Prosecutors said that the 5-year-old boy, Andrew, was reportedly found dead just weeks after he told his doctor about the horrifying things his mom did to him. His parents have now been charged with his murder. An anonymous tip led police to Andrew’s house and they went there to check on him. They discovered a huge bruise on the child’s hip; when questioned about it, he explained that it was caused by the family dog. However, the doctor was unconvinced. When the physician inquired about the incident with Andrew in the emergency department, he attempted to obtain more information to discover whether it was really the dog that injured him. When asked why, the child provided a different explanation – an unbelievable and terrible explanation.
“Maybe someone hit me with a belt,” he said to the doctor. “Maybe Mommy didn’t mean to hurt me.” The doctor submitted this information to the Department of Children and Family Services. Despite a variety of reasons for the bruise, the doctor was unable to determine the precise source of the damage. The doctor stated in his report that “a dog, belt, or football” might have caused the bruise. With no hard evidence to act on, the case was closed a month later owing to a lack of evidence.
The youngster was slain four months after Andrew revealed the truth to the doctor. His body was discovered encased in plastic in a shallow grave four days later. His 60-year-old dad Andrew Sr., 60, and 36-year-old mother, Joan, have been charged with murdering their five-year-old son since his body was discovered wrapped in plastic in a shallow grave four days later. A pathologist discovered that the boy died as a result of blunt force head trauma.
DCFS had a large file on Andrew and his family. They have since made public the number of documents they have, which demonstrates their close relationship with his parents. Throughout Andrew’s brief existence, DCFS officials made 17 unannounced visits to check up. At that time, the employee discovered no indication of mistreatment but nothing unusual either. DCFS received another hotline tip that Andrew was being neglected. That call was made the same day that Andrew’s parents reported him missing. When police investigated, they gained knowledge from the parents, who subsequently revealed the location of the child’s shallow grave. The mother tested positive for opiates and benzodiazepines when Andrew was born. He was taken away from his mother for eight months before being returned to his natural parents.
