The demolition of the suburban Chicago home where 5-year-old AJ Freund was killed has begun in Crystal Lake.

The Illinois mother charged in the beating death of her 5-year-old son Andrew “AJ” Freund, a Crystal Lake boy who was reported missing before his body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest suburb, appeared in court Thursday morning. Joann Cunningham, 36, recently changed her plea to guilty and will face 20 to 60 years in prison. She...

The Illinois mother charged in the beating death of her 5-year-old son Andrew “AJ” Freund appeared in court Thursday morning, and she was nearly unrecognizable from when she appeared in public less than a year ago.

The father accused in the beating death of “AJ” Freund , a 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy whose body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest suburb last year, is expected to appear in court Tuesday.

The father accused in the beating death of “AJ” Freund , a 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy whose body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest suburb last year, appeared in court Tuesday.

A state child welfare worker who investigated an abuse claim months before a 5-year-old suburban Chicago boy was found beaten to death has defended his record.

Two child welfare employees who oversaw AJ Freund’s case for months before his murder are no longer employed by the agency. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services confirmed Friday that Carlos Acosta and his supervisor Andrew Polovin left the agency after a lengthy internal investigation. “Following the heartbreaking death of AJ Freund, DCFS began a comprehensive review...

WARNING: This story contains disturbing details that may be difficult for some viewers to read. The Illinois mother charged in the beating death of her 5-year-old son Andrew “AJ” Freund, a Crystal Lake boy who was reported missing before his body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest suburb, has pleaded guilty to murder.  Joann Cunningham, 36, had...

The mother of 5-year-old AJ Freund has pleaded guilty in his murder, and NBC 5’s Chris Hush has the story.

They stand accused of killing their 5-year-old son, and they pleaded not guilty in his murder. NBC 5’s Michelle Relerford has the story.