AJ Freund murder: Former DCFS worker who oversaw Crystal Lake boy's case pleads not guilty

WOODSTOCK, Ill. (WLS) -- Carlos Acosta, one of the two DCFS workers charged in the AJ Freund case appeared in court Thursday, where he entered a not guilty plea to charges of endangering the life of a child and reckless conduct.

Acosta,54, another former DCFS employee, Andrew Polovin, 48, are accused of allowing AJ to be placed in a dangerous situation.

RELATED: AJ Freund murder: JoAnn Cunningham gets 35-year prison sentence in beating death of 5-year-old son

"I love him and I miss him and there's nothing I wouldn't do to bring him back," Cunningham told the court.

Polovin appeared in court last week, where he pleaded not guilty.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of AJ Freund's estate accuses these men of failing to fully investigate allegations of abuse against AJ.

The Crystal Lake boy was found dead in a shallow grave not far from his parent's home last year. The horrifying child abuse case sparking outrage in the community and calls for DCFS to be held accountable.

RELATED: Crystal Lake home of murdered boy demolished

Crews demolished the Crystal Lake house where police said five-year-old A.J. Freund was murdered by his parents Wednesday morning.

AJ's mother, JoAnn Cunningham, pleaded guilty last December to AJ's murder. In July, she was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Last week, his father Andrew Freund pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.