The home of AJ Freund, the 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy who police say was murdered by his parents, was demolished in just 50 minutes Wednesday morning.
Demolition was initially scheduled for February 28 but was delayed until Wednesday. Green Demolition Contractors Inc. donated their services to demolish the home, located at 94 Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake.
Crews began tearing the home down around 7:40 a.m. and by 8:35 a.m. only a large pile of debris was left.
A worker sprayed water from a hose onto the rubble in effort to control rising dust as an excavator tore into the home. A small crowd, including members of the news media, gathered to watch the demolition across the street.
Roads around the home remained open Wednesday morning.
The home, which had been foreclosed on, was owned by Andrew Freund Sr. and JoAnn Cunningham before a judge found them in default on the house.
Three days after AJ Freund’s death, Freund Sr. reported the 5-year-old missing on April 18. During a 911 call, Freund Sr. calmly told an emergency dispatcher that he last saw his son when he put him to bed around 9:30 p.m. April 17 at the family home on Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake.
Freund Sr. and Cunningham were both charged with AJ’s murder on April 24 after an almost week-long search for the child. Police found the young boy’s body buried in a shallow grave in a field near Woodstock.
On December 5, Cunningham pleaded guilty to first-degree murder after initially pleading not guilty. She faces between 20 and 60 years in prison.
Cunningham appeared in court on February 27 and McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt set her sentencing hearing for April 30 at 9 a.m. in McHenry County courtroom 204.
Freund Sr. pleaded not guilty on May 10 and waived his right to a jury, opting for a bench trial, during a February 27 court hearing. He is scheduled to appear in court again on April 24.