The tragic story of AJ Freund has touched millions of hearts across the United States.
The 5-year-old boy’s body was found wrapped in plastic on April 24 in a rural area of Woodstock.
Now an autopsy has revealed that ”AJ” Freund died of multiple blows to the head, a coroner cited in criminal complaints filed on Thursday.
Before he was beaten to death, the little boy was a forced to take a long, cold shower, according to Fox5,
On Thursday, a coroner stated that Andrew “AJ” Freund died as a result of craniocerebral trauma caused by blunt force injuries to the head.
At the same time, there were more chilling details about the murder heard in court. Prior to being beaten to death, little ”AJ” was forced to take a long, cold shower.
Prosecutors cited by Fo5 said AJ’s parents forced their son “to remain in a cold shower for an extended period of time and/or struck A.F. on or about his body, knowing such acts would cause the death of A.F.”
The complaint also states AJ’s father, Freund Sr., buried the boy’s body that same day.
The body of 5-year-old Andrew “A.J.” Freund was discovered Wednesday morning in the rural Hennen Conservation Area of Woodstock, according to Fox32.
Crystal Lake police Chief James Black investigators were led to the boys body after they interviewed his parents overnight and presented them with cellphone evidence.
The body was “buried in a shallow grave wrapped in plastic,” police said on a press conference.
His parents, Andrew Freund Sr., 60, and JoAnn Cunningham, 36, appeared in McHenry County Court Thursday where, according to WGN-TV, they faced multiple charges including aggravated battery and first-degree murder.
A bond of $5 million each has been set for the parents, according to the report.
JoAnn Cunningham, who is seven months pregnant, shed tears when the judge listed the charges – Freund Sr. reportedly showed no emotion in court, WGN-TV reported.
Earlier this week, the police released more than 60 pages of reports written by officers who responded to various calls about the house where AJ lived with his parents, AP reported.
One of the reports described seeing the home littered with dog feces and urine. In the children’s bedroom the ”smell of feces was overwhelming.”
In another report, an officer found the house to be “cluttered, dirty, and in disrepair,” and without electrical power.
Cunningham and Freund Sr. are both expected to appear in court again April 29.
