Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CHICAGO (AP) — The estate of the 5-year-old northern Illinois boy who was beaten to death and buried in a shallow grave this year has filed a lawsuit contending that two state child welfare workers ignored clear signs that the boy was being abused months before his death.
The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday asserts that Department of Child and Family Services worker Carlos Acosta and his supervisor, Andrew R. Polovin, either didn't investigate allegations that Andrew "AJ" Freund had been abused or found such allegations unfounded despite concerns about the boy raised by police and others.
In April, AJ's body was found buried near his family's Crystal Lake home. His parents, Andrew Freund and Joann Cunningham, were charged with first-degree murder in his death.
Acosta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment and no listed phone number could be found for Polovin. The child welfare agency isn't named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
