Found Deceased IL - Andrew Freund, 5, Crystal Lake, 17 April 2019 *Arrests* - #4

[HayLouise]

Andrew Freund

Missing Since - Apr 17, 2019

Missing From - Crystal Lake, IL

DOB - Oct 14, 2013

Age Now - 5

Sex - Male

Race - White

Hair Color - Blonde

Eye Color - Brown

Height - 3'5"

Weight - 65 lbs

Extra Photo

Both photos shown are of Andrew. He was last seen at his home on April 17, 2019. Andrew was last seen wearing a Blue Mario sweatshirt and black sweatpants.

Have you seen this child? ANDREW FREUND
Thread #1
Thread #2
Thread #3

 

[Simply Southern]

State Laws on Child Abuse and Neglect - Child Welfare Information Gateway

Here is a link to child abuse laws for all states. Now is a great opportunity to look up for your state. You will see what we consider abuse and what the LAW says are entirely different. Attorneys for parents KNOW the law and work on behalf of the parent NOT the child.

Each of us can make a difference by lobbying for stricter laws. DCPS, LE and Judges can only work within the law. Work to close the loop holes, more clearly define abuse and end this nightmare.

 

[osu]

'DCFS is afraid of getting sued': Experts on the possible reasons AJ Freund's parents retained custody

 

[Tippy Lynn]

AJ - Updated Timeline:

2012

• AF was JC's divorce attorney

June 7, 2012 - Thursday

• DCFS received a hotline call alleging inadequate supervision. The allegations were that JC is abusing prescription drugs and neglecting her foster child. The report was unfounded and expunged

December 24, 2012 - Wednesday

• DCFS hotline received a call alleging environmental neglect and injurious environment as to her oldest son. The report alleged JC is abusing prescription drugs and has mental health issues. The report was unfounded and expunged

2013-2018

• Crystal Lake police said officers have been called to the home 17 times since the child was born five years ago. The Crystal Lake Police Department released reports detailing what they call "unacceptable" living conditions along with alleged drug abuse and concerns the Department of Children and Family Services had for the children's welfare. DCFS last had contact with the family in December of last year

January 17, 2013 - Thursday

• JC involved in a legal dispute with her mother, involving JC’s eldest son. JC’s mother filed an order of protection petition accusing JC and AF of forcing JC’s eldest son to live in “constant fear, hunger and filth,” as well as denying him medical care, food, clean clothing and a healthy living environment. (Closed 10/21/13)

June 13, 2013 - Thursday

• JC was charged with retail theft, took another plea and received more supervision and fines
• AF was charged with retail theft, and received one year supervision and drug and alcohol treatment

June 26, 2013 - Wednesday

• JC battery charge - She negotiated a plea deal, paid a fine and got six months supervision, anger counseling and drug addiction treatment

October 14, 2013 - Monday

• AJ was born

October 16, 2013 - Wednesday

• DCFS received a hotline report alleging substance misuse by neglect, afterJC gave birth to AJ on 10/14/13. AJ and JC tested positive for opiates and benzodiazepines. The report was indicated for Substance Misuse. AJ was removed from his mother’s care during the investigation

November 2013

• DCFS took AJ into protective custody. He was placed into foster home

May 30, 2014 - Friday

• JC - OFP (Closed 6/10/14)

October 13, 2015 - Tuesday

• AF, who was licensed in 1984, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after ninety days by a two-year period of conditional probation. While representing his client in a dissolution of marriage case, AF was convicted of indirect criminal contempt after the judge found that he had violated court orders. Also, he appeared in court on behalf of a client after he had been removed from the Master Roll of Attorneys due to his failure to register or complete his mandatory continuing legal education requirements. The suspension is effective on October 13, 2015

June 2015

• AJ was returned home from foster care

October 13, 2015 -Tuesday

• JC - Ordinance Violation, Animal Control

April 2016

• DCFS closed AJ’s Protective Custody Case

October 31, 2017 - Tuesday

• A neighbor who lives across the street from the Freunds’ house, she said, she first met the family when the boy and his mom came to her door on Halloween in 2017. AJ had bandages on his face and arm. She thought he was dressed as a mummy, but his mother said he had grabbed a pot of boiling water that day, was burned and went to the hospital for treatment

December 12, 2017 - Tuesday

• JC physical altercation at another residence with a female about a set of keys

January 17, 2018 - Wednesday

• Report of not paying hotel bill. CLPD went to JC and AJ residence, subject looked out window and didn’t anwer the door

February 14, 2018 - Wednesday

• DN left the Dole residence

February 16, 2018 - Friday

• JC reported DN missing to CLPD and stated he possibly took the train to Chicago, but hasn’t been able to get in contact with him since he left

February 19, 2018 - Monday

• DN was located at a facility of some sort. CLPD closed his missing person report

March 21, 2018 - Wednesday

• Police found JC asleep in her car, her arms, neck and feet covered in “fresh track marks” from needles. The mother was brought to the emergency room after being found unresponsive in a car. AJ was observed at the hospital to have odd bruising on his face. A hospital social worker called the DCFS hotline to report that AJ had “odd bruising on his face”. Both AJ and his younger brother, now 4, were wearing clothes that were inside out. DCFS reported that alleged substantial risk of physical injury/injurious environment and environment neglect against the mother and father. The report alleged that the DCFS investigator contacted the parents in unsuccessful attempt to see the children on 03/21/18, 3/29/18 and 4/9/18.

March 29, 2018 - Thursday

• DCFS investigator contacted the parents in unsuccessful attempt to see the children

March 2018

• DCFS investigated allegations of neglect by JC and AF, but concluded they were unfounded. The mother agreed to re-enter treatment

April 9, 2018 - Monday

• DCFS investigator contacted the parents in unsuccessful attempt to see the children

April 18, 2018 - Wednesday

• JC - Traffic Violation

April 25, 2018 - Wednesday

• DCFS investigator met with JC, AJ and his younger brother. JC 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

July 20, 2018 - Friday

• Mortgage Foreclosure Opened

August 5, 2018 - Sunday

• JC reported she lost a backpack the night before and has no recollection of what happened the night before or how she got to bed. The backpack was found today, but the medication inside of the backpack was missing. When the officer arrived it was noted that both the male and female appeared to be on some sort of narcotic medication. JC stated the medication strip is free for her, but it’s sold on the street illegally for $900. A report needs to be made and given to the Dr in order to receive another prescription

September 4, 2018 - Tuesday

• Report of dog at large

September 5, 2018 - Wednesday

• Report of dog at large

September 20, 2018 - Thursday

• Report of no power and bad living conditions at the home. CLPD did well being check and made contact with JC and was denied access to the home. JC confirmed there was no power and could not say for sure how long they had been without power. JC was holding one child and the child appeared to be happy and healthy, when asked to see the other child JC said he was sleeping. CLPD told JC they would be contacting DCFS. She said she understood and said they were there one month ago. CLPD contacted DCFS and they stated a home without power does not warrant a a DCFS investigation.

December 18, 2018 - Tuesday

• From scanner (police communications) -JC claims an android cell phone and 2 prescription pill bottles (Adderall for ADHD and Suboxin for treatment of opioid addiction and dependence)were stolen in an alleged burglary from her home.
• ER Physician examined AJ and could not state how his injury was caused. The doctor reported injury could have been caused by a dog, belt or a football. The doctor was concerned because AJ stated that "maybe someone hit me with a belt. Maybe mommy didn't mean to hurt me." DCFS investigator contacted the father to pick the children up from hospital until the home environment can be assessed. The father was asked to remain in the home as a safety precaution.
• DCFS investigated another allegation of abuse and neglect by JC. AJ was temporarily removed by police, but he was returned to the home after the allegations were ruled unfounded. There was no evidence to support allegations of deplorable conditions in the home, and bruising on AJ was attributed to the dog. Another officer at the same call noted in her report that upstairs where the boys sleep a window was open and there was an overwhelming smell of feces. That same officer noticed that one of the boys, who was only wearing a pull-up diaper, had a large bruise on his hip.

December 19, 2018 - Wednesday

• Woodstock police arrested DN, after he allegedly kicked and hit two nurses and a security guard at Northwestern Medical Hospital. DN 36 yr old, is also reported to have lived at the home some time within the past year

December 21, 2018 - Friday

• JC - Traffic Violation

February 8, 2019 - Friday

• JC - Ordinance Violation, Animal Control (closed 5/8/19)

March 4, 2019 - Monday

• JC Aggravated Battery incident occurred (counts 10-12, charged on date of arrest 4/24)

April 4, 2019 - Thursday

• Neighbors said the family was supposed to be out of the home by April 4

April 13, 2019 - Saturday

• JC and AJ’s younger brother on FB live at motel swimming

April 15, 2019 - Monday

• Parents forced AJ into a shower and/or struck him, leading to his death

April 17, 2019 - Wednesday

• Last seen in bed at 9:30 pm

April 18, 2019 - Thursday

• AF went to doctor appointment and returned home @ 8:30am
• AJ reported missing by 911 call made by AF
• JC’s attorney said JC had been questioned by police on Thursday
• JC was arrested at the LCPD on an arrest warrant for failure to appear on driving with a suspended DL. JC was released after paying the required $300 bond

April 19, 2019 - Friday

• Late Friday afternoon, a team of police in about seven vehicles pulled up to the house and went inside with a search warrant
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said it has had contact with the family of the boy, AJ since he was born in 2013 with opiates in his system. DCFS continued having contact off and on until late 2018
• A younger son was placed into DCFS custody
• Police said, “In reviewing all investigative information thus far, there is no indication that would lead police to believe that an abduction had taken place.” They also said: “Information obtained currently has police focusing on the residence”
• Canine teams that were used during the investigation “only picked up AJ’s scent within the residence indicating that Andrew had not walked away on foot”

April 23, 2019 - Tuesday

• JC - Court 8:30am driving with a suspended DL
• Shelter Hearing for AJ’s younger brother

April 24, 2019 - Wednesday

• Information was obtained from forensic analysis of cell phone data. Once presented with the evidence obtained by investigators, both JC and AF provided information that ultimately led to recovery," said Crystal Lake Police Chief JB
• Overnight police and FBI interviewed both JC and AF after information was obtained through a forensic analysis of cell phone data. Once presented with the information, the parents provided information about the location of the boy's body
• AJ’s body was found 7 miles from home - buried in shallow grave and wrapped in plastic
• Police were seen removing items from boy's home in Crystal Lake, including a small mattress, shovel caked with dirt, plastic storage totes and bags
• Family dog “Lucy” was removed from home by Animal Control.
• JC - Charged
  • 5 counts of first degree murder
  • 4 counts aggravated battery
  • 2 counts of aggravated domestic battery
  • 1 count of failure to report a missing or child death
• AF Sr. - Charged
  • 5 counts of first degree murder
  • 2 counts aggravated battery
  • 1 counts of aggravated domestic battery
  • 2 counts of concealment of homicidal death
  • 1 count of failure to report a missing or child death
• Police allege AJ was forced into a cold shower for an extended period of time and struck before he died
• Two vigils held

April 25, 2019 - Thursday

• COURT - Bond Hearing - 8 am (JC and AF)
  • Bond was set at $5 million each. They will each have to pay $500,000 to get out of jail
• Autopsy to determine COD will be preformed
  • Cause of death determined as "craniocerebral trauma as a consequence of multiple blunt force injuries." According to the Coroner AJ suffered skull and brain trauma as a result of multiple blunt force injuries

April 27, 2019 - Saturday

• Vigil - 6:30 pm at Lippold Park

April 29, 2019 - Monday

• COURT - Arraignment - 9:00 am (JC and AF) status hearing to set court date for Preliminary Hearing
  • Neither party made a plea today, hearing will resume on May 10th
  • JC has a public defender and AF wants to find his own attorney
• COURT - Custody Hearing - (AJ’s 4yr old brother, currently in the custody of family
  • No Contact order for AF Sr. and JC to see child
  • JC and AF agreed to have the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services care for their younger son, while prosecutors attempt to revoke the former couple's parental rights.
  • McHenry County State's Attorney's Office also filed a petition seeking to terminate AF and JC's parental rights.

May 3, 2019 - Friday

• Visitation for AJ will be held 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Davenport Family Funeral Home in Crystal Lake.
• COURT - Status Attorney 9:00 am (AF)

May 10, 2019 - Friday

• COURT - Preliminary Hearing - 9:00 am (JC and AF) both are expected to enter a plea

May 30, 2019 - Thursday

• COURT - Custody Hearing - 10:00 am (AJ’s 4yr old brother)

 

[Tippy Lynn]

AJ Case - Court Dates:


April 24, 2019 - Wednesday

• JC - Charged
  • 5 counts of first degree murder
  • 4 counts aggravated battery
  • 2 counts of aggravated domestic battery
  • 1 count of failure to report a missing or child death
• AF Sr. - Charged
  • 5 counts of first degree murder
  • 2 counts aggravated battery
  • 1 counts of aggravated domestic battery
  • 2 counts of concealment of homicidal death
  • 1 count of failure to report a missing or child death

April 25, 2019 - Thursday

• COURT - Bond Hearing - 8 am (JC and AF)
  • Bond was set at $5 million each. They will each have to pay $500,000 to get out of jail

April 29, 2019 - Monday

• COURT - Arraignment - 9:00 am (JC and AF) status hearing to set court date for Preliminary Hearing
  • Neither party made a plea today, hearing will resume on May 10th
  • JC has a public defender and AF wants to find his own attorney
  • petition seeking to terminate AF and JC's parental rights.
• COURT - Custody Hearing - (AJ’s 4yr old brother, currently in the custody of family)
  • No Contact order for AF Sr. and JC to see child
  • JC and AF agreed to have the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services care for their younger son, while prosecutors attempt to revoke the former couple's parental rights.
  • McHenry County State's Attorney's Office also filed a petition seeking to terminate AF and JC's parental rights

May 3, 2019 - Friday

• COURT - Status Attorney 9:00 am (AF)

May 10, 2019 - Friday

• COURT - Preliminary Hearing - 9:00 am (JC and AF) both are expected to enter a plea

May 30, 2019 - Thursday

• COURT - Custody Hearing - 10:00 am (AJ’s 4yr old brother)

 

[Tippy Lynn]

AJ - Links and Info:

Missing Since - Apr 17, 2019
Missing From - Crystal Lake, IL
DOB - Oct 14, 2013
Age Now - 5
Sex - Male
Race - White
Hair Color - Blonde
Eye Color - Brown
Height - 3'5"
Weight - 65 lbs


Case information website: Public Case Access - McHenry County
IL General Assembly definitions for counts: Illinois General Assembly Home Page
AF Court Documents: Andrew Freund Criminal Complaint
JC Court Documents: JoAnn Cunningham Criminal Complaint
McHenry Co Sheriff Dept inmate search: McHenry County Sheriff

JoAnn Cunningham
Andrew Freund

ARDC: Disciplinary Reports and Decisions Search

Link to police reports prior to AJ being reported missing: https://www.crystallake.org/home/showdocument?id=17706

A.J. Freund DCFS Timeline | Child Protective Services | Child Custody

Illinois OIG DCFS Annual Report for 2018: OIG Annual Reports - Office of the Inspector General

Tia A. Ewing on Twitter: Tia A. Ewing (@TIA_EWING) | Twitter

 

[Harmony 2]

Continue discussion here..

 

[Tippy Lynn]

Continue discussion here..

Thank you.

 

[Trudie]

On the last thread someone poste JC is diagnosed as bipolar. I never read she was diagnosed, only that she was mentally ill. IMO, drug use would be far worse, if bipolar. Anyone know if she is bipolar?

Also, I posed a couple questions, one I’d like comments to; do any of you believe her defense will center around her drug use? In other words “my client was out of her mind”, or even her mental illness will be a factor? Tysm

 

[Trudie]

What are the long-term effects of heroin use?
Repeated heroin use changes the physical structure13 and physiology of the brain, creating long-term imbalances in neuronal and hormonal systems that are not easily reversed.14,15 Studies have shown some deterioration of the brain’s white matter due to heroin use, which may affect decision-making abilities, the ability to regulate behavior, and responses to stressful situations.16-18Heroin also produces profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence. Tolerance occurs when more and more of the drug is required to achieve the same effects. With physical dependence, the body adapts to the presence of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly.

Withdrawal may occur within a few hours after the last time the drug is taken. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps ("cold turkey"), and leg movements. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 24–48 hours after the last dose of heroin and subside after about a week. However, some people have shown persistent withdrawal signs for many months. Finally, repeated heroin use often results in heroin use disorder—a chronic relapsing disease that goes beyond physical dependence and is characterized by uncontrollable drug-seeking, no matter the consequences.19 Heroin is extremely addictive no matter how it is administered, although routes of administration that allow it to reach the brain the fastest (i.e., injection and smoking) increase the risk of developing heroin use disorder. Once a person has heroin use disorder, seeking and using the drug becomes their primary purpose in life.

What are the long-term effects of heroin use?

 

[Tippy Lynn]

On the last thread someone poste JC is diagnose as bipolar. I never read she was diagnosed, only that she was mentally in. IMO, drug use would be far worse, if bipolar. Anyone know if she is bipolar?

Also, I posed a couple questions, one I’d like comments to; do any of you believe her defense will center around her drug use? In other words “my client was out of her mind”, or even her mental illness will be a factor? Tysm

I haven't read every last word of the documents released, but I've read a fair amount and I haven't seen JC diagnosed as bipolar.

They might try to use mental illness and/or drugs for a defense. Either way it won't do any good. MOO

 

[Trudie]

I haven't read every last word of the documents released, but I've read a fair amount and I haven't seen JC diagnosed as bipolar.

They might try to use mental illness and/or drugs for a defense. Either way it won't do any good. MOO

Hope not, ultimately the choice to use is a choice. Help is available. An addict is made aware of the consequences.
Jmo
AJ did not get to choose. He was court ordered to live with addicts. Moo and I am pissed because had he been left with his foster family, he’d be alive.
(Thread #3 someone posted JC is bipolar, maybe last page)

ETA: @Curiousgirl2019 do you have a link re: your post JC is diagnosed bipolar? Tysm

 

[1&2&3]

As we know, cases are slow to move through the court system.

With no idea of how long it will take JC to detox and be able to return to a stable person, my opinion is we are looking at an extended time for this case to even begin trial.

Add to this the heresay that she is bipolar, she will definitely have testing performed for mental illness.

At the end of all this, IMO, it will be the use of drugs that brought her to the place she is now and the cause of her lifetime problems.

 

[Trudie]

I wonder if the abuse directed towards AJ started after P was born. Two kids proved too much for JC to deal with, she could not bring herself to inflict injury to an infant/baby, so AJ bore the brunt of her frustrations. As the boys aged, becoming more mischevious, both fell victim to her drug fueled outbursts, with P receiving lighter abuse.
How awful to think AJ lived in fear, try as he might, nothing pleased the woman ordered by the court to raise him.

 

[Trudie]

With no idea of how long it will take JC to detox and be able to return to a stable person, my opinion is we are looking at an extended time for this case to even begin trial.

She may never be deemed competent for trial.
Detox can occur insomuch as ridding her body of drugs & curing her cravings. But, will her brain ever recover?
I wonder, does she even comprehend what has happened?!?
Again, the fact she petitioned for P to be returned to her custody, prior to discovering AJ’s body, is telling.
Believe me, I want her competent, fully capable of understanding. I doubt she will ever remember. She could not recall getting home & going to bed in one LE incident report . Her brain is fried, imo.

 

[Trudie]

Damage to thinking, decision-making, and behavior are the short-term mental effects of heroin abuse, but from the early days of the habit, the seeds are planted for what can happen in the long-term. One of the mechanics behind the rising tolerance for heroin in chronic users is that the brain is forced to create additional opiate receptors to accommodate the continuous flood of the drug. This is primarily why repeated blasts of heroin can’t duplicate the initial, novel experience of the drug; there is no way for the user’s brain to go back to the standard amount of opiate receptors. It is the process by which the user is compelled to take more and more heroin because there are always more new opiate receptors than there is heroin available.



As the brain scrambles to handle the never-ending (and always-rising) influx of heroin, dopamine production also suffers. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is normally released as a response to experiences of pleasure and reward, priming the brain to seek out those experiences again. Like endorphins, however, dopamine production is supplanted by heroin because nothing in nature can compare to how powerfully heroin hijacks the brain’s reward and pleasure pathways. Heroin erases the brain’s ability to produce its own dopamine and instead takes over how the user perceives pleasure and satisfaction.

The Mental Effects of Heroin: Short-Term and Long-Term

 

[Trudie]

Heroin Damages The Hippocampus
The hippocampus is the part of the brain that helps manage and control your memory. When this area of the brain is damaged, memory can become seriously impacted. While this type of damage most commonly occurs physically (such as during concussions), drug use–and heroin use in particular–can seriously impact the hippocampus.

The reason that heroin seriously impacts the hippocampus is due to the presence of opioid receptors in that area of the brain. When you use heroin, opioid receptors are the section of the mind and body impacted by the drug. It over-stimulates these areas and leads to addiction.

This stimulation can cause cells in this area of the brain to die. While the brain regularly repairs dead brain cells by the process of apoptosis, heroin interferes with this process by causing cells to die too early. It also dulls the processes in the mind, causing it to more slowly replace brain cells. As a result, cells in the hippocampus die too quickly to be replaced.

How Memory Is Impacted
As the cells of your hippocampus die, problems with your memory are going to start showing up. While these problems won’t occur all at once, that’s almost worse: they will slowly and surely start popping up over a lengthy period of time. As a result, it can be easy to write them off or ignore the problems as they increase in severity.

Typical memory problems caused by heroin use include:

• Difficulty making new memories
• Loss of short-term memory efficiency
• Disappearance of long-term memories
• Struggle to remember basic facts (address, phone number, etc)
• Inability to recognize faces
• Decreased memory scores
• Blackouts and memory gaps
• Heroin's Effect On Memory

JC is not a recreational user, she’s a hard core, long term addict, imo with little brain function left.

 

[PirateMomma]

Bombshell dropped by States Attorney for McHenry Co.
A year before AJ Freund died, a McHenry County prosecutor raised concerns about how DCFS handled cases in his county
A year before AJ Freund died, a McHenry County prosecutor raised concerns about how DCFS handled cases in his county

 

[PirateMomma]

One more post; this on on how to get involved to help speed up change in laws and procedures in IL DCFS.
Foster Care Alumni of America - Illinois Chapter

 

[kaen]

I have no doubt she will be competent to stand trial. Yes, she is ravaged by her drug use. Yes, she will be forever altered. I just don't see her drug use and the impact of same being a reason that she is incompetent to stand trial. If long time addicts were considered incompetent there would be a lot people who are owed new trials. In this case the charges are many so I don't think she will ever be free again---which I think is not only the right outcome but the only outcome given her crimes.