Photo: Family Photo
While the parents of A.J. Freund remain behind bars after being arrested for their 5-year-old son’s alleged murder, other members of the boy’s family are mourning the loss of the child they remember as laughing, curious and happy.
“The family is grieving this week,” Chicago-based attorney Peter Flowers tells PEOPLE.
Those family members issued a statement about the child’s untimely death on Tuesday afternoon through Flowers, who is acting as a spokesman for members of A.J.’s family other than his biological parents.
Police arrested Freund, 60, and A.J.’s mother, JoAnn Cunningham, 35, last Wednesday after showing them “forensic analysis of cell phone data,” which allegedly led the pair to divulge “information that ultimately led to the recovery” of A.J.’s body, Crystal Lake Police Chief James Black said at a press conference that day.
ABC; Crystal Lake Police Department
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They face five counts of murder and a host of other charges and are each being held on a $5 million bond.
“While we had him in our lives, he had a happy, fun-loving life,” the family continued in the statement. “This smart little boy loved having books read to him, doing puzzles, his Thomas the Train, playing with his fire trucks, bulldozers, cement mixer, and Ninja Turtles. He was very curious and always wanted to learn about everything.”
Autopsy results show he died of multiple blunt force injuries to the head, local ABC affiliate WLS, theChicago Sun-Times,and other outlets report.
McHenry County Interim Coroner David Devane listed the child’s cause of death as“craniocerebral trauma as a consequence of multiple blunt force injuries,” WLS reports.
DCFS had visited the home at least 17 times since his birth, the department wrote in a timeline it released on Friday.
In the emotional statement, A.J.’s family members continued, saying, “He was, and will always be, our loving and caring little boy.
“With his brave short life, AJ made the ultimate sacrifice to save his younger brother and unborn sibling,” the statement says, with no further explanation.
“His life shall not be in vain. AJ will always be our little superhero.”
On Tuesday, Freund and Cunningham agreedto relinquish custodyoftheir 4-year-old son to the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services, Chicago stations NBC 5 and WGN 9 and other outlets report.
The child was taken into DCFS custodywhen A.J. was reported missing.
The two also appeared in criminal court Monday for a preliminary hearingbut did not enter pleas, local station WGN 9 reports.
They are scheduled to return to court on May 10.
Their attorneys did not return calls for comment.
source: people.com
