True Crime with Rachel Shannon
His Cries for Help IGNORED: How MONSTER Parents BRUTALLY Murdered Their Son After Systemic Failures
Thu, 15 May 2025
When 5-year-old AJ Freund was reported missing, his parents appeared devastated. But as the investigation unfolded, a horrifying truth emerged: AJ hadn’t wandered off — he had suffered brutal abuse at the hands of the very people meant to protect him.Shocking evidence revealed the extent of his suffering, turning a missing child case into one of the most disturbing examples of child abuse and systemic failure in recent years.Go watch my other episodes on Spotify: The Disturbing Case of Stephanie ParzeShe Tried to Warn Them About her Son, Then he was MURDERED. THE CASE OF GUNNAR SCHUMACHER7 Year old’s Strange Death Reveals Mom’s DISGUSTING Secret: Did She Starve her for Attention?!Thank you guys for watching, hope to see you next time!
Chapter 1: What happened to AJ Freund?
I just want my kids. That's all I, that's my life. Where are my kids? We have a missing child. We've canvassed the neighborhood. I have no idea where he would be.
Do you want them to hurt me and Parker? Why? So I don't ever see you again.
There is a fundamental problem with the way children are treated in our country and honestly all around the world. Every child deserves to be with the person or people who will care for them, love them, and give them everything they need to thrive. I understand that the goal of our child welfare system is to have a child be with their biological family.
Chapter 2: What systemic failures contributed to AJ's situation?
However, so often that goal seems to take precedent over the safety and well-being of the very child the system is supposed to protect. To me, it doesn't matter if a child is with their biological parents if those biological parents are abusive and neglectful.
If there's someone unrelated to the child who is willing to give them everything they need, then that is who should be caring for that child. But in today's case, as we see far too often,
the parents wants were put before the child's needs and tragically this mistake had the most devastating tragic consequences today is going to be a long one it's going to be a wild ride so just strap in and get ready for this one and your friend was a graduate of the university of illinois at urbana-champaign later going on to attend john marshall law school in chicago
where he earned his law degree. From there, Andrew worked for years at various law firms. However, all throughout his life, Andrew was known to struggle with substance abuse issues. He was known to use alcohol and opioids to deal with his struggles. And once it got to the point where he was asked to leave one of his earlier jobs because the substance use issues were getting in the way of work.
After losing that job, Andrew did seek treatment for his issues and went on to practice law out of his home for the 15 years that followed. But those who knew Andrew said that even after going and getting help for his addiction issues, he still struggled with substance use behind the shadows.
Joanne Cunningham seemed to have a rough start in life, but by all accounts, things in her life did improve as her mom worked to get her life back on track. Joanne's father was in and out of prison and her mother had to take out an order of protection against him. But after Joanne's birth, her father was actually never involved in her life.
And according to her mother, she was able to provide Joanne with a happy life without her father in it. Then when Joanne was seven, her mother remarried and it was said that Joanne had a good relationship with her stepfather. Growing up, Joanne wanted to be an artist. She spent her time sketching and going to art camp over the summers.
But when Joanne was 16 years old, she found herself pregnant by her boyfriend who was 21 years older than her. So clearly, not the best situation going on here. She ended up dropping out of school and she moved in with her much older boyfriend. She gave birth to her son in 2000 and then went on to obtain her GED.
By all accounts, at this time, Joanne was known to be a good, involved mother who worked hard to provide for her son and improve herself. Her relationship with her then boyfriend lasted 10 years total. However, this relationship was reportedly not a healthy one. There were some issues of domestic violence.
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Chapter 3: How did Joanne and Andrew's past impact their parenting?
Okay, tell me exactly what happened.
We have a missing child. Woke up this morning, and he wasn't... How did the child... The innocent child.
Yeah, how old is he?
He's five.
And when was the last time you seen him?
Uh, last night. Uh, probably 9.30. Uh, when he went to bed. Okay.
Are you the father?
Yes.
Do you know where you met him when?
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