are constant, daily, back steps, but also daily baby steps.
This population is being ignored in the drug crisis in America. We need to get it right, we need to understand, we need to fight for these babies. We are all they have left.
Edited too add...and now their children are on drug cocktails that are continually changed and add too! SMDH! IMO

 

[Midgie2]

I've tried to apply an objective risk management review for all entities. Review DCPS policy, Illinois law, the DCPS timeline, comparing all "reports" from neighbors, etc to the actual timeline.

I also found this How to win at Illinois CPS Child Abuse Guide. It's a PDF in the attached link. I just scanned but it helps parents bet child abuse!!

Manuals - The Family Defense Center
s/
When a mandate worker
makes an attempt to contact the child, the parent or caretaker does not have to permit the
mandate worker to talk to the child or come into the home. The one exception is that
facilities licensed by DCFS must allow mandate workers and other investigators into the
facility or they may face consequences for their licenses.

DCFS Timeline Shows Interactions With Crystal Lake Family

The March 2018 OD incident receiving much attention.

May 17, 2018
DCFS investigator completed a final safety assessment of the home. Both boys were observed clean and dressed appropriately. Mother reported a history of drug use and current drug treatment. The home was observed to be clean, neat and adequately furnished.

March 21, 2018
DCFS received a hotline report that alleged substantial risk of physical injury/injurious environment and environment neglect against the mother and father. The report alleged that the mother was brought to the emergency room after being found unresponsive in a car. Andrew was observed at the hospital to have odd bruising on his face.

March 21, 2018
DCFS investigator met with JoAnn, Andrew and his younger brother. JoAnn was interviewed while the boys played outside in the driveway of the home. DCFS investigator observed the boys to be clean and did not find signs of maltreatment.
This is the SAME day of complaint.
Did DCPS verify she was in the ER?
Why did ER not call LE, OD mom with 2 kids in ER with bruises...mandated reporting is required!!!
Or was this made up???

May 18, 2018
DCFS investigator verified mother’s participation in a drug treatment program. The report from March, 2018 was unfounded and the investigation closed.

May 17, 2018
DCFS investigator completed a final safety assessment of the home. Both boys were observed clean and dressed appropriately. Mother reported a history of drug use and current drug treatment. The home was observed to be clean, neat and adequately furnished.

May 18, 2018 Was the OD made up ?
DCFS investigator verified mother’s participation in a drug treatment program. The report from March, 2018 was unfounded and the investigation closed.

These dates aren’t jiving. How can there be an OD of Joann in the car AND a visit by DCFS that says everything is a okay on the same day? Something stinks here!

 

[mickey2942]

12/18/18: DCFS investigator interviewed the boys at Crystal Lake Police Department. DCFS investigator attempted to engage the younger brother who would not talk to the investigator. The child appeared to be healthy and well cared for. Andrew was interviewed and reported that he received the bruise when the family dog pawed him. DCFS investigator interviewed JoAnn at the police station. She stated they were remodeling the home and did admit to dog feces and urine being present in the home. DCFS investigator asked her to take Andrew to Immediate are after she was bailed out. The father presented to bond mother out. JoAnn requested to be tested for drugs. DCFS investigator ended Protective Custody and children were returned home.
Murdered boy's mom was former foster parent

4 months before murdering AJ she requested a drug test. Presumably she had not used & knew her test would only show methadone, maybe?

I don't know, it depends if her drug test was verified or if she was actually observed visually during the test. Most people do not like to actually watch other people pee.

Drug addicts use this, to cheat tests. There are numerous ways to do this. One is to have your children pee in a bottle, save that urine...I won't go into details here...
Observation of drug addicts doing a UA is actually a skill. You can't let them make you feel uncomfortable about watching them with an eagle eye. And they will try anything and everything to cheat.

 

[MyBelle]

I've tried to apply an objective risk management review for all entities. Review DCPS policy, Illinois law, the DCPS timeline, comparing all "reports" from neighbors, etc to the actual timeline.

I also found this How to win at Illinois CPS Child Abuse Guide. It's a PDF in the attached link. I just scanned but it helps parents bet child abuse!!

Manuals - The Family Defense Center
s/
When a mandate worker
makes an attempt to contact the child, the parent or caretaker does not have to permit the
mandate worker to talk to the child or come into the home. The one exception is that
facilities licensed by DCFS must allow mandate workers and other investigators into the
facility or they may face consequences for their licenses.

DCFS Timeline Shows Interactions With Crystal Lake Family

The March 2018 OD incident receiving much attention.

May 17, 2018
DCFS investigator completed a final safety assessment of the home. Both boys were observed clean and dressed appropriately. Mother reported a history of drug use and current drug treatment. The home was observed to be clean, neat and adequately furnished.

March 21, 2018
DCFS received a hotline report that alleged substantial risk of physical injury/injurious environment and environment neglect against the mother and father. The report alleged that the mother was brought to the emergency room after being found unresponsive in a car. Andrew was observed at the hospital to have odd bruising on his face.

March 21, 2018
DCFS investigator met with JoAnn, Andrew and his younger brother. JoAnn was interviewed while the boys played outside in the driveway of the home. DCFS investigator observed the boys to be clean and did not find signs of maltreatment.
This is the SAME day of complaint.
Did DCPS verify she was in the ER?
Why did ER not call LE, OD mom with 2 kids in ER with bruises...mandated reporting is required!!!
Or was this made up???

May 18, 2018
DCFS investigator verified mother’s participation in a drug treatment program. The report from March, 2018 was unfounded and the investigation closed.

May 17, 2018
DCFS investigator completed a final safety assessment of the home. Both boys were observed clean and dressed appropriately. Mother reported a history of drug use and current drug treatment. The home was observed to be clean, neat and adequately furnished.

May 18, 2018 Was the OD made up ?
DCFS investigator verified mother’s participation in a drug treatment program. The report from March, 2018 was unfounded and the investigation closed.

Unfounded? Says whom? Did they really investigate?

It is impossible to be objective when the truth is unknown. Illinois DCFS has been caught falsifying reports in the recent past.

Death Of 2-Year-Old Ja’hir Gibbons Is Most Recent In Allegations Of DCFS Falsifying Records

 

[kaen]

A Judge removed AJ for 18 months and I seriously doubt a Judge would have refused a request to remove him again. Unfortunately, the Court wasn't involved and that's on the shoulders of DCFS.

JMO

We will never know how this case was investigated. I found a primer for families being investigated (https://www.familydefensecenter.net...Responding-to-Investigations-Manual-FINAL.pdf) that could be interesting to read. It details the process from hotline call to interviews to medical review..... very interesting reading as the authors believe that DCFS overreaches.

 

[Midgie2]

Photos of AJ when he was a baby from Andrew Freund Sr., Facebook.

AJ looks just like his father Andrew Sr. He looks so sweet and happy in the first 2 pics.

 

[Simply Southern]

Idk how the OD could have been made up.
The dates are most interesting.
I assume the drug treatment program was court ordered.

The hospital did not report, isn't that odd???? That's the biggest red flag it isn't true. If a 5 and 3 year old come to ET with an ODed mom and bruises the police are called. They can't just let the kids set in the waiting room unattended. If she ODed with the kids and the hospital didn't call, they are the lowest of low and blantant neglect!!!! The CPS worker visited the home the same day and spoke with JC while the kids played outside. Don't you think if she ODed and the kid had bruise she would have documented.

Just like the mom said he was burned, never reported not one word. NO CPS report nothing.

I h!!!! this mom but either some folks are not truthful or the dang town is crooked. These are mandated reporters, hospitals have strict guidelines on reporting, risk management teams, lawyers CEOs screaming liability all the time. The Dr's and nurses can lose their license and be procedures for neglect.

 

[Stunned]

I’m sorry, remind me again, when is she due?