Authorities are trying to find 5-year-old Andrew "A.J." Freund, who was reported missing last Thursday.
What happened to A.J.?
That's what authorities are trying to piece together after 5-year-old Andrew "A.J." Freund was reported missing from his Crystal Lake, Illinois, home by his parents last Thursday.
According to his parents, A.J. was last seen Wednesday evening as he went to bed, CBS News reported. When they woke up Thursday, he was gone.
However, police have said there is no evidence A.J. was abducted and the investigation is centered on the family's home. K-9 officers reportedly picked up A.J.'s scent inside the trunk of his parents' car.
A.J.'s father, Andrew Freund Sr., has publicly pleaded for help finding his missing son.
"We're just extremely worried," he said. "A.J., please come home. We love you very much."
Asked whether he knew where his son is, Freund replied, "I have no idea."
As he was speaking to reporters, a detective approached him and asked Freund to come with him, but he declined. Freund did later speak to police.
As for A.J.'s mother, JoAnn Cunningham, she has reportedly stopped cooperating with police and hired a lawyer.
"Ms. Cunningham doesn't know what happened to A.J., and had nothing to do with the disappearance of A.J.," Cunningham's attorney said in a statement.
A.J. was taken into state custody as an infant after he was born with opiates in his system, though he was later returned to his parents at 18 months old.
Neighbors in Crystal Lake held a prayer vigil for A.J. on Sunday.
"When our community is hurting, it affects every single one of us," vigil co-organizer Lisa Kincaid told WLS. "When we think of A.J. being missing, he is our child."
No arrests have been made.
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