Identified! PA - Philadelphia, 'Boy in the Box', WhtMale 4-6, 4UMPA, Feb'57

[Rino]

Hello, vadersbabe.

Cubby beat me to posting the thread, you should jump in.

 

[LionRun]

Welcome, vadersbabe. I am glad cubby found the thread for the little boy in the box for you. Websleuths folks are a very nice group of people who truly care about the missing, unidentified, and crime in general. I am glad you are here.

Lion

 

[vadersbabe]

I will never ever forget the very first time I saw this poor boy's face on the doe network.

It is incomprehensible to me how someone could have hurt him and thrown him away as if he were nothing.

I can't seem to get out of my head, "M"'s story as to how her mother purchased this boy, regularly abused him and how he met his death. While I know that the investigators have looked into her story and concluded that there was not enough evidence to corroborate her story, she does mention some things that make me scratch my head. First, she told investigators that she helped her mother dispose of the boy. They were on the side of the road when another car came by and stopped, thinking they needed assistance. "M" said that she and her mother turned away and hid the license plate marker. It was brought to light years ago that a man came forward and told police about a car on the side of the road a few days before the boy was discovered. This man said he stopped to help a car on the side of the road and when he approached them, he said the woman and boy moved to cover the license plate and trunk area of the car. I am not sure if this was a fact known by many as far as the investigation goes. It just makes me scratch my head.

 

[Truly]

Hi, vadersbabe, I am one of the newer members also and had the same startling response to the fact that there so many missing and unidentified people. I did visit the doenetwork, and it is shocking.

Honestly, though, I am only able to look at the photo of this dead child if I link to the discussion in his thread. I don't particularily wish to view it unexpectedly in every comment thread. I have only seen websleuths in it's current text-only format, because I joined during the time when the server problems were being worked on. I hope it will still be a readable discussion forum when the pictures return!

 

[Beyond Belief]

Welcome to WS.

 

[Taximom]

Welcome, vadersbabe.

 

[vadersbabe]

Hi, vadersbabe, I am one of the newer members also and had the same startling response to the fact that there so many missing and unidentified people. I did visit the doenetwork, and it is shocking.

Honestly, though, I am only able to look at the photo of this dead child if I link to the discussion in his thread. I don't particularily wish to view it unexpectedly in every comment thread. I have only seen websleuths in it's current text-only format, because I joined during the time when the server problems were being worked on. I hope it will still be a readable discussion forum when the pictures return!

Truly,

I aplogize. I have removed his photo from my signature. I just have so many strong emotions regarding this case that sometimes I forget that his photographs cause others to feel uneasy.

 

[Taximom]

Sometimes I think it's a good idea to have the pictures visible as reminders, but I can understand being sensitive to them as well.

Truly, you have an option to keep yourself from seeing everyone's signatures and pictures when you log on here. It's in your user cp controls. I don't know if you knew that.

Take care everyone!

 

[vadersbabe]

Taximom, thank you.

I am of the same thought as far as pictures sending a strong visible reminder.

But, I am new here and the last thing I want to do is to put people off!

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Welcome, Vandersbabe~

I had seen the child's photo before, but was unaware of the case until now. I found reading the site very interesting. I have some questions tho.

M" recalled that, as she and her mother were preparing to remove the boy's body from the trunk, a male driver unexpectedly stopped and asked them if they were having car trouble. They quickly turned their backs to the man, and said nothing. They were careful to block the man's view of the license plate on their car. After a few anxious moments that must have seemed like an eternity, the man continued on his way. ("M's" account almost exactly matched the confidential testimony of the anonymous male witness who had originally reported this incident to the police in 1957.) After the man drove away, "M" and her mother removed the boy's body from the trunk and placed it in a large cardboard box that they found at the scene.

Then it goes on to say later:

Unfortunately, six months later, having left "no stone unturned" in their relentless search for corroborating evidence, the investigators came up empty. Not a single one of "M's" allegations could be substantiated.

http://www.americasunknownchild.net/summary.htm (I bolded)

Now, how could they state nothing was substantiated if they already said her statement matched an anonymous male's confidential testimony about the incident taking place on that stretch of road back in 1957?!

 

[vadersbabe]

Exactly, Seriously Searching! That is exactly what has me scratching my head.

Please refer to the thread dedicated to the discussion of this case. I said the same thing.

 

[Eire]

I can't seem to get out of my head, "M"'s story as to how her mother purchased this boy, regularly abused him and how he met his death. While I know that the investigators have looked into her story and concluded that there was not enough evidence to corroborate her story, she does mention some things that make me scratch my head. First, she told investigators that she helped her mother dispose of the boy. They were on the side of the road when another car came by and stopped, thinking they needed assistance. "M" said that she and her mother turned away and hid the license plate marker. It was brought to light years ago that a man came forward and told police about a car on the side of the road a few days before the boy was discovered. This man said he stopped to help a car on the side of the road and when he approached them, he said the woman and boy moved to cover the license plate and trunk area of the car. I am not sure if this was a fact known by many as far as the investigation goes. It just makes me scratch my head.

It could be that "M" read that in the newspaper. That part was public knowledge, so maybe she read it and remembered it. She could be telling the truth and she's being ignored because she has mental health issues, I don't honestly know. It's a difficult call to make. Not all mentally ill people make up stories, but some do.

 

[mum33004]

I read on the website that the box the little boy was found in was from JC Penneys & that it held a bassinett. Is it possible the person who killed this little boy worked at Penneys and brought the box home?

 

[vadersbabe]

Good point, Eire. It is possible that she could be telling the truth. We'll just never know.

 

[kygal]

This is a very sad story, and like several others is what drew me into this.

I wonder if he could have had either heart or stomach/intestinal problems. My reasoning is that he also had several healed scars in that area, and the autopsy reports no visible "old" bruising or injury. He was also VERY underweight -- but not enough that starvation would have been a real likely problem. The reason I say that is that I have a 4 YO that wieghs only about 38 to 40 pounds now. Having some sort of cardiovascular or intestinal disease or injury would have kept him from playing much (perhaps why others had not seen him much) and would have kept him thin and frail.

I am of the opinion (and that is all it is) that this boy came from somewhere further away than the Fox Chase area -- but I'd say that whoever put him there had at least lived there at some point. His family probably had money/income at one time because medical treatment have always been expensive -- and the state hasn't always been so generous with giving money to help with them. Perhaps something happened in the family where they were no longer able to pay for his treatment -- and in all the frustration (no money, his illness) things got out of control and he was beaten to death. Some of the bruisings could have been caused by his falling (noting legs here) as his condition could have worsened and he would have gotten weaker.

I am still thinking that there were more than likely siblings and parents and that they are still alive -- perhaps the siblings were too little to remember or are afraid to say anything.

 

[2sisters]

I read on the website that the box the little boy was found in was from JC Penneys & that it held a bassinett. Is it possible the person who killed this little boy worked at Penneys and brought the box home?

good point, I wonder if there is anyway to look into that.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

thank you-I thought perhaps he might have had some kind of crushing injury at some point that made his arms unable to be used for transfusions.

The chest scar sounds superficially like a chest tube, and the incision in the groin area could be from a inguinal hernia or undescended testes?

I have read some articles dated between 1908 and 1951 that indicate "exchange transfusions' were routinely done through the ankle. For example, one of the articles told a story of a woman who had routinely suffered from "pulmonary hemorrages" and was on the verge of death. Her husband had a tube placed into his wrist (artery) and then she had the other end placed into her ankle. his blood flowed from him into her and saved her life...this was in 1908. There are also some articles indicating that it was routinely done on pediatric patients who needed transfusions...up until the 1970's.

I wonder if he was a hemophiliac?

That was one of my first thoughts, too. Extensive bruising on the legs could certainly be a sign of that.

 

[believe09]

That was one of my first thoughts, too. Extensive bruising on the legs could certainly be a sign of that.

I actually emailed the VIDOQ Society with that question, and some of the information from the local hospitals that handled hemophiliacs during that time frame. I will post any responses I receive....

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I actually emailed the VIDOQ Society with that question, and some of the information from the local hospitals that handled hemophiliacs during that time frame. I will post any responses I receive....

Great! Thanks for checking that out! With the scars and such...it does sound like this child could have been a patient with a medical condition to me. They should have records unless the Doctor kept them and he is no longer alive. (To you young sleuths...50 years is NOT that long ago. LOL)

 

[2sisters]

I actually emailed the VIDOQ Society with that question, and some of the information from the local hospitals that handled hemophiliacs during that time frame. I will post any responses I receive....

keep us posted. I wish he could have a name, but after this long I just don't feel it is possible.