Philly's 'Boy In The Box' Identified After 65 Years: Police

A boy found dead in a box 65 years ago in Philadelphia has been identified as Joseph Augustus Zarelli, city police announced at a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 8.

"The Boy in the Box," found dead in a box in north Philadelphia in 1957, has been identified by investigators after 65 years.
Photo Credit: *NCIC*

Mac Bullock

12/08/2022 11:17 a.m.

Dubbed "The Boy in the Box" or "America's Unknown Child" after his body was found stuffed in a bassinet box along Susquehanna Road in February 1957, the boy's case was one of the oldest unsolved murders in Philadelphia history, according to the department.

Zarelli was born in 1953, and police say they have identified his parents. Officials said they were able to identify the boy by comparing his DNA samples to those logged in genealogical databases.

Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the case is still an active homicide investigation, and that detectives are still working to identify his killer.

Retired Det. Sgt. Bob Kuhlmeier previously said that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to CBS3.

A recent DNA sample linked the boy, between ages 4 and 6, to a family in Delaware County, NBC10 reports.

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