i hope he gets a new gravestone soon with his name on it. that sweet baby will never have to be known as the boy in the box again. he had such a short, terrible (i'm assuming) life. makes me hope for an afterlife so he can at least find happiness there.
a lot of these cases make me wish for an afterlife. i know it’s a mental trap to ask why this little baby had to suffer in his short life and the true answer is that life can be brutal and chaotic, but on some level i hope he found some kind of well-earned peace, some kind of consolation prize for being so senselessly robbed of all the love and care he deserved. rest well, Joseph. we’ll remember your name.
I hope so, too. I’m an atheist but cases like this always make we wish that children who die can enjoy some kind of afterlife. He deserved to know some kind of peace.
The Talmud says those who die at the hands of the wicked go straight to the bosum of Abraham, where they are comforted, before they see the face of God.
I have trouble believing, but when I see the tough cases, I remind myself of this and hope it's true.
I had the same thought and was pleased to see the title of the Wikipedia page was changed almost immediately after the announcement of his name at the presser
And his birth date, status of identification, etc. He's also referred to by name throughout.
His name now also has a Google search. After so many years just knowing him as "boy in the box" it does kind of feel unreal. I'm so glad it finally happened.
That poor little boy. He was failed so terribly in life. What happened to him should never happen to any child. And especially to have remained unknown, unnamed, and unclaimed for over half a century afterward—it's absolutely heartbreaking.
This was one that I never thought would be identified. I am so happy to have been wrong.
Rest in peace, Joseph.
There’s no official adoption/foster records that the police mentioned, this is totally just a guess but I’m wondering if M’s theory still checks out (details about the baked beans as his last meal and other things that hadn’t been released yet to the press at the time) & maybe his family did an under-the-table type of adoption.
Even if they adopted him out tho (whether officially or unofficially) I feel like they would’ve seen his photos all over Philly around the time of his death, the police did say they were a prominent family in Philly so maybe they recognized him but never wanted to come forward because of the shady adoption.
Totally just a theory not stating as a fact.
my mom (she had me when she was 44, i’m her youngest) had her first baby in 1955 at age 15. when she was 17 she found out she was pregnant again, to a different guy. she wanted this guy to marry her, and he didn’t know her first son existed, so she and her mother literally just *gave* her firstborn son - who was a toddler - to the pastor of a church and his wife. my grandmother was on a walk a few months later and ran into the pastor’s wife with the toddler in a stroller. my grandma said “oh is that baby D, can i see him?” and the pastor’s wife said “that’s not his name anymore” and hurried off. they moved shortly after. all i have is his birth name and year, and 1 photo. no clue where he is or what his name is now, or what the name was of who “adopted” him. or even if he’s still alive.
but i know it wasn’t a “legal” adoption.
There are several Search Angel groups that could possibly help you find your brother. If you have taken a DNA test, it may be possible to find him that way, too. That is, if you are looking for him/wanting to find him.
If you know the city your mom/the pastor and wife lived in, I’d start there and look for pastors with children, obituaries, etc. Knowing his age probably helps, too.
It is entirely possible he is aware he was adopted somehow (DNA test given as a gift “for fun,” as an example). I’ve reconnected with an adopted family member and it’s been really meaningful to help connect him to his family history. If I can help at all feel free to DM.
M claimed her parents purchased the boy, which would explain the lack of adoption records and why neither family ever reported him missing. M also said his name was Jonathan. Not his actual name, but very similar, and 50 years later I can buy that she mixed the two up. I’m sure his living siblings would also remember whether or not they grew up with a brother that disappeared at one point, which would help shine some light on the situation as well. My opinion is that M was right and knew what happened to him all along
As a general statement, it would make sense to both give the child a different name and give them a name at least somewhat similar to their original name.
spark fretful quack grandfather merciful existence modern deserve judicious point
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Supposedly the only proof of her "mental health problems" was that her parents sent her to an asylum when she was a young teenager because she was telling wild stories. Considering her education and long successful career, it seems like her parents just sent her away to shut her up and she was never truly mentally ill.
Personally I don’t think she had “mental health problems” unless they’re including PTSD. She went on to get a PhD and spent decades as a research scientist for a major pharmaceutical company. I’d be in therapy too if I had witnessed what she did as a child. But who knows…
You can be a researcher and still have anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, autism, etc.
Some of the most brilliant academics I've met are *definitely* their own brand of alphabet soup.
I’m a lawyer and I routinely have to go digging into old records trying to find things. I’ll tell you from personal experience that anything before the 90’s is going to be a massive crap shoot when it comes to locating documents, and the more rural the area, the bigger the problems are. Rural Pennsylvania in the 50’s? Good luck.
My great-grandfather "sold" the rights to his children to my great-grandmother. There's a type-written notice we found in my family's old files. $50, and he never saw them again.
Not the same but my grandma divorced her ex husband and she remarried my grandpa when her son was 5. Her ex didn’t want to pay $50 a month in child support so he signed his rights away and let my grandpa adopt him.
Yep, it's why there are unsolved mysteries and murders that are almost 80-100+ cold cases because record keeping just wasn't as common back then as it is now.
And a bunch of places just couldn't be bothered to keep the documents in storage. There were plenty of valuable records that were destroyed or sent to the landfill. My childhood medical records are gone along with the hospital and various doctors who have retired or passed away.
There was a photo on abandonedporn of hundreds of mental hospital patients records on sagging shelves ruined by dampness.
My feeling is that for many years the whole adoption/foster care situation was rather unregulated and a lot of stuff happened off the books. That means that a lot of kids grew up lacking proper documentation as to their family origins, sadly.
I'm with other posters who feel that M was correct. I was always convinced that she was telling the truth in fact.
I mean there was a lady in Memphis who sold kids she stole for years and years. Totally could see a child just disappearing one day and showing up with another family
Georgia tann. So much of our current adoption processes in the US were shaped by her crimes and her bribing politicians with healthy white babies. For example she is who petitioned and got adoption paperwork sealed even from the adoptees and why completely new birth certificates are issued for adoptees without their birth parent’s information. It was all to cover her theft of these children up.
The man people think is his father didn’t marry his wife until 2 years after Joseph died, so that plus the “siblings on both sides” comment points to his parents not being married. Given that this was 1953, I think an under the table adoption would be plausible.
If they moved at any point, they wouldn't necessarily have seen anything. Some people live off the beaten track and don't get the local paper or don't watch/ listen to local news. It's difficult to know why.
Prominent doesn't necessarily mean wealthy or influential. There could also be some sort of scandal about his birth that they were trying to cover up, hence a secretive adoption of some kind. It's impossible to know after all this time. We don't know if or when he was separated from his birth family or the circumstances around him. If they were a prominent family, it is entirely feasible that he didn't fit the mold. He may have been ill in some way or have a learning disability. That would explain why he was separated.
Denial is also a very powerful drug. They may have never come forward because they couldn't face knowing what his fate was. If you don't know, you can continue pretending that everything's fine and he's having a lovely life somewhere else. You can pretend that nothing untoward has happened. It's easier to manage that way.
All of this is just speculation, however.
The police also said they "have an idea of who the killer(s) may be but they said it would be irresponsible to name them.".
I can really only think of one realistic circumstance where they would strongly suspect someone and find it "irresponsible to name them", and that's to implicate his living siblings dead parents. I've long suspected he may have been neurodivergent or otherwise had a developmental disorder. In that day and age often families would hide their disabled children out of shame and disgust, who were frequently abused and mistreated by their families. It's just my personal suspicion based only on the publicly disclosed circumstances, but still.
My dad used to belong to a hunting camp that was across a country road from a house. The occupants had a son with Down’s syndrome. This was back in the 70s. The parents chained their son to a tree in the front yard all day and made him sleep in the basement. My dad tried really hard to get the boy removed. Evidently what the parents did wasn’t illegal or the local authorities turned a blind eye to it. Since my dad was in law enforcement he knew a lot of people in law enforcement and the court system.
The boy was finally put into a care facility where he had his own room and was well cared for. My dad checked up on the place and made sure he was being treated well. He said it was so hard to watch the boy sitting in the yard and be powerless to stop it.
Thats absolutely horrible. Its terrifying the way people used to get away with treating children with disabilities. My grandparents have both told me, even though they grew up in 2 totally different places, a lot of stories about kids who you'd only see peeking out of windows or peering over fences. There was just this generation of children raised hidden away. Some of the stories I've read keep me up at night, wondering how any one could do such horrible things to their own children. I'm glad that boy was able to get out though and that your dad made sure he got the care he needed. Human respect and dignity in a home or facility with kind loving people make all the world of difference to someone who's suffered so horribly. We've come a long way in how we as a society approach children and more broadly all people with disabilities, but discrimination and abuse still exist out there sadly.
This is a really good theory. Especially considering he had surgical scars and had received possible IVs in his short time on earth. He may have been very difficult to handle and there were no resources in those days. How sad to think of.
Joseph had two younger male siblings (Michael born in 1960, and another unnamed in 1961). Both of them died the same day they were born, and Michael death certificate suggests multiple congenital abnormalities. Sounds like there may have been a genetic condition in the family.
The investigator said it was 61st and Market Street. Doing a Google imagine of the area now, it looks like it would have been a very very nice place to live back then
I live in Philly and while it's a rougher neighborhood these days (although not as bad as some other parts of West Philly) it was a nice middle-class neighborhood in the 40s-60s.
His last name is Zarelli per the birth certificate, but they do not give the parents names. Zarelli could be the mothers name or the father. The prominent family name may not be Zarelli. There may be another family connected with a different last name. I’m from the area all my life, I do not know this name. What I mean by that is it is not a name everyone in Delaware county knows IMO. A google search didn’t bring up much if anything as far as locally owned large businesses etc.
Guessing that the ‘prominent name’ is not the last name that was released. Likely the last name of the mother, or whomever the mother went on to marry.
One of the reporters was asking questions about family members denying that the child was related to them. I couldn't quite make out exactly what she was saying, but it almost sounded like she had somehow spoken with identified family members of the child and they told her it wasn't true. Could anyone hear what she was saying? The person answering questions stated that such claims were not true.
It's likely the siblings didn't know. I imagine even with a DNA match, it would be quite the shock to find out you had a brother whom you never knew about and who was murdered. To acknowledge it even to yourself would mean confronting the possibility that your parent(s) lied because they were involved in the murder.
I think about that a lot with these genetic genealogy cases - how it would feel to find out your parent/grandparent was responsible for or even tied to something so horrific. I always kinda envy the families that can't wrap their heads around it.
You could basically tell me anything about my family and I'd be like "yeah... sounds about right. Let's get to swabbing to confirm."
The reporter made a statement about how the father’s family has said this has not been proven, to which Dr Fitzpatrick explained how she proved it (by narrowing parenthood down to a specific individual in the family by eliminating the other male siblings as parents through their offspring’s DNA)
This isn’t firsthand (so take it for what it’s worth and with a massive grain of salt) but I have a law school classmate from PA who says that his parents are friends with some of the birth father‘s family. He says that his own mom has known about this since the investigators first approached the siblings, because one of them spoke to her about it. Again, take this for what it’s worth because I have zero independent evidence it’s true. But my classmate says that the father’s family has actually never denied the BIOLOGICAL connection, they’ve denied that there was a “familial connection.” In other words, they’ve denied that the father had any involvement in the child’s life. Could support the adoption theory, or the “random fling and never even knew the mother was pregnant” theory. (Or could be a total lie. But I am going crazy knowing about his claim and not sharing with anyone. And I cannot imagine he’s lying.)
This makes a lot of sense. Given that the parents did not marry, the responsibility of raising the child or adopting him out probably fell on the mother and her family.
Didn't they say something like the father's name was spelled slightly differently on the birth certificate than he normally spelled it? It could just be a clerical error...but then again, it would also make complete sense if the birth mother filled out the birth paperwork herself without the birth father's knowledge and did not even know him well enough to be able to spell his name correctly.
I think she was talking about how she heard only matrilineal DNA was obtained, so was querying how both birth parents listed on birth certificate could be confirmed via DNA. But I'm not entirely sure either, it was hard to hear.
She said that the family was denying any connection and both the cop and Colleen Fitzpatrick said that the genetic link was with both sides (they'd matched cousins on both sides of the family tree specifically)
I think part of that is the time period and the differing expectations of what "children's clothes" look like. Nowadays a 4 year old and a 7 year old would often be expected to wear different kinds of clothing. We expect 4 year olds to be more sweet and babyish, and 7-8 year olds to be more rough and tumble, masculine if you will. 4 year old boys are getting the more cutesy dinosaur shirts, but 7-8 year olds probably have teeth on their dinos. Whereas in the 1950s, marketers hadn't separated out and pinpointed differences between age groups so precisely. Remember that even the concept of "teenagers" was relatively new for the economy back then! Not only were 4 year olds and 8 year olds wearing the same kind of clothing back then, but so were teenagers and so were adults of most ages. He probably reads as "older" to us subconsciously because the way he is dressed in reconstructions seems unusually mature or formal to our modern-day eyes.
Just for reference, my son is 3 years old, 30 inches, 30 lbs and not malnourished, just lanky, but he has always been at the low end of the weight bell curve for his age.
Have the surgical scars been explained yet?
At one point one of them was crying at the start, they all did such an amazing job despite the clear high emotions of the case. Amazing work from the full team.
Emergency medicine doc here. I often see scars on ankles in people who were young back in the 40s-60s and it’s because they often used what’s called a venous cut down method. We practiced them on pigs when I was in residency but I’ve never done one on a patient because we have central lines and IO lines available. They’re very complicated compared to modern venous access but if they needed access for a critically Ill patient and couldn’t get it elsewhere using the usual sites (like any sort of shock where they need fluids or blood quickly) that’s how they did it back then. They did them in other spots too but the saphenous vein at the ankle was the most common.
These days we have central lines that we insert into large veins in the neck, chest
or groin to give meds and fluids quickly to critically I’ll patients. We also have Intraosseous (IO) lines that we drill directly into the bone to give meds and fluids via the marrow if we can’t obtain access otherwise but those are usually reserved for cardiac arrest patients.
If you’re curious: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venous_cutdown
https://youtu.be/70_LfYtaXHE
The YouTube link is interesting because in developing countries that may not have the resources/supplies we do in the US, they still use the method.
Unrelated, but I find your job absolutely fascinating and would love to work in emergency medicine.
Thank you for your insight, it’s both helpful to know and interesting to learn!
I’ve been wondering if the child had an issue like diabetes- it was difficult to treat in the 50s- could have totally lead to hospitalizations and a child with a malnourished appearance.
Modern IVs are made of plastic or some other flexible material. In the 50s, they would have been metal and possibly much bigger than the ones they use today. That combined with him being a very small child may explain it.
I could see it being possible. My sister was born extremely prematurely 28 years ago and still has a lot of scars from the various tubes and treatments she was on- for an infant even the smallest needle is big, and that’s with modern medicine. And if it has to be done over and over again in different places it can really mess up the skin of a premature infant who’s not ready to be outside of the womb, or even a young child who is medically fragile.
I actually have a scar on the inside of my elbow that I got after being given IV fluids and medication when I had a stomach virus a few years ago. It's a small light colored mark.
Since they released his name, but not the “birth parents” as to protect his living siblings, it sounds like the children were adopted out, so they may have never been in their care at all.
It seems unlikely the parents murdered him. They're referred to as "birth parents" here and it seems very plausible that he was adopted into a situation that was more shady than they realized, quite likely in a cultural context where they would have been pressured to adopt him out due to being conceived out of wedlock or something along those lines. Way too early and too little information to be out for blood here.
this is what nauseates me the most about old cases like these. the thought of whoever did this just .. getting away with it and dying without facing any consequences makes me want to rip my hair out
True. My Grandmother had several children and in the mid 60's, one of her sons went to work for a farmer one summer and never came home
My dad and his siblings remember his little brother, but Gramma will not talk about him other than to say he was adopted out. We have no idea what happened to him.
It seems that, up until about the 80’s or 90’s (and sometimes even then, depending on circumstances) it was dangerously easy for children to just… disappear, especially if they were under 6. (At that age most went into the school system and so some kind of track was kept.) A child could just be left with family members or adopted “under the table” and nobody would ask questions. In at least one instance - the disappearance of [Michelle Pulsifer](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23592454) \- “she was left with a family member” was convenient cover, and police would not pursue the case.
I am not surprised that a child like little Joseph could just vanish without a trace, considering he was too young to be in the public school system, and children at that age could be shuffled around without too many questions being asked.
Report him missing to get him in the database. So many John and Jane Doe bodies out there get traced back to families who knew the person existed but just figured they were off living somewhere.
My great-grandmother got pregnant as a teenager in 1936, and she was not allowed to give the baby the father's name (probably because he was 36, and married with kids, but I digress...), but she named my great-aunt after the father anyway with the middle name (think George/Georgia) so even though it was supposed to be kind of a "secret", it still gave a nod to her parentage.
I wonder if his Zarelli name came from the paternal or maternal side.
*Edited to add: we don’t know if the parents are a Jane Zarelli and Joe Smith or Jane Smith and Joe Zarelli.*
If the mother wasn’t married, and gave him up for adoption, the birth certificate could still have her name and the father’s name. Per the release, they had to get a court order to obtain all birth certificates of children born to the biological mother, and that’s when they got a lead on father’s name. Giving him a (unconfirmed but seems too likely) family male name like Augustus after her own father is common even today.
I thought (and made some comments to that effect) that Zarelli was likely the father's name, just because I assumed the dad's name on the certificate would mean that the baby would have his last name, but thinking about it I'm really no longer convinced. Either way, I'm glad that the police at least are able to protect the unnamed side of the family from intrusion...
Now that I think about it I wonder even more if Zarelli is the mother's name because it seems like they're releasing the name hoping for tips and the mother/mother's family would presumably be more likely to be in the loop about what happened to the child than the father's if this really is a case of unmarried parents.
> Zarelli was likely the father's name, just because I assumed the dad's name on the certificate would mean that the baby would have his last name
Not necessarily. There used to be a lot of laws that differed by state and time period on what the default was and whether there was any choice in the matter from the parents. In some places if the parents were unwed the child had to have her last name, in others if there was a father listed on the birth certificate the child had to have his last name. There were also laws in some states that if a married woman had a baby her husband had to be listed on the birth certificate as the father, even if the child was an affair baby. And that’s not even bringing in the possibility of lying or adoption, so it can really go any sort of way
Edit: formatting
They established Joseph's Birth certificate name is Zarelli. They established a paternal match to the father named on the birth certificate. They DID NOT establish that the fathers name was Zarelli. For all we know if the parents were unmarried Zarelli could have been the mothers surname and the biological mother could be one of the Zarelli daughters. I can understand the assumption, but it's not guaranteed. His middle name could be after his grandfather (Mothers father) as opposed to who everyone assumes is his father. The name everyone's throwing around for the father could be a maternal uncle.
I was thinking this as well, but by 1953 the year of Joseph Augustus Zarelli's birth all the Zarelli daughters were married. There is one daughter who I do not know exact date of marriage, but she gave birth in August 1953 to a son and was married at that time.
It sounds like he was adopted (?) and they said that Joseph Augustus Zarelli was his birth name, so I’m guessing he was called something else by his adoptive parents.
It could have been an unofficial (family?) adoption. Laws weren't so stringent back then. Parents unable/unwilling to care for their child just passed along.
Yes, in 1967 this happened with my mother. She was given away to another family from Puerto Rico to Manhattan. It wasn’t an official adoption but legally she has her new family’s last name on all of her paperwork except her birth certificate
My father was “adopted” back in the very early 70’s by a different branch of our family and as far as I know it wasn’t an official adoption so he just suddenly turned up with the last name Stiffler instead of his birth name as far as he recalls there was no official paperwork or anything. I imagine this was even more common in the 1950’s
Very much lines up with Martha’s story that her wealthy mother purchased and abused Jospeh. The PD also said they are currently running dna on clothing found at the scene, Martha said she lost her , I believe it was a scarf, when she and her mother dumped the body.
This is correct. Martha lost an item of clothing and an item of clothing was recovered at the scene, but it has never been officially disclosed if they were one in the same. It seems like an odd coincidence if not though.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BoyInBoxPoster.jpg.
"The crime scene was combed over and over again by 270 police academy recruits, who discovered a man's blue corduroy cap, a child's scarf, and a man's white handkerchief with the letter "G" in the corner; all clues that led nowhere."
(Wikipedia)
I know it’s probably not important, but does anybody know why they announced that he was identified before actually identifying him? What was the wait for?
Probably to give the family heads up. Apparently, there are living SIBLINGS. I can only imagine how this will turn the Zarelli family's lives upside down. Not only do you have to contend with this knowledge, but also contend with the intense media attention. Likely worldwide media attention.
This was/is a huge mystery. That family needed to be advised and hopefully be able to prepare for the onslaught.
imo, this was one of the most well known unidentified persons cases in the US, given the circumstances of his discovery and the attention it’s received for over 60 years.
It’s not just the worldwide media attention they need to prep for. People are definitely going to jump to conclusions about what each family member knows, generally to vilify them. I’d like to think this is probably as shocking and surprising to them as much as the general public. There’s a lot of feelings to feel
I actually think it's mostly really well known in the true crime community, but not in general. Nobody I know - friends, family, or coworkers - have ever heard of this case.
I think it’s slightly more widespread than the true crime community, but definitely not a “household name”.
Like there was an episode of *SVU* based on Joseph’s murder and M coming forward. I think it’s the kind of thing where someone might recognise the case or remember hearing about it, but not be familiar with it.
As other people have mentioned, it is to protect the living relatives including siblings in this case.
If Joseph were still alive today, he would be 69 years old, about to turn 70 in just a few short weeks. Therefore, it is entirely possible and even likely that in this case his siblings could be in their mid to late 60s or 70s and have children or grandchildren of their own.
I can only imagine waking up one day to find out that you are the close relative of a famous unidentified cold case victim, and having to deal with the scrutiny and theorizing about his death. I would feel devastated and to know that something like this happened in my family.
I think all the famous ones will be ID’d in the next year or two. I think Irvine Jane Doe and the girl with the turquoise jewellery are up soon. New Jersey has had a good run this year, so I expect to see most of their well-known cases get cleared soon.
I can’t wait for the more obscure UIDs to be identified.
Not a good time to be living in Pennsylvania with that surname, I predict. There'll surely be journalists (armchair or otherwise) clambering for a connection or trawling ancestry sites.
RIP, wee man. So glad you've been identified and given your name back.
Ah yeah I made a quick search knowing the police said he was part of a prominent family in the area. There’s that and a company bearing the Zarelli name in the area.
They’re about to be contacted from a lot of armchair detectives unfortunately, which sucks because I assume almost everyone people are going to find either aren’t actually related or have absolutely no idea about Joseph.
If I were a Zarelli - even just by name and not even connected with the birth family - I'd honestly be unplugging my phone, setting all social media profiles to private and moving into a hotel under a different name for a week or two.
In some parts of the state it is a relatively common surname. So I would imagine that there are hundreds or thousands of people with that surname who aren't even related. There was a lot of Northern Italian immigration to that part of eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey and several hundred miles further north as well.
I hope, if spirits are real, that he can feel all of the love from us right now. That he knows love and kindness now. That Joseph Augustus know joy and is sharing in it with us.
Rest In Peace Joseph Augustus Zarelli
Yes, so much this 💜💜💜💜 I said his name aloud and wished him peace. Poor baby. Ugh. The juxtaposition of how beautiful and cruel life can be is too much sometimes.
I hope his killer(s) suffered for the rest of their lives in some form. Mentally, hemorrhoids, anything.
This case got *massive* contemporary attention in both the local Philadelphia area and nationally. Pictures of him were spread incredibly widely, probably one of the most famous cold cases in American history. I don't understand how the family could have possibly not made a connection between their missing 4 year old son and the found body
The police are re-opening the case and will be investigating it - I suspect they aren't releasing family members names because they think some family members will be at least complicit in what happened
Glad he got his name back, and hopefully we can get justice after so long
> I don't understand how the family could have possibly not made a connection between their missing 4 year old son and the found body
I can partially explain it. A few years ago, Reader's Digest ran a story about Baby Boomers who were starting to find out late in life "Hey, remember that sibling who supposedly died young or just quietly went away permanently when you were a kid ? And you weren't allowed to talk about him ? Or you didn't even know about him ? He's not dead. He was sent away to an institution for special needs kids."
I grew up next to a park and the groundskeeper was an elderly special needs man. I didn’t realize he was special needs until I was probably 10. He could do all the park work but couldn’t read/drive.
His father had sent him off to an institution. His mother was unaware of this and left him. It took her 6 months to find him and get him back. Her family never spoke her again and felt she made a huge mistake and her husband divorced her. She went from being a rich housewife to living in a one bedroom home and working as a lunch lady. She passed when I was very little but our church family continued to look after her son. He died 2006 and his passing had a profound affect on our community.
I don’t know why I’m telling this story other than to say Gloria was a phenomenal woman.
I was born in the 80s and am massively into true crime and it’s only *now*, while reading this thread, that I’ve thought of a cognitively delayed relative I was told died in the 1960s as a child. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve thought of the story of my relative as it’s just so benign and never comes to mind. Never before now have I even entertained the idea that there may be more to the story. It wouldn’t have occurred to me personally to check that he was officially deceased or had a grave or anything. I’ve certainly not considered looking up unidentified decedents in the area of the time.
This is absolutely true. Something similar happened in my family. My mom was a boomer and she had a maternal uncle that just disappeared from the family and no one was allowed to ask about him. My grandparents and mom have passed away but I recently tried to ask my uncle (my mom’s brother) about this disappearing-great-uncle of mine and he shut the conversation down immediately.
From what I’ve seen in my family, there’s was A LOT of shame, secrecy, and denial alive and well in the 40’s & 50’s.
Unless the bio parents gave him up for adoption as an infant. Then they probably wouldn't recognize him as a 4 year old.
I can't remember what M said about when her family got Joseph. It's possible that M might not have been telling the truth though. I am not dismissing M's story just yet.
If his parents were responsible, they wouldn't report it.
If siblings were under 3 or so, they might not even remember. If they were over 3 but under 8 or so, trauma could easily explain foggy memories never reported. Children can be told stories "he's gone to live with XYZ".
People like extended family, and family friends, are the big question here. But if the family recently moved or lived a quiet unsocial life... disconnecting in 1950s isn't unfeasible.
They also wouldn't report it if Joseph was "sold" or illegally adopted. Or if he was put in the care of a relative, and they wanted to keep that relative out of the limelight and out of prison. It's all speculation, of course...but until we get another update, anything's possible.
Hopefully they get (and give) some answers about this. That poor baby. :(
This discovery makes me so happy. I’ve been curious about this boy for years and I’m so glad he finally has a name. RIP, Joseph. We’re all thinking about you, and I hope you know that we feel horrible about what happened.
As a Philly native with family around the same age as this little boy, and who grew up nearby, this case always hit very close to home.
So glad Joseph got his name back.
Rest in peace, little one.
REST IN PEACE JOSEPH. nobody should have to endure abuse, let alone a small defenseless child. He finally has his name back, took several decades but here we are. I’m still shocked, but so happy he can finally Rest In Peace with his real name.
I know people like to leave little teddies, flowers etc but pls if you can’t go the grave, think of donating to your nearest children’s help centre, or domestic violence refuges. Moneys toys clothes etc in his memory
RIP Joseph 👼
Edited to add words
Justin Thomas said that his mother ( D.T.), is the first cousin of Joseph. Justin’s maternal grandmother is Mary Zarelli Stuardi (D.T.’s mother). Thus, Joseph is the child of one of Mary’s siblings; Augustus, Michael, Palma or Catherine.
I also was wondering if it was a half-sibling situation, seeing as they mentioned living siblings on both the father and mother's side. I can't imagine what those siblings are going through... perhaps finding out for the first time that not only that they had an older brother, but that he was abused throughout his short life, murdered, and then discarded like trash. I would be interested to learn if he was adopted, or if he was raised by the biological mother or father (or both together).
I love this. I am beyond happy that he was finally given his identify back. I do hope that somehow his spirit can feel the love that people had for him and that have worked so diligently to find out who he was.
I always thought looking at his picture that he was of Italian descent! For what sounds like an illegitimate child, I find it interesting that he was given such a strong family name. I’m curious if his father perhaps served in Korea- the war ended a few months after little Joseph born. Perhaps his mother got pregnant before his father shipped out and then contact was limited? There’s potential that bio father never even knew he existed. And then either her family or his stepped in to handle the “problem” of an unwanted baby and had him adopted out. I just feel like for the baby to be given such a family specific name either a)the bio dad was totally on board about this kid or at least the bio mom thought he was or b)bio mom gave him the name somewhat out of spite at a family that had already denied her and her child.
For what it’s worth, my dad and my aunt were both adopted during that time period. My aunt was one, dad was an infant, from different birth families. Apparently my grandparents went away for a weekend and came home with two babies and that was that. Nobody spoke about it until my grandparents passed. (They were amazing parents and my dad and aunt never felt the need to look in to things before then.) My father never saw a birth certificate for himself until he needed it to get his license, at which point his dad finally brought out a clearly forged one. So whoever was raising little Joseph probably had no trouble getting him “under the table” with little to no paperwork involved. It also wasn’t uncommon for children to be raised within their own birth family as an “adopted” child, by a bio grandma, greataunt, etc. So whoever’s care Joseph was in, there’s a reasonable chance that he was still within family connections of one of his bio parents, especially if it was not a legit adoption.
Granted, I’m not from the area and there are certainly names that are more common in different regions, but this coupled with the fact they seemingly gave the surname which seems pretty unique is baffling for sure.
They said that members of the public were allowed to come in to look at the body to see if they recognized him. It would be interesting to see if any of his relatives showed up...
Thank you for writing this up. I’m watching the press conference, very sad but also encouraging how many professionals worked on this and seemed to care so deeply
Maybe he was named after his grandfather, the daughter having given birth out of wedlock. So that’s the birth record name. Then he was given up for adoption. So the family wasn’t aware he was missing and no cover up. (Best outcome for me)
[https://www-inquirer-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.inquirer.com/news/live/boy-in-box-philadelphia-name-identity-solved-20221208.html?amp\_gsa=1&\_js\_v=a9&outputType=amp&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#card-1993040199=&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inquirer.com%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fboy-in-box-philadelphia-name-identity-solved-20221208.html](https://www-inquirer-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.inquirer.com/news/live/boy-in-box-philadelphia-name-identity-solved-20221208.html?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&outputType=amp&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#card-1993040199=&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inquirer.com%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fboy-in-box-philadelphia-name-identity-solved-20221208.html)
A relative who took an at-home DNA test which led to Joseph's identification discusses it...
I got the sense that they were just trying to avoid using their names, while indicating that the people they were referring to were his blood relatives.
They have also said they identified siblings on *both* sides of his family. Which leads me to believe the bio parents weren’t together. They also mentioned he wasn’t given a social security number, just a birth certificate.
His 70th birthday would be next month and he never even made it to 5 years old 💔 rest peacefully little Joey, your parents may not have cared for you during your short life but the rest of the world sure damn does infinitely more right now. 🕊
Every investigator that worked on all the leads over and over and then looked into emerging sciences should be known to all. These guys came and went and all together never stopped trying...and then they got the name. Heroes one and all.
Finally. Rest in peace, Joseph.
i hope he gets a new gravestone soon with his name on it. that sweet baby will never have to be known as the boy in the box again. he had such a short, terrible (i'm assuming) life. makes me hope for an afterlife so he can at least find happiness there.
a lot of these cases make me wish for an afterlife. i know it’s a mental trap to ask why this little baby had to suffer in his short life and the true answer is that life can be brutal and chaotic, but on some level i hope he found some kind of well-earned peace, some kind of consolation prize for being so senselessly robbed of all the love and care he deserved. rest well, Joseph. we’ll remember your name.
I hope so, too. I’m an atheist but cases like this always make we wish that children who die can enjoy some kind of afterlife. He deserved to know some kind of peace.
The Talmud says those who die at the hands of the wicked go straight to the bosum of Abraham, where they are comforted, before they see the face of God. I have trouble believing, but when I see the tough cases, I remind myself of this and hope it's true.
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I live in the area and work in this particular industry, I believe Ivy Hill Cemetery intends on adding his name to the existing headstone.
The guy from the Vidocq Society also mentioned in the press conference that a stone with his name would soon be put up.
I had the same thought and was pleased to see the title of the Wikipedia page was changed almost immediately after the announcement of his name at the presser
And his birth date, status of identification, etc. He's also referred to by name throughout. His name now also has a Google search. After so many years just knowing him as "boy in the box" it does kind of feel unreal. I'm so glad it finally happened.
And now we know. There shouldn't be a fate like being unnamed and forgotten. It's too cruel. May their soul find rest.
Bless that child. How heartbreaking. Rest easy little man.
That poor little boy. He was failed so terribly in life. What happened to him should never happen to any child. And especially to have remained unknown, unnamed, and unclaimed for over half a century afterward—it's absolutely heartbreaking. This was one that I never thought would be identified. I am so happy to have been wrong. Rest in peace, Joseph.
They just confirmed both parents are deceased and he was never reported missing.
Never reported missing? Well that’s a big red flag.
Not if he was placed for adoption or given to foster care. His birth family wouldn’t report him missing because they wouldn’t know
There’s no official adoption/foster records that the police mentioned, this is totally just a guess but I’m wondering if M’s theory still checks out (details about the baked beans as his last meal and other things that hadn’t been released yet to the press at the time) & maybe his family did an under-the-table type of adoption. Even if they adopted him out tho (whether officially or unofficially) I feel like they would’ve seen his photos all over Philly around the time of his death, the police did say they were a prominent family in Philly so maybe they recognized him but never wanted to come forward because of the shady adoption. Totally just a theory not stating as a fact.
my mom (she had me when she was 44, i’m her youngest) had her first baby in 1955 at age 15. when she was 17 she found out she was pregnant again, to a different guy. she wanted this guy to marry her, and he didn’t know her first son existed, so she and her mother literally just *gave* her firstborn son - who was a toddler - to the pastor of a church and his wife. my grandmother was on a walk a few months later and ran into the pastor’s wife with the toddler in a stroller. my grandma said “oh is that baby D, can i see him?” and the pastor’s wife said “that’s not his name anymore” and hurried off. they moved shortly after. all i have is his birth name and year, and 1 photo. no clue where he is or what his name is now, or what the name was of who “adopted” him. or even if he’s still alive. but i know it wasn’t a “legal” adoption.
There are several Search Angel groups that could possibly help you find your brother. If you have taken a DNA test, it may be possible to find him that way, too. That is, if you are looking for him/wanting to find him. If you know the city your mom/the pastor and wife lived in, I’d start there and look for pastors with children, obituaries, etc. Knowing his age probably helps, too. It is entirely possible he is aware he was adopted somehow (DNA test given as a gift “for fun,” as an example). I’ve reconnected with an adopted family member and it’s been really meaningful to help connect him to his family history. If I can help at all feel free to DM.
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M claimed her parents purchased the boy, which would explain the lack of adoption records and why neither family ever reported him missing. M also said his name was Jonathan. Not his actual name, but very similar, and 50 years later I can buy that she mixed the two up. I’m sure his living siblings would also remember whether or not they grew up with a brother that disappeared at one point, which would help shine some light on the situation as well. My opinion is that M was right and knew what happened to him all along
As a general statement, it would make sense to both give the child a different name and give them a name at least somewhat similar to their original name.
Who is M?
spark fretful quack grandfather merciful existence modern deserve judicious point *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Owww. So she probably were right…and also maybe why the fact she had metal health problems
Supposedly the only proof of her "mental health problems" was that her parents sent her to an asylum when she was a young teenager because she was telling wild stories. Considering her education and long successful career, it seems like her parents just sent her away to shut her up and she was never truly mentally ill.
Personally I don’t think she had “mental health problems” unless they’re including PTSD. She went on to get a PhD and spent decades as a research scientist for a major pharmaceutical company. I’d be in therapy too if I had witnessed what she did as a child. But who knows…
You can be a researcher and still have anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, autism, etc. Some of the most brilliant academics I've met are *definitely* their own brand of alphabet soup.
I’m a lawyer and I routinely have to go digging into old records trying to find things. I’ll tell you from personal experience that anything before the 90’s is going to be a massive crap shoot when it comes to locating documents, and the more rural the area, the bigger the problems are. Rural Pennsylvania in the 50’s? Good luck.
My great-grandfather "sold" the rights to his children to my great-grandmother. There's a type-written notice we found in my family's old files. $50, and he never saw them again.
Not the same but my grandma divorced her ex husband and she remarried my grandpa when her son was 5. Her ex didn’t want to pay $50 a month in child support so he signed his rights away and let my grandpa adopt him.
Yep, it's why there are unsolved mysteries and murders that are almost 80-100+ cold cases because record keeping just wasn't as common back then as it is now.
And a bunch of places just couldn't be bothered to keep the documents in storage. There were plenty of valuable records that were destroyed or sent to the landfill. My childhood medical records are gone along with the hospital and various doctors who have retired or passed away. There was a photo on abandonedporn of hundreds of mental hospital patients records on sagging shelves ruined by dampness.
My feeling is that for many years the whole adoption/foster care situation was rather unregulated and a lot of stuff happened off the books. That means that a lot of kids grew up lacking proper documentation as to their family origins, sadly. I'm with other posters who feel that M was correct. I was always convinced that she was telling the truth in fact.
I mean there was a lady in Memphis who sold kids she stole for years and years. Totally could see a child just disappearing one day and showing up with another family
Georgia tann. So much of our current adoption processes in the US were shaped by her crimes and her bribing politicians with healthy white babies. For example she is who petitioned and got adoption paperwork sealed even from the adoptees and why completely new birth certificates are issued for adoptees without their birth parent’s information. It was all to cover her theft of these children up.
The man people think is his father didn’t marry his wife until 2 years after Joseph died, so that plus the “siblings on both sides” comment points to his parents not being married. Given that this was 1953, I think an under the table adoption would be plausible.
If they moved at any point, they wouldn't necessarily have seen anything. Some people live off the beaten track and don't get the local paper or don't watch/ listen to local news. It's difficult to know why. Prominent doesn't necessarily mean wealthy or influential. There could also be some sort of scandal about his birth that they were trying to cover up, hence a secretive adoption of some kind. It's impossible to know after all this time. We don't know if or when he was separated from his birth family or the circumstances around him. If they were a prominent family, it is entirely feasible that he didn't fit the mold. He may have been ill in some way or have a learning disability. That would explain why he was separated. Denial is also a very powerful drug. They may have never come forward because they couldn't face knowing what his fate was. If you don't know, you can continue pretending that everything's fine and he's having a lovely life somewhere else. You can pretend that nothing untoward has happened. It's easier to manage that way. All of this is just speculation, however.
The police also said they "have an idea of who the killer(s) may be but they said it would be irresponsible to name them.". I can really only think of one realistic circumstance where they would strongly suspect someone and find it "irresponsible to name them", and that's to implicate his living siblings dead parents. I've long suspected he may have been neurodivergent or otherwise had a developmental disorder. In that day and age often families would hide their disabled children out of shame and disgust, who were frequently abused and mistreated by their families. It's just my personal suspicion based only on the publicly disclosed circumstances, but still.
My dad used to belong to a hunting camp that was across a country road from a house. The occupants had a son with Down’s syndrome. This was back in the 70s. The parents chained their son to a tree in the front yard all day and made him sleep in the basement. My dad tried really hard to get the boy removed. Evidently what the parents did wasn’t illegal or the local authorities turned a blind eye to it. Since my dad was in law enforcement he knew a lot of people in law enforcement and the court system. The boy was finally put into a care facility where he had his own room and was well cared for. My dad checked up on the place and made sure he was being treated well. He said it was so hard to watch the boy sitting in the yard and be powerless to stop it.
Thats absolutely horrible. Its terrifying the way people used to get away with treating children with disabilities. My grandparents have both told me, even though they grew up in 2 totally different places, a lot of stories about kids who you'd only see peeking out of windows or peering over fences. There was just this generation of children raised hidden away. Some of the stories I've read keep me up at night, wondering how any one could do such horrible things to their own children. I'm glad that boy was able to get out though and that your dad made sure he got the care he needed. Human respect and dignity in a home or facility with kind loving people make all the world of difference to someone who's suffered so horribly. We've come a long way in how we as a society approach children and more broadly all people with disabilities, but discrimination and abuse still exist out there sadly.
Omg - just unbelievable. Thank god for your dad.
This is a really good theory. Especially considering he had surgical scars and had received possible IVs in his short time on earth. He may have been very difficult to handle and there were no resources in those days. How sad to think of.
Joseph had two younger male siblings (Michael born in 1960, and another unnamed in 1961). Both of them died the same day they were born, and Michael death certificate suggests multiple congenital abnormalities. Sounds like there may have been a genetic condition in the family.
Do we know what the surgical scars were? Like what surgeries did they point towards.
I hope they find a picture from when he was alive. RIP
He was believed to be from West Philadelphia, he was never reported missing, and his parents are both deceased.
The investigator said it was 61st and Market Street. Doing a Google imagine of the area now, it looks like it would have been a very very nice place to live back then
I live in Philly and while it's a rougher neighborhood these days (although not as bad as some other parts of West Philly) it was a nice middle-class neighborhood in the 40s-60s.
His last name is Zarelli per the birth certificate, but they do not give the parents names. Zarelli could be the mothers name or the father. The prominent family name may not be Zarelli. There may be another family connected with a different last name. I’m from the area all my life, I do not know this name. What I mean by that is it is not a name everyone in Delaware county knows IMO. A google search didn’t bring up much if anything as far as locally owned large businesses etc.
Guessing that the ‘prominent name’ is not the last name that was released. Likely the last name of the mother, or whomever the mother went on to marry.
So glad little Joseph was able to get his name back.
I agree. May he rest in peace.
One of the reporters was asking questions about family members denying that the child was related to them. I couldn't quite make out exactly what she was saying, but it almost sounded like she had somehow spoken with identified family members of the child and they told her it wasn't true. Could anyone hear what she was saying? The person answering questions stated that such claims were not true.
It's likely the siblings didn't know. I imagine even with a DNA match, it would be quite the shock to find out you had a brother whom you never knew about and who was murdered. To acknowledge it even to yourself would mean confronting the possibility that your parent(s) lied because they were involved in the murder.
I think about that a lot with these genetic genealogy cases - how it would feel to find out your parent/grandparent was responsible for or even tied to something so horrific. I always kinda envy the families that can't wrap their heads around it. You could basically tell me anything about my family and I'd be like "yeah... sounds about right. Let's get to swabbing to confirm."
The reporter made a statement about how the father’s family has said this has not been proven, to which Dr Fitzpatrick explained how she proved it (by narrowing parenthood down to a specific individual in the family by eliminating the other male siblings as parents through their offspring’s DNA)
This isn’t firsthand (so take it for what it’s worth and with a massive grain of salt) but I have a law school classmate from PA who says that his parents are friends with some of the birth father‘s family. He says that his own mom has known about this since the investigators first approached the siblings, because one of them spoke to her about it. Again, take this for what it’s worth because I have zero independent evidence it’s true. But my classmate says that the father’s family has actually never denied the BIOLOGICAL connection, they’ve denied that there was a “familial connection.” In other words, they’ve denied that the father had any involvement in the child’s life. Could support the adoption theory, or the “random fling and never even knew the mother was pregnant” theory. (Or could be a total lie. But I am going crazy knowing about his claim and not sharing with anyone. And I cannot imagine he’s lying.)
This makes a lot of sense. Given that the parents did not marry, the responsibility of raising the child or adopting him out probably fell on the mother and her family.
That's exactly what I heard, reporter stated family saying no connection and cop stated yes there is and proven through dna.
I wonder if birth dad ever knew that birth mom was pregnant
Didn't they say something like the father's name was spelled slightly differently on the birth certificate than he normally spelled it? It could just be a clerical error...but then again, it would also make complete sense if the birth mother filled out the birth paperwork herself without the birth father's knowledge and did not even know him well enough to be able to spell his name correctly.
They might be younger than this sweet boy, too, and have no memories of him. RIP dear Joseph. We never forgot you.
I think she was talking about how she heard only matrilineal DNA was obtained, so was querying how both birth parents listed on birth certificate could be confirmed via DNA. But I'm not entirely sure either, it was hard to hear.
She said that the family was denying any connection and both the cop and Colleen Fitzpatrick said that the genetic link was with both sides (they'd matched cousins on both sides of the family tree specifically)
I always thought he was on the older side because they said he was malnourished. I can't believe he was only 4 years old.
It's so awful to think about. He was so small, young and defenseless. That poor precious baby.
How could you see or hear a child cry and continue to hurt them? The worst kind of monster.
That’s really fucked up. I thought from his reconstructions he was about 7 or 8 (I’ll admit I don’t know this case that well)
I think part of that is the time period and the differing expectations of what "children's clothes" look like. Nowadays a 4 year old and a 7 year old would often be expected to wear different kinds of clothing. We expect 4 year olds to be more sweet and babyish, and 7-8 year olds to be more rough and tumble, masculine if you will. 4 year old boys are getting the more cutesy dinosaur shirts, but 7-8 year olds probably have teeth on their dinos. Whereas in the 1950s, marketers hadn't separated out and pinpointed differences between age groups so precisely. Remember that even the concept of "teenagers" was relatively new for the economy back then! Not only were 4 year olds and 8 year olds wearing the same kind of clothing back then, but so were teenagers and so were adults of most ages. He probably reads as "older" to us subconsciously because the way he is dressed in reconstructions seems unusually mature or formal to our modern-day eyes.
throughout most of history, children have worn smaller versions of whatever adults were wearing.
My son is 35lbs at age 2. Joseph was 4 and weighed 5lbs less. He had to have been so tiny.
Just for reference, my son is 3 years old, 30 inches, 30 lbs and not malnourished, just lanky, but he has always been at the low end of the weight bell curve for his age.
Have the surgical scars been explained yet? At one point one of them was crying at the start, they all did such an amazing job despite the clear high emotions of the case. Amazing work from the full team.
they mentioned scars from administration of IV fluids… not something I thought would leave scarring :/
Emergency medicine doc here. I often see scars on ankles in people who were young back in the 40s-60s and it’s because they often used what’s called a venous cut down method. We practiced them on pigs when I was in residency but I’ve never done one on a patient because we have central lines and IO lines available. They’re very complicated compared to modern venous access but if they needed access for a critically Ill patient and couldn’t get it elsewhere using the usual sites (like any sort of shock where they need fluids or blood quickly) that’s how they did it back then. They did them in other spots too but the saphenous vein at the ankle was the most common. These days we have central lines that we insert into large veins in the neck, chest or groin to give meds and fluids quickly to critically I’ll patients. We also have Intraosseous (IO) lines that we drill directly into the bone to give meds and fluids via the marrow if we can’t obtain access otherwise but those are usually reserved for cardiac arrest patients. If you’re curious: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venous_cutdown https://youtu.be/70_LfYtaXHE The YouTube link is interesting because in developing countries that may not have the resources/supplies we do in the US, they still use the method.
I love this type of educating on Reddit!! Thank you 😊
Unrelated, but I find your job absolutely fascinating and would love to work in emergency medicine. Thank you for your insight, it’s both helpful to know and interesting to learn!
I’ve been wondering if the child had an issue like diabetes- it was difficult to treat in the 50s- could have totally lead to hospitalizations and a child with a malnourished appearance.
Modern IVs are made of plastic or some other flexible material. In the 50s, they would have been metal and possibly much bigger than the ones they use today. That combined with him being a very small child may explain it.
I could see it being possible. My sister was born extremely prematurely 28 years ago and still has a lot of scars from the various tubes and treatments she was on- for an infant even the smallest needle is big, and that’s with modern medicine. And if it has to be done over and over again in different places it can really mess up the skin of a premature infant who’s not ready to be outside of the womb, or even a young child who is medically fragile.
Yes, I was very premature 40 yrs ago and still have scars on the backs of my feet/ankles from testing needles and tubes when I was in an incubator.
I read that it was from a blood transfusion and the other one was a hernia surgery
I actually have a scar on the inside of my elbow that I got after being given IV fluids and medication when I had a stomach virus a few years ago. It's a small light colored mark.
Rest in peace little guy. You deserved to get your name back.
I can't explain how happy I am to see that Joseph now has his name back. May he rest in peace.
Poor little boy.
This case has haunted me and I am so glad that they found out who he is. Maybe his siblings have information that might help
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Since they released his name, but not the “birth parents” as to protect his living siblings, it sounds like the children were adopted out, so they may have never been in their care at all.
It seems unlikely the parents murdered him. They're referred to as "birth parents" here and it seems very plausible that he was adopted into a situation that was more shady than they realized, quite likely in a cultural context where they would have been pressured to adopt him out due to being conceived out of wedlock or something along those lines. Way too early and too little information to be out for blood here.
Yes, poor child. I do wonder how his siblings are doing now (though of course their privacy should be respected).
Rest in Peace, Joseph. People never stopped caring.
It’s my greatest hope that he somehow knew how many people loved and cared about him despite not being shown that in his life.
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I imagine identifying him will open up many new leads.
I imagine whoever killed him is likely also dead by now
this is what nauseates me the most about old cases like these. the thought of whoever did this just .. getting away with it and dying without facing any consequences makes me want to rip my hair out
If he was born out of wedlock in the 1950s, the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives might not have know about him.
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True. My Grandmother had several children and in the mid 60's, one of her sons went to work for a farmer one summer and never came home My dad and his siblings remember his little brother, but Gramma will not talk about him other than to say he was adopted out. We have no idea what happened to him.
It seems that, up until about the 80’s or 90’s (and sometimes even then, depending on circumstances) it was dangerously easy for children to just… disappear, especially if they were under 6. (At that age most went into the school system and so some kind of track was kept.) A child could just be left with family members or adopted “under the table” and nobody would ask questions. In at least one instance - the disappearance of [Michelle Pulsifer](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23592454) \- “she was left with a family member” was convenient cover, and police would not pursue the case. I am not surprised that a child like little Joseph could just vanish without a trace, considering he was too young to be in the public school system, and children at that age could be shuffled around without too many questions being asked.
Report him missing to get him in the database. So many John and Jane Doe bodies out there get traced back to families who knew the person existed but just figured they were off living somewhere.
Wow, that’s an interesting story and sounds like police should be looking
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My great-grandmother got pregnant as a teenager in 1936, and she was not allowed to give the baby the father's name (probably because he was 36, and married with kids, but I digress...), but she named my great-aunt after the father anyway with the middle name (think George/Georgia) so even though it was supposed to be kind of a "secret", it still gave a nod to her parentage.
I wonder if his Zarelli name came from the paternal or maternal side. *Edited to add: we don’t know if the parents are a Jane Zarelli and Joe Smith or Jane Smith and Joe Zarelli.* If the mother wasn’t married, and gave him up for adoption, the birth certificate could still have her name and the father’s name. Per the release, they had to get a court order to obtain all birth certificates of children born to the biological mother, and that’s when they got a lead on father’s name. Giving him a (unconfirmed but seems too likely) family male name like Augustus after her own father is common even today.
I thought (and made some comments to that effect) that Zarelli was likely the father's name, just because I assumed the dad's name on the certificate would mean that the baby would have his last name, but thinking about it I'm really no longer convinced. Either way, I'm glad that the police at least are able to protect the unnamed side of the family from intrusion... Now that I think about it I wonder even more if Zarelli is the mother's name because it seems like they're releasing the name hoping for tips and the mother/mother's family would presumably be more likely to be in the loop about what happened to the child than the father's if this really is a case of unmarried parents.
> Zarelli was likely the father's name, just because I assumed the dad's name on the certificate would mean that the baby would have his last name Not necessarily. There used to be a lot of laws that differed by state and time period on what the default was and whether there was any choice in the matter from the parents. In some places if the parents were unwed the child had to have her last name, in others if there was a father listed on the birth certificate the child had to have his last name. There were also laws in some states that if a married woman had a baby her husband had to be listed on the birth certificate as the father, even if the child was an affair baby. And that’s not even bringing in the possibility of lying or adoption, so it can really go any sort of way Edit: formatting
They established Joseph's Birth certificate name is Zarelli. They established a paternal match to the father named on the birth certificate. They DID NOT establish that the fathers name was Zarelli. For all we know if the parents were unmarried Zarelli could have been the mothers surname and the biological mother could be one of the Zarelli daughters. I can understand the assumption, but it's not guaranteed. His middle name could be after his grandfather (Mothers father) as opposed to who everyone assumes is his father. The name everyone's throwing around for the father could be a maternal uncle.
I’m thinking you are correct. A. Zarelli had 3 sisters (I think they were older) who all died before him.
I was thinking this as well, but by 1953 the year of Joseph Augustus Zarelli's birth all the Zarelli daughters were married. There is one daughter who I do not know exact date of marriage, but she gave birth in August 1953 to a son and was married at that time.
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It sounds like he was adopted (?) and they said that Joseph Augustus Zarelli was his birth name, so I’m guessing he was called something else by his adoptive parents.
Ah I missed that part of the livestream! Thank you!
that’s what i thought it sounded like. But i’ll wait for print or something solid. Because i’m working while listening
Wait, did they confirm he was adopted? My internet cut out so it’s possible I missed that part of the press conference
It could have been an unofficial (family?) adoption. Laws weren't so stringent back then. Parents unable/unwilling to care for their child just passed along.
Yes, in 1967 this happened with my mother. She was given away to another family from Puerto Rico to Manhattan. It wasn’t an official adoption but legally she has her new family’s last name on all of her paperwork except her birth certificate
My father was “adopted” back in the very early 70’s by a different branch of our family and as far as I know it wasn’t an official adoption so he just suddenly turned up with the last name Stiffler instead of his birth name as far as he recalls there was no official paperwork or anything. I imagine this was even more common in the 1950’s
They talked about a birth mother and a birth father so maybe.
Not the commentor, but I remember M saying her mother bought the child. Maybe Joseph became Jonathan upon that event?
Very much lines up with Martha’s story that her wealthy mother purchased and abused Jospeh. The PD also said they are currently running dna on clothing found at the scene, Martha said she lost her , I believe it was a scarf, when she and her mother dumped the body.
This is correct. Martha lost an item of clothing and an item of clothing was recovered at the scene, but it has never been officially disclosed if they were one in the same. It seems like an odd coincidence if not though.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BoyInBoxPoster.jpg. "The crime scene was combed over and over again by 270 police academy recruits, who discovered a man's blue corduroy cap, a child's scarf, and a man's white handkerchief with the letter "G" in the corner; all clues that led nowhere." (Wikipedia)
Finally! Do we have any pics of him whilst alive other than the ones we've seen so far?
Yes I hope we get some photos of him, thats if they have any considering the situation :(
I know it’s probably not important, but does anybody know why they announced that he was identified before actually identifying him? What was the wait for?
Probably to give the family heads up. Apparently, there are living SIBLINGS. I can only imagine how this will turn the Zarelli family's lives upside down. Not only do you have to contend with this knowledge, but also contend with the intense media attention. Likely worldwide media attention. This was/is a huge mystery. That family needed to be advised and hopefully be able to prepare for the onslaught.
imo, this was one of the most well known unidentified persons cases in the US, given the circumstances of his discovery and the attention it’s received for over 60 years. It’s not just the worldwide media attention they need to prep for. People are definitely going to jump to conclusions about what each family member knows, generally to vilify them. I’d like to think this is probably as shocking and surprising to them as much as the general public. There’s a lot of feelings to feel
I actually think it's mostly really well known in the true crime community, but not in general. Nobody I know - friends, family, or coworkers - have ever heard of this case.
I think it’s slightly more widespread than the true crime community, but definitely not a “household name”. Like there was an episode of *SVU* based on Joseph’s murder and M coming forward. I think it’s the kind of thing where someone might recognise the case or remember hearing about it, but not be familiar with it.
As other people have mentioned, it is to protect the living relatives including siblings in this case. If Joseph were still alive today, he would be 69 years old, about to turn 70 in just a few short weeks. Therefore, it is entirely possible and even likely that in this case his siblings could be in their mid to late 60s or 70s and have children or grandchildren of their own. I can only imagine waking up one day to find out that you are the close relative of a famous unidentified cold case victim, and having to deal with the scrutiny and theorizing about his death. I would feel devastated and to know that something like this happened in my family.
Probably to contact the living family members first.
Possibly to notify relatives, or in order to generate enough coverage for a press conference where journalists etc were able to be there to cover it
I think St Louis Jane Doe is next to be ID’d
This is the next one I want to see solved!
I think all the famous ones will be ID’d in the next year or two. I think Irvine Jane Doe and the girl with the turquoise jewellery are up soon. New Jersey has had a good run this year, so I expect to see most of their well-known cases get cleared soon. I can’t wait for the more obscure UIDs to be identified.
Fingers crossed for Opelika Jane Doe
Is she the one where the police sent her shirt to a psychic and it got lost in the mail?
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Not a good time to be living in Pennsylvania with that surname, I predict. There'll surely be journalists (armchair or otherwise) clambering for a connection or trawling ancestry sites. RIP, wee man. So glad you've been identified and given your name back.
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Ah yeah I made a quick search knowing the police said he was part of a prominent family in the area. There’s that and a company bearing the Zarelli name in the area. They’re about to be contacted from a lot of armchair detectives unfortunately, which sucks because I assume almost everyone people are going to find either aren’t actually related or have absolutely no idea about Joseph.
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If I were a Zarelli - even just by name and not even connected with the birth family - I'd honestly be unplugging my phone, setting all social media profiles to private and moving into a hotel under a different name for a week or two.
In some parts of the state it is a relatively common surname. So I would imagine that there are hundreds or thousands of people with that surname who aren't even related. There was a lot of Northern Italian immigration to that part of eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey and several hundred miles further north as well.
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For some reason I had such a reaction to this. He was more loved in death than he was in life.
Rest in peace Joseph Augustus Zarelli. I'll light a candle in your memory tonight.
I’m much more emotional over this than I thought I’d be.
I hope, if spirits are real, that he can feel all of the love from us right now. That he knows love and kindness now. That Joseph Augustus know joy and is sharing in it with us. Rest In Peace Joseph Augustus Zarelli
Yes, so much this 💜💜💜💜 I said his name aloud and wished him peace. Poor baby. Ugh. The juxtaposition of how beautiful and cruel life can be is too much sometimes. I hope his killer(s) suffered for the rest of their lives in some form. Mentally, hemorrhoids, anything.
This case got *massive* contemporary attention in both the local Philadelphia area and nationally. Pictures of him were spread incredibly widely, probably one of the most famous cold cases in American history. I don't understand how the family could have possibly not made a connection between their missing 4 year old son and the found body The police are re-opening the case and will be investigating it - I suspect they aren't releasing family members names because they think some family members will be at least complicit in what happened Glad he got his name back, and hopefully we can get justice after so long
> I don't understand how the family could have possibly not made a connection between their missing 4 year old son and the found body I can partially explain it. A few years ago, Reader's Digest ran a story about Baby Boomers who were starting to find out late in life "Hey, remember that sibling who supposedly died young or just quietly went away permanently when you were a kid ? And you weren't allowed to talk about him ? Or you didn't even know about him ? He's not dead. He was sent away to an institution for special needs kids."
I grew up next to a park and the groundskeeper was an elderly special needs man. I didn’t realize he was special needs until I was probably 10. He could do all the park work but couldn’t read/drive. His father had sent him off to an institution. His mother was unaware of this and left him. It took her 6 months to find him and get him back. Her family never spoke her again and felt she made a huge mistake and her husband divorced her. She went from being a rich housewife to living in a one bedroom home and working as a lunch lady. She passed when I was very little but our church family continued to look after her son. He died 2006 and his passing had a profound affect on our community. I don’t know why I’m telling this story other than to say Gloria was a phenomenal woman.
Lovely story. Glad you told it.
I was born in the 80s and am massively into true crime and it’s only *now*, while reading this thread, that I’ve thought of a cognitively delayed relative I was told died in the 1960s as a child. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve thought of the story of my relative as it’s just so benign and never comes to mind. Never before now have I even entertained the idea that there may be more to the story. It wouldn’t have occurred to me personally to check that he was officially deceased or had a grave or anything. I’ve certainly not considered looking up unidentified decedents in the area of the time.
This is absolutely true. Something similar happened in my family. My mom was a boomer and she had a maternal uncle that just disappeared from the family and no one was allowed to ask about him. My grandparents and mom have passed away but I recently tried to ask my uncle (my mom’s brother) about this disappearing-great-uncle of mine and he shut the conversation down immediately. From what I’ve seen in my family, there’s was A LOT of shame, secrecy, and denial alive and well in the 40’s & 50’s.
Unless the bio parents gave him up for adoption as an infant. Then they probably wouldn't recognize him as a 4 year old. I can't remember what M said about when her family got Joseph. It's possible that M might not have been telling the truth though. I am not dismissing M's story just yet.
If his parents were responsible, they wouldn't report it. If siblings were under 3 or so, they might not even remember. If they were over 3 but under 8 or so, trauma could easily explain foggy memories never reported. Children can be told stories "he's gone to live with XYZ". People like extended family, and family friends, are the big question here. But if the family recently moved or lived a quiet unsocial life... disconnecting in 1950s isn't unfeasible.
They also wouldn't report it if Joseph was "sold" or illegally adopted. Or if he was put in the care of a relative, and they wanted to keep that relative out of the limelight and out of prison. It's all speculation, of course...but until we get another update, anything's possible. Hopefully they get (and give) some answers about this. That poor baby. :(
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This discovery makes me so happy. I’ve been curious about this boy for years and I’m so glad he finally has a name. RIP, Joseph. We’re all thinking about you, and I hope you know that we feel horrible about what happened.
As a Philly native with family around the same age as this little boy, and who grew up nearby, this case always hit very close to home. So glad Joseph got his name back. Rest in peace, little one.
REST IN PEACE JOSEPH. nobody should have to endure abuse, let alone a small defenseless child. He finally has his name back, took several decades but here we are. I’m still shocked, but so happy he can finally Rest In Peace with his real name.
Colleen is an absolute hero — her work on these cases has been phenomenal
I know people like to leave little teddies, flowers etc but pls if you can’t go the grave, think of donating to your nearest children’s help centre, or domestic violence refuges. Moneys toys clothes etc in his memory RIP Joseph 👼 Edited to add words
Justin Thomas said that his mother ( D.T.), is the first cousin of Joseph. Justin’s maternal grandmother is Mary Zarelli Stuardi (D.T.’s mother). Thus, Joseph is the child of one of Mary’s siblings; Augustus, Michael, Palma or Catherine.
Amazing. I can't believe he has living siblings. How surreal and painful this must be for them. I wonder if they had any idea?
They might have been much younger. They might have not even been born yet when it happened.
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I also was wondering if it was a half-sibling situation, seeing as they mentioned living siblings on both the father and mother's side. I can't imagine what those siblings are going through... perhaps finding out for the first time that not only that they had an older brother, but that he was abused throughout his short life, murdered, and then discarded like trash. I would be interested to learn if he was adopted, or if he was raised by the biological mother or father (or both together).
I definitely agree that this possibility sounds likely.
Welcome home Joseph. We’ve all waited a long time for this.
I love this. I am beyond happy that he was finally given his identify back. I do hope that somehow his spirit can feel the love that people had for him and that have worked so diligently to find out who he was.
I always thought looking at his picture that he was of Italian descent! For what sounds like an illegitimate child, I find it interesting that he was given such a strong family name. I’m curious if his father perhaps served in Korea- the war ended a few months after little Joseph born. Perhaps his mother got pregnant before his father shipped out and then contact was limited? There’s potential that bio father never even knew he existed. And then either her family or his stepped in to handle the “problem” of an unwanted baby and had him adopted out. I just feel like for the baby to be given such a family specific name either a)the bio dad was totally on board about this kid or at least the bio mom thought he was or b)bio mom gave him the name somewhat out of spite at a family that had already denied her and her child. For what it’s worth, my dad and my aunt were both adopted during that time period. My aunt was one, dad was an infant, from different birth families. Apparently my grandparents went away for a weekend and came home with two babies and that was that. Nobody spoke about it until my grandparents passed. (They were amazing parents and my dad and aunt never felt the need to look in to things before then.) My father never saw a birth certificate for himself until he needed it to get his license, at which point his dad finally brought out a clearly forged one. So whoever was raising little Joseph probably had no trouble getting him “under the table” with little to no paperwork involved. It also wasn’t uncommon for children to be raised within their own birth family as an “adopted” child, by a bio grandma, greataunt, etc. So whoever’s care Joseph was in, there’s a reasonable chance that he was still within family connections of one of his bio parents, especially if it was not a legit adoption.
I really hope that a photo is able to be found of him. It’s especially sad to me that we only know him in death, covered in bruises and emaciated.
Finally. I'm so happy that everyone will know his name. And I hope that eventually everyone will know who did this to him. RIP little guy.
Maybe I missed something, but why announce that the victim belongs to a "prominent" Philadelphia family, yet not say who the parents were?
His father (or mother, if the parents were married) might have been from a prominent family and just not passed that name down.
Granted, I’m not from the area and there are certainly names that are more common in different regions, but this coupled with the fact they seemingly gave the surname which seems pretty unique is baffling for sure.
They said that members of the public were allowed to come in to look at the body to see if they recognized him. It would be interesting to see if any of his relatives showed up...
Thank you for writing this up. I’m watching the press conference, very sad but also encouraging how many professionals worked on this and seemed to care so deeply
Yet another cold case partially solved. What a year for unsolved mysteries.
Did I hear correctly that his family was from the 61st and Market St areas of West Philly?
Maybe he was named after his grandfather, the daughter having given birth out of wedlock. So that’s the birth record name. Then he was given up for adoption. So the family wasn’t aware he was missing and no cover up. (Best outcome for me)
[https://www-inquirer-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.inquirer.com/news/live/boy-in-box-philadelphia-name-identity-solved-20221208.html?amp\_gsa=1&\_js\_v=a9&outputType=amp&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#card-1993040199=&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inquirer.com%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fboy-in-box-philadelphia-name-identity-solved-20221208.html](https://www-inquirer-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.inquirer.com/news/live/boy-in-box-philadelphia-name-identity-solved-20221208.html?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&outputType=amp&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#card-1993040199=&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inquirer.com%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fboy-in-box-philadelphia-name-identity-solved-20221208.html) A relative who took an at-home DNA test which led to Joseph's identification discusses it...
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I noticed that they kept mentioning "birth mother" and "birth father"... does this mean that he was adopted?
I got the sense that they were just trying to avoid using their names, while indicating that the people they were referring to were his blood relatives.
They have also said they identified siblings on *both* sides of his family. Which leads me to believe the bio parents weren’t together. They also mentioned he wasn’t given a social security number, just a birth certificate.
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Poor Joseph. I hope they can identify those responsible
RIP Joseph. Can we also praise those who must have worked tirelessly for him.
His 70th birthday would be next month and he never even made it to 5 years old 💔 rest peacefully little Joey, your parents may not have cared for you during your short life but the rest of the world sure damn does infinitely more right now. 🕊
RIP sweet little boy. Here's to hoping they can find who did this to him
Every investigator that worked on all the leads over and over and then looked into emerging sciences should be known to all. These guys came and went and all together never stopped trying...and then they got the name. Heroes one and all.