Boy’s Shocking Statement to Doctor Months Before Beating Death Revealed

Months before his body was found buried in a shallow grave, a 5-year-old Illinois boy had disclosed information about possible abuse to a doctor — but his alarming words weren’t enough to place him in protective custody, records showed.

Andrew “AJ” Freund, who was found dead on Wednesday a few miles from his house in Woodstock, was at the doctor’s office with a large bruise on his right hip on Dec. 18, 2018, the Chicago Tribune reported. Freund and his mother said the family dog jumped on the boy, causing the injury, but the doctor was still suspicious.

“Maybe someone hit me with a belt. Maybe Mommy didn’t mean to hurt me,” Freund then told the doctor, according to records released Friday.

Department of Children and Family Services, which was investigating the Dec. 18, 2018, complaint, said the doctor could not determine how the boy got the large bruise. The case was eventually closed a month later because there wasn’t enough evidence to keep Freund in protective custody after his mother, JoAnn Cunningham, was arrested for driving on a suspended license.

Freund’s body was found about 7 miles from his home on Wednesday after authorities launched a search for the 5-year-old when his father, Andrew Freund Sr., called 911 to report his son was missing on April 18. (Read more from “Boy’s Shocking Statement to Doctor Months Before Beating Death Revealed” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE