'Boy In The Box' Identified By Philadelphia Authorities After 65 Years

PHILADELPHIA — Nearly 66 years later, the identity of a young boy found beaten and wrapped in a blanket in a box in Philadelphia has been revealed.

At a news conference Thursday, Philadelphia authorities and private investigators named the "Boy in the Box," also referred to as "America's Unknown Child."

Officials said the boy found deceased in 1957 was 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli, of 61st and Market streets in West Philadelphia.

"Joseph August Zarelli will no longer be the boy in the box," William C. Fleisher of the Vidocq Society said.

Zarelli — born Jan. 13, 1953 — was found at 10:47 a.m. on Feb. 26, 1957 in a box on Susquehanna Road in the city's Fox Chase neighborhood.

The boy was malnourished, showed signs of past trauma, and was nude.

Authorities said they believe blunt force trauma was the cause of Zarelli's death, as he was found with contusions and abrasions.

Autopsy showed Zarelli also sustained a subdural hemorrhage and pleural effusions.

"This child experienced horrors that no one, no one, should be subjected to," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.

She said countless officers, detectives, DNA analysts, geneticists, and doctors probed the case for decades.

"His entire identity and his rightful claim to existence was taken away," she said.

Authorities at this point do not know who caused the boy's death, but are still investigating his death.

However, there may never be an arrest or even an identification of who killed Zarelli, authorities said.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Detective Robert Hesser of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Division at 215-686-3334 or call or text our tipline at 215-686-8744.

As with all homicide cases in Philadelphia, there is a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

Making the announcement were Outlaw, Commanding Officer of the Homicide Unit Captain Jason Smith, Philadelphia Medical Examiner Dr. Constance DiAngelo, Office of Forensic Science Assistant Director Ryan Gallagher, Indentifinders International Genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick, and Fleisher.

Outlaw thanked DiAngelo, Fitzpatrick, and Fleisher in addition to Philadelphia Police Department detectives and officers who studied the case.

Authorities last week teased a development in one of the city's oldest unsolved homicides, and on Wednesday announced the identity would be revealed Thursday.

According to authorities, Zarelli's body was exhumed twice after he was found, most recently in April 2019 for more DNA analysis using modern technologies, due to the remains in the Medical Examiner's office being deemed insufficient for further investigation.

This and genetic genealogy work led authorities to identify the boy's mother.

They then performed a birth, death, and adoption record search of those born to the mother between 1944 and 1956.

Three results came up, one of which was a boy born to the mother in 1953, consistent with the approximate age with the child's body.

Authorities then were made aware of the boy's father and made contact with possible family members on the father's side of the family.

More testing led authorities to identify the child's birth father.

Authorities are not identifying Zarelli's parents.

Additionally, authorities checked to see if a Social Security Number had been assigned to the boy, which had not been done, they said.

In the end, it was retired Philadelphia Police Detective Greg Santamala and Detective Bob Hesser that confirmed Zarelli's identity, Outlaw said.

Their discovery was made possible by extensive work by private groups, medical professionals, genealogists, DNA analysts, and many more investigators, according to Outlaw.

DiAngelo gave details on how DNA was regarding Zarelli's death and how it provided leads for the numerous investigators working on the case.

Hair fibers found on Zarelli were among the materials examined by experts. Investigators also conducted hair comparisons, but those efforts proved to be unfruitful.

X-rays were also compared in Zarelli's case, but those served to provide an approximate age, which was skewed due to his malnourishment, DiAngelo said.

Scars indicated he was treated with a fluid intravenously, and investigators probed local hospitals for records related to children being treated at that time.

Investigators also made a death mask of the boy and would use it when tracking down leads.

Zarelli's body was even then dressed in clothes and posed in the hopes of someone recognizing him in a more natural appearance, DiAngelo said.

Orphanages were scoured as well to ensure all children were accounted for.

By 1992, DiAngelo said DNA analysis became more readily available and accurate, leading to Zarelli's body being exhumed in 1998.

His DNA was added to a digital database in 2014 with the hope of someone being able to identify him.

Then the aforementioned second exhumation occurred in 2019, which eventually led to Zarelli's identification, DiAngelo said.

"The science and technology that was instrumental in the identification of this child, one of our oldest unsolved homicides, gives me hope that we can continue to identify unknown victims of crime and that no one will ever again have to wait this long for their name and the story of their life to be told," Outlaw said.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled the boy's name.