AJ Freund murder: Former DCFS investigator found guilty of child endangerment in boy's death

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. - A former investigator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has been found guilty of child endangerment in the death of 5-year-old AJ Freund of Crystal Lake.

The young boy was killed by his parents in April 2019.

A judge ruled Carlos Acosta failed to protect AJ after suspicious bruises were found on his body.

Acosta's supervisor, Andrew Polovin, was also charged but acquitted. Polovin was not found guilty because the judge could not say how much he knew about AJ's living situation or when he knew it.

The two former employees went on trial Sept. 11, 2023, after they were each charged with endangering the life of a child and reckless conduct.

Friday’s ruling comes one day before AJ's 10th birthday.

Acosta and Polovin were the caseworkers assigned to AJ, and were fired months after his death in 2019.

AJ was found in a shallow grave near Woodstock, and a subsequent investigation found that he had been subjected to a pattern of abuse allegedly by his parents, culminating in his death while padlocked inside his bedroom with swelling in his brain.

The day A.J. died, documents say the child was punished for urinating in his underwear. He was then put in a cold shower for about 20 minutes, before being sent to bed "cold wet and naked."

JoAnn Cunningham, Freund’s mother, eventually pleaded guilty to his murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. His dad, Andrew Freund Sr., pleaded guilty to felony charges of aggravated battery of a child, involuntary manslaughter and concealment of a homicidal death, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors had accused both Acosta and Polovin of not doing their job and not caring.

Now convicted, Acosta could face several years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

There's another court date set for December 13, where a hearing date will be set.