AJ Freund's DCFS investigators were overloaded with cases before boy was killed

CHICAGO - Investigators assigned to look into the well-being of Andrew "AJ" Freund before the Crystal Lake boy was beaten to death were overloaded with other cases of alleged child abuse and neglect, attorneys told a federal judge this week.

Two different investigators from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Service's Woodstock office made contact with 5-year-old AJ over the year before his death on April 15. Both investigators were juggling caseloads significantly higher than limits set forth in a federal consent decree the child