The parents of a five-year-boy have both been charged with his murder after his body was found wrapped in plastic in a shallow grave. JoAnn Cunningham, 36, and Andrew Freund Sr, 60, told police last Thursday that AJ Freund mysteriously vanished from their home in Crystal Lake, Illinois, after he went to bed the night before. They each issued desperate pleas for their son's return as local law enforcement and the FBI carried out a sweeping six-day search. The parents have now been hit with multiple counts including first-degree murder and battery after they helped lead police to the boy's remains in a field at the rural Hennen Conservation Area in Woodstock, Crystal Lake Police Chief James Black announced at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. Records show that child protective services had visited AJ's home on 17 occasions since his birth in 2013. JoAnn Cunningham, 36, and Andrew Freund Sr, 60, have been charged with murder in the death and disappearance of their five-year-old son AJ. The parents (above in their mugshots) told police last Thursday that AJ had mysteriously vanished from their home in Crystal Lake, Illinois, after he went to bed the night before AJ's body was found wrapped in plastic and buried in a shallow grave in a field near his home on Wednesday morning, six days after he was reported missing by his parents Information provided by both parents as well as forensic cellphone data were used to locate AJ's body in Woodstock's Hennen Conservation Area, where investigators are seen above Cunningham is facing five counts of first-degree murder, four counts of aggravated battery, two counts of aggravated domestic battery and one count of failure to report a missing or child death. Freund Sr is facing five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery, one count of aggravated domestic battery, two counts of concealment of a homicidal death and one count of failure to report a missing child or child death. AJ's official cause of death will be determined pending an autopsy by the McHenry County coroner. Chief Black said information provided by both parents overnight as well as forensic cellphone data were used to locate the body. 'To AJ's family, it is my hope that you may have some solace knowing that AJ is no longer suffering, and his killers have been brought to justice,' Black said. 'To AJ, we know you're at peace playing in heaven’s playground, and are happy you no longer have to suffer.' Cunningham is comforted by her attorney on Friday as she pleaded for her son's return Cunningham's lawyer George Kililis spoke to reporters on her behalf on Friday, saying the mother is 'worried sick' about her son and 'had nothing to do with' the boy's disappearance Earlier on Wednesday investigators were seen carrying items including a dirt-caked shovel, two brown bags, a plastic storage bin and a small mattress out of the house. The family dog, a brown Boxer named Lucy, was taken into custody by Animal Control officials. Authorities had focused the investigation on the home early on after no evidence was found indicating that AJ was abducted or that he wandered off on his own. AJ's three-year-old brother was removed from the home on Friday and is now living with a different family, but authorities declined to say why. Cunningham, who is seven months pregnant, had been fighting to regain custody. The Illinois Department of Child Services released the following statement after AJ's death was announced: 'After a nearly week-long search for missing Andrew "A.J." Freund, law enforcement officials today confirmed his death. This news is heartbreaking. 'Protecting vulnerable children who come to our attention is at the core of our mission at DCFS. All of us feel this loss. Our priority is the care and safety of Andrew’s younger sibling. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation. 'The Department is committed to conducting a comprehensive review of the entirety of our work with Andrew’s family to understand our shortcomings and to be fully transparent with the public on any steps we are taking to address the issues.' Investigators were seen collecting evidence from AJ's home in Crystal Lake on Wednesday The items removed from the house included a dirt-caked shovel, two brown bags, a plastic storage bin and a small mattress This map shows AJ's Crystal Lake home in relation to where his body was found in Woodstock Police visited AJ's home 17 times before he went missing and found it was covered in dog feces Cunningham was arrested on the night AJ was reported missing for failure to appear in court on a charge of driving with a suspended license stemming from an incident in December. According to police reports obtained by DailyMail.com, officers were dispatched to the home where Cunningham lived with AJ and his three-year-old brother on December 18 after the mother claimed that her prescription medication had been stolen. Officer Nickolaus Trimpe wrote in a report that the living conditions at house were not 'up to an acceptable standard' and said there was 'dog feces and urine scattered about'. Trimpe also observed several broken or open windows letting in frigid winter air. He said the fireplace, the home's sole source of heat, appeared to be in disrepair. Another responding officer, Kimberly Shipbaugh, wrote in her report: 'While in the residence I observed it to be cluttered, dirty and in disrepair. 'The floor in the kitchen had portions that were jagged and broken off. The ceiling in the kitchen appeared to have water damage and was peeling and open in one portion. 'The door appeared to be covered in a brown substance. The living room had a couch that was completely covered in piles of clothing. The dining room was covered in clothes and boxes and bags. 'Upstairs in the room where the boys slept the window was open and the smell of feces was overwhelming. Officials said there was no evidence AJ was kidnapped or that he walk off on his own Officer Shipbaugh wrote that during the burglary investigation she spotted a suspicious bruise on one of the boy's legs. 'The boys were running around the residence playing and I noticed [name redacted], who was wearing a pull-up [diaper], to have a large bruise on his right hip. I asked [Cunningham] about the bruise and she advised that she hadn't noticed it before. 'After looking at it she stated that it must have been from the dog, Lucy.' The officers contacted the Department of Children and Family Services, which did not find any evidence of abuse. The December incident was one of an alleged 17 times DCFS visited the home since his birth in 2013. Spokesman Jassen Strokosch said the boy went into foster care for two years after he was born with opiates in his system and 'neglect was indicated on part of the mom', Strokosch said. Authorities were called to the home in September of last year after a concerned citizen reported that the power hadn't been on at the residence for weeks. 'Upon our arrival I could see the grass at the residence was about two feet long and the paint was peeling off the house,' a responding officer wrote in a police report. 'The windows also seemed to be falling apart.' The officer observed that the electricity meter was not running, and when he spoke to Cunningham she admitted that the power had been off for a while but could not specify how long. The mother would not allow the officers to enter the home and check the living conditions. When informed about the situation, DCFS said they would not perform a utility check because 'a residence without power alone does not warrant a DCFS investigation,' the report claimed. Records show that child protective services had visited AJ's home (above) on 17 occasions since his birth in 2013 In yet another incident one month earlier, officers responding to a call about a theft of prescription drugs reported that two adults at the home, believed to be Cunningham and Freund Sr, appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. Freund Sr is a divorce attorney who met Cunningham in 2012 while handling her divorce. According to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, the father had his license suspended from October 13, 2015 until January 11, 2016, due to offenses related to when he represented her in the marriage dissolution case. After a court issued an injunction prohibiting Cunningham from taking any property from the marital home, she and Freund Sr allegedly went there anyway and took several items including televisions and silverware. They were both subsequently convicted of indirect criminal contempt, according to disciplinary records. Freund Sr was later diagnosed with opioid and cocaine use disorders and was ordered to attend a 12-step program as part of his probation. The family's Boxer named Lucy was removed from the house by Animal Control on Wednesday Investigators are pictured at AJ's home on the day he was reported missing last week AJ's mother 'refused to cooperate with investigators' after he went missing Authorities claimed in a Monday press release that Cunningham hadn't spoken to police since she first reported AJ missing on Thursday morning. Cunningham's lawyer George Kililis told reporters that she had 'cooperated extensively with police until at some point we got the impression that she may be considered a suspect', the Chicago Sun-Times reported. 'I don't know whether she is or not and I don't know how serious that consideration is,' Kililis said of his client. Cunningham's attorney said the mother 'doesn't know what happened to AJ and had nothing to do with the disappearance of AJ'. 'Ms Cunningham is worried sick,' he added. 'She is devastated.' AJ's father sent a direct message to his son, telling him to 'please come home.' 'We love you very much,' he said. 'You're not in any trouble. We're just worried to death. Please, please come home.' Investigators initially searched nearly 1,000 acres surrounding the family's home using drones and scanned Crystal Lake with sonar and underwater cameras. They brought in a canine team which picked up AJ's scent at the house, indicating that he hadn't walked away on foot. A Missing & Exploited Children's poster (above) said AJ was last seen wearing a blue Mario sweatshirt, black sweatpants and green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shoes A search by a canine team on Thursday indicated that AJ had not walked out of the home alone Teams used side scan sonar equipment to search Crystal Lake in the hunt for AJ last week Law enforcement said they did not send out an Amber Alert when AJ was first reported missing as there was no evidence to suggest he had been kidnapped from the home. A Missing & Exploited Children's poster said AJ was last seen wearing a blue Mario sweatshirt, black sweatpants and green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shoes. He was described as approximately 3ft 5in and 70 pounds with short blond hair. Neighbor Janelle Butler said little is known about AJ's family, adding that they 'really keep to themselves'. '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,' she told ABC News. Calling the situation 'heartbreaking,' Butler said that the 'neighborhood is extremely safe' and anyone out walking their dog would have notified police if they saw the boy wandering around. All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility