Identified! PA - Philadelphia - 'Boy in the Box' - 4UMPA - Feb'57 #3 - Joseph Augustus Zarelli

[Taffy550]

We may never know who did this. At least he now has a name and a family. I never thought this would happen. So, so, happy. I just hope someone finds a photo of him. It saddens me to think like so many other children, this child got more love and attention when dead than when living.

 

[louellen]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed> "They" did not have several children "after Joseph." The death certificates available online are for children who (if they share a parent with Joseph), would have been half-siblings. LE has indicated there were siblings "on the maternal and paternal sides" -- not full siblings.

 

[Alleykins]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

OT:
My grandma, not sure what age except to say it was before she turned 30, was engaged and got pregnant by her fiance (not my grandfather). When he found out, he bailed. My grandmother decided to keep the baby, and my sister said our great grandparents were very supportive of her having the baby and keeping it. This was unheard of in the 30s & 40s.
Tragically, he died of what she said was crib death at three days old in the hospital.
I was proud of her for being determined to raise it alone at a time when it was considered taboo.

 

[niikkee]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed> "They" did not have several children "after Joseph." The death certificates available online are for children who (if they share a parent with Joseph), would have been half-siblings. LE has indicated there were siblings "on the maternal and paternal sides" -- not full siblings.

Regardless of what LE said I am just stating that there are death certificates for 2 other children listed with the same parents as Joseph. And I stand corrected… since the other 3 children are alive I don’t know what the birth order was.

 

[fred&edna]

I wonder if a family member was a medical professional and did things “off the books”

The more I think, read, etc... the more I think you could be correct.

 

[louellen]

Regardless of what LE said I am just stating that there are death certificates for 2 other children listed with the same parents as Joseph. And I stand corrected… since the other 3 children are alive I don’t know what the birth order was

The issue is that you're assuming <modsnip> that the parents of the deceased infants on the death certificates from 1960 and 1961 are the presumed parents of Joseph. LE has stated facts that indicate this is not possible. It is possible that one of the parents on those death certificates is a parent of Joseph, but not both. So they are NOT "listed with the same parents as Joseph" as you state.

 

[kaen]

I think complex and information withheld cases like this send many of us to incredible theories. Often when we have cases where LE have held back information, we get a bit blindsided when the facts come out.

I am going back to review the information given and try to get some of the speculation out of my head. I want to know more...

 

[PrimeSuspect]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

We haven't been officially informed if Zarelli is the bio father's name or the birth mother's name. We do know Joseph's full name and that his father was listed on the birth certificate, there is a high chance he gave his son the Zarelli name but it's not 100% guaranteed, as you can see, this is the dilemma.

 

[RaspberryMama]

Oh, my!
I bet you have a ton of interesting paternity stories!
I have a few, and I didn't even work in the field. They just kind of fell into my lap.
My ex husband thought he was going to be a father (we were already divorced, this isn't related to our break up). It was a one night stand and the woman told him it could be someone else's, but he stuck by her anyway until they could test the baby. The whole pregnancy, he was supporting her, taking her to prenatal appointments, and giving her money. He kept asking where the other potential father was. Why wasn't he helping, showing up, etc. She wouldn't give him an answer. His mother even through her a baby shower. After the baby was born, and they were waiting for the test results, the other prospective father still wasn't in the picture, and the ex kept asking, where is this guy? His mother grew really attached to baby, it was her first grandkid.
Turned out the baby wasn't my ex's.
It was her stepfather's. He was in the picture the whole time, hiding in plain sight, as grandpa.

Well... Ew!

 

[niikkee]

The issue is that you're assuming <modsnip> that the parents of the deceased infants on the death certificates from 1960 and 1961 are the presumed parents of Joseph. LE has stated facts that indicate this is not possible. It is possible that one of the parents on those death certificates is a parent of Joseph, but not both. So they are NOT "listed with the same parents as Joseph" as you state.

If you click on one parent and scroll down it lists the other parent as the spouse and the 3 children and vice versa so it is saying those are the parents of those 3 children

 

[steff13]

Regardless of what LE said I am just stating that there are death certificates for 2 other children listed with the same parents as Joseph. And I stand corrected… since the other 3 children are alive I don’t know what the birth order was.

But there aren't, because Joseph's parents have not been named.

 

[steff13]

My "shocked" emoji comes from not believing that the sentence that starts with "tragically" is what really happened.

Yeah, I think there's every chance that he was given to a "proper" family to raise. I think that would have been common then.

 

[coco]

Honestly the amount of speculation and confusion going on now all over social media, they really should’ve just named the persons who’s care he was last in, be it biological parents or not. We already have the Zarelli name and that has already led to doxing of people with that last name, really what a sh** show it’s turning into. And yes I’m well into the speculating myself of course, that’s why I’m on here

 

[Friday Fan]

Honestly the amount of speculation and confusion going on now all over social media, they really should’ve just named the persons who’s care he was last in, be it biological parents or not. We already have the Zarelli name and that has already led to doxing of people with that last name, really what a sh** show it’s turning into. And yes I’m well into the speculating myself of course, that’s why I’m on here

Law enforcement likely has no idea who he was with at the time.
"M" says her mom had him since 1954 and then killed him.

But law enforcement can't prove he was with "M's" mother.

So we are left to wonder who he was with?

He obviously was not legally adopted otherwise they would have said something.
How do you prove someone was or wasn't living at xyz house?

 

[txsleuth70]

My "shocked" emoji comes from not believing that the sentence that starts with "tragically" is what really happened.

Agreed, because unwed or minor mothers were sometimes told this when a nurse or someone else may have been in on a baby-selling ring. I'm being serious. Sometimes mothers were told their baby died, but were never allowed to see the deceased newborn.

 

[ncoley]

Very interesting and thanks for your comment! Great find with the resource you found. I dont know enough about the topic to form an opinion and will try to review the autopsy information again. Do you know if the autopsy specifically mentioned drowning?

My understanding is that pleural effusion is different than aspiration of liquids into the trachea and lungs. Is there a doctor in the house, LOL? I remember on another case reading posts by an anesthetist who was extremely knowledgeable. Can’t remember their name or if they are still on WS? Would love to get their opinion on this.

I don’t believe that the autopsy report mentioned drowning but it did note that “The victim’s right palm and the soles of both feet were rough and wrinkled, which suggested that they had been submerged in water, immediately before or after death.”

 

[steff13]

Law enforcement likely has no idea who he was with at the time.
"M" says her mom had him since 1954 and then killed him.

But law enforcement can't prove he was with "M's" mother.

So we are left to wonder who he was with?

He obviously was not legally adopted otherwise they would have said something.
How do you prove someone was or wasn't living at xyz house?

I may be misremembering, but I thought LE said they had an idea of who it was. It might have been last week when they originally announced that they had found his name that they also said they had an idea of who had killed him. But I would have to look and see.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Law enforcement likely has no idea who he was with at the time.
"M" says her mom had him since 1954 and then killed him.

But law enforcement can't prove he was with "M's" mother.

So we are left to wonder who he was with?

He obviously was not legally adopted otherwise they would have said something.
How do you prove someone was or wasn't living at xyz house?

I don’t know much about M’s story, but if her mother bought him, did she say for what reason? To be a member of the family? To eventually work for the family or some other nefarious reasons? I don’t think the mother could collect welfare for him.
If it was for the first reason, surely there were photographs and other family members and neighbors who knew of his existence and yet from what I read, she couldn’t corroborate her story.
It does seem like he was hidden from an early age by whoever his caregivers were, unless, he unfortunately, wasn’t recognisable to those who had encountered him at one stage, in his very short life, so they never came forward.

 

[niikkee]

But there aren't, because Joseph's parents have not been named.

Just saying they have been on that site at least.

 

[niikkee]

Just saying they have been on that site at least.

Just saying they have been on that site at least.

And the pic of the boy looks just like the woman listed as the mother