JoAnn Cunningham
JoAnn Cunningham
JoAnn Cunningham is a resident of Crystal Lake, Illinois. [1] In July 2020, she was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of her five-year-old son, Andrew Freund.
Early Life
In opening remarks during a trial in 2020, Judge Wilbrandt admitted Cunningham lived a troubled life.
He said:
“Miss Cunningham’s brother suffered from mental health and substance abuse issues and committed suicide in 2001.
The defendant herself dropped out of school in a 10th grade.
And shortly thereafter, she left her family home with a series of male friends.
Upon reviewing her history, and her psychological status, there is no question that she is led a difficult life and made a series of poor choices.”[5]
Personal Life
She is married to Andrew Freund Sr. and is the mother of Andrew Freund.
Cunningham and her son Andrew tested positive for opiates and benzodiazepines when he was born.
Andrew was removed from her care, and the Florida Department of Children and Families took custody of the infant. Andrew was returned to the couple eight months later after both parents took parenting classes and entered a drug treatment program. [4]
Authorities described dog feces and urine throughout the home where Andrew lived, with broken windows and a strong smell of feces where Andrew and his younger brother slept.[4]
Legal Issues
Cunningham and Andrew Freund's father, Andrew Freund Sr. reported Andrew missing on April 18, 2019, saying he was in his bed the night before, but gone the next morning. The dayslong search gained interest nationwide. Freund Sr. eventually provided information that led to his son's grave, officials said. The boy probably died days earlier, on April 15, authorities said. The cause of death was head trauma from blunt force, according to the coroner's report. [4]
The night he died, Andrew was forced to take a cold shower after he soiled his clothes, and had gone to bed wet and naked before his parents found him dead, authorities said.[4]
On Wednesday, April 24, 2019, JoAnn and Andrew Freund Sr. were arrested in connection to the murder of their autistic son Andrew Freund. His body was found wrapped in plastic and buried in a shallow grave in a rural area of Woodstock, Illinois. [1]
Cunningham pleaded guilty in December 2019 to killing her son.
Her sentence is set to begin immediately and will be served on its entirety without reductions other than time served.
Upon her release from prison, she will serve an additional three years under supervised release and will be required to register as a violent offender against youth.
Freund Sr. has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
His next court date is set for July 30.[4]