A 5-year-old Illinois boy has been missing since Wednesday and with no evidence of an abduction, police are focusing on his Crystal Lake home, the last place he was seen.
“Information obtained currently has police focusing on the residence,” Crystal Lake Police wrote in a press release on Friday.
“During the last 24 hours, several police search and rescue canine units, trained specifically to locate people, were utilized in an attempt to locate Andrew. The canine teams only picked up Andrews ‘scent’ within the residence indicating that Andrew had not walked away on foot.”
The FBI is now assisting in the case of #missing 5 year old #AndrewFreund from #CrystalLake #IL. https://t.co/42Vg1QfZuD @LeighEgan @LordanArts @CrimeWatchDaily @thevanishedpod @TraceEvPod pic.twitter.com/Jf3iKxluT4
— Missing Pieces Network (@Network4Missing) April 19, 2019
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the parents of Andrew “A.J.” Freund told police they last saw their son when they put him to bed on April 17, in their home off of the 100 block of Dole Avenue. They said when they woke up the following morning, he was gone.
On Thursday evening, a sonar team scanned areas around the nearby Crystal Lake. Officials searched the entire shore and found nothing.
According to the Chicago Tribune, authorities were seen going in and out of the boy’s home Thursday while carrying bags. Police cars blocked off Dole Avenue.
“No one has seen anything. This neighborhood is extremely safe,” neighbor Janelle Butler told the outlet.
Butler added that there are always neighbors out walking dogs and if they had seen a little boy wandering around, they would have likely called the police immediately. She added that A.J.’s parents keep to themselves and have another younger son in the home.
“We don’t know if he wandered out. That was the first thought – did he wander out? But nobody’s seen him, so nobody has any clue whatsoever,” Butler added.
The parents, who placed a sign on their front yard stating they didn’t want to talk to media, have not made a public statement yet.
Meanwhile, the search for A.J. continues. He’s described as a white male who stands 3-feet-5-inches tall. He has blond hair and was last seen wearing a Mario sweatshirt and black sweatpants.
Anyone with any information is urged to call the Crystal Lake Police Department at 815-356-3620. Anonymous tips can be sent to the department by texting the word “CLPDTIP” with tip information to 847411 (tip411).
[Feature Photo: A.J. Freund/Police Handout]
