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

[glorias]

If Joseph's parents never married, there won't be a marriage certificate with their names.

If Joseph's parents weren't married and if he was adopted, the last name could be his father's, mother's, OR his adoptive parents. We won't know which.

If there were apartment buildings at that 61st and Market address, there could be multiple people who lived there at the time and, on the surface, seem to be related to the case, but aren't related at all.

 

[Buzzaround]

My theory is that Joseph was born out of wedlock and put up for adoption. Hence LE's using bio parents and saying that he had siblings on both sides. The bio parents likely went on to have other families. I don't believe they, whoever, they were, were involved in Joseph's death. As far as not alerting LE at the time, if he was given up as an infant, it would be unlikely that they would have even recognized him as their child. The father may not have even known about him.

In the last thead, I mentioned a theory I had that was based more on feeling than fact.

You and I share exactly the same theory, even down to the idea that "the father may not have even known about him." I don't know enough about the issuance of birth certiciates in the 1950s to be sure, but that's just the vibe I get. I could be totally wrong.

Obligatory MOO.

 

[Angelcat13]

My theory is that Joseph was born out of wedlock and put up for adoption. Hence LE's using bio parents and saying that he had siblings on both sides. The bio parents likely went on to have other families. I don't believe they, whoever, they were, were involved in Joseph's death. As far as not alerting LE at the time, if he was given up as an infant, it would be unlikely that they would have even recognized him as their child. The father may not have even known about him.

Unless he was adopted by a family member, adoption doesn’t (IMO) seem likely since the location of the family and the location police believe the child was from are pretty much identical.

 

[margarita25]

Catching up and Bringing forward full Press Conference:

Press Conference 12/8/2022

 

[Hochman]

I'm stating this again, I'm convinced his biological parents have nothing to do with his death. Rather it was an abusive foster parent.

Anyways, i'm going to post the NCMEC reconstruction of him while his Namus page is still up.

 

[steff13]

In the last thead, I mentioned a theory I had that was based more on feeling than fact.

You and I share exactly the same theory, even down to the idea that "the father may not have even known about him." I don't know enough about the issuance of birth certiciates in the 1950s to be sure, but that's just the vibe I get. I could be totally wrong.

Obligatory MOO.

I can tell you that when I was born, in Ohio, in 1977, my parents weren't married and they made my mother give me her last name. I don't know how common that was, or if it applied to PA as well. My parents married a year later and my last name was changed, I actually didn't know anything about it until I needed a birth certificate for some reason and I saw my original BC and SS card with my mom's maiden name.

 

[breachtones]

Unless he was adopted by a family member, adoption doesn’t (IMO) seem likely since the location of the family and the location police believe the child was from are pretty much identical.

I would assume they believe Joseph is from that location because his birth family is from there. That doesn't necessarily account for anything that happened after birth.

 

[Buzzaround]

I'm stating this again, I'm convinced his biological parents have nothing to do with his death. Rather it was an abusive foster parent.

Anyways, i'm going to post the NCMEC reconstruction of him while his Namus page is still up.
View attachment 385942

I agree with this, too. I don't think ANY of the names that've been floated since the press conference had anything to do with Joseph's death.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

I wonder who the family members denying paternity are—I’m assuming they would be siblings of the father, unless Joseph had biological siblings (half or full) older than him who could remember events from around Joseph’s birth. It’s also equally possible that no living family members were aware of Joseph’s existence and they are denying paternity because they never saw Joseph.

 

[steff13]

I agree with this, too. I don't think ANY of the names that've been floated since the press conference had anything to do with Joseph's death.

That's my thinking, too.

 

[steff13]

I wonder who the family members denying paternity are—I’m assuming they would be siblings of the father, unless Joseph had biological siblings (half or full) older than him who could remember events from around Joseph’s birth. It’s also equally possible that no living family members were aware of Joseph’s existence and they are denying paternity because they never saw Joseph.

It could be that the bio dad didn't know about Joseph, and they are denying it because they never knew anything about it because he didn't. Or he did know about Joseph and never told the subsequent children, and they think he wouldn't do something like that (not tell them).

 

[citizen_sleuth]

It could be that the bio dad didn't know about Joseph, and they are denying it because they never knew anything about it because he didn't. Or he did know about Joseph and never told the subsequent children, and they think he wouldn't do something like that (not tell them).

That’s what I was thinking too.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I missed the last part of the presser, so I'm hoping someone can pinpoint exactly what was said about family(?) denying the paternity of Joseph? Or the time stamp, if they recall?

 

[TLobo]

I'm stating this again, I'm convinced his biological parents have nothing to do with his death. Rather it was an abusive foster parent.

Anyways, i'm going to post the NCMEC reconstruction of him while his Namus page is still up.
View attachment 385942

What a sweet face. He looks so much like my own 3.5 year old that it hurts.

 

[breachtones]

I missed the last part of the presser, so I'm hoping someone can pinpoint exactly what was said about family(?) denying the paternity of Joseph? Or the time stamp, if they recall?

I believe they were saying something about how the father's name on Joseph's birth certificate is "not exact".

 

[steff13]

I missed the last part of the presser, so I'm hoping someone can pinpoint exactly what was said about family(?) denying the paternity of Joseph? Or the time stamp, if they recall?

I don't remember the exact exchange, but essentially one of the reporters asked if they had any comment about the father's family denying paternity, and LE basically scoffed and said it was proven by DNA. Dismissing the claim.

 

[Nell91]

I guess without at least an adoption certificate, if there is one, or somebody speaks out we'll never really know what happened. Just glad Joseph has his name back

 

[Mbt]

Genetic genealogy is a wonderful thing.

Can we even be sure Joseph was born a Zarelli? If he was illegitimate, which is possible, but had a known father, would he get the father’s or mother’s surname? The father’s I guess, but I don’t know. At least, according to the presser, we know the names on the birth certificate are his correct biological parents. Seeing the birth cert will help a lot.

i would have like the press to have asked if Joseph was raised by his parents, foster parents, or parent and step-parent.

(edited to remove all mention of individuals other than Joseph)

 

[Blackbirdsitdon]

Poor kid was so much younger than I would have thought. I don't disbelieve M's story at all now, it's entirely possible that it lines up with everything that was released officially today, especially with the way that the people at the press conference referred to "birth family" and said "on both sides" a few times.

Even if he was not formally adopted, there is still room for him to have been born out of wedlock and raised by a more distant relative and that distant relative's new spouse. Then both of his biological parents went on to have other children eith other people, that would mean that everything Martha had said could be true, it just gets confusing when you're separating between the people who raised him, one of whom was possibly related to one of the people he was born to, and the additional children born to both of his biological parents.

If the "prominent family" was M's family (adopters, possible murderer/s), that makes more sense as to why they would release exactly as much information as they did but not the full names of the biological parents.

It's kind of hard to wade through, I hope I have made sense? English does not have a good way of describing maternal half siblings, paternal half siblings, adoptive parents who may also be your aunt or uncle, cousins who are raised as your sister, or a couple who have some children together and other children apart from each other. Some are all of those things appear to have been the case here, and that's understandably why people are getting confused.

 

[vwvandal]

<modsnip> I lived in Philadelphia for 40 years and I just looked at my High School yearbook, there are 9 Zarelli's in there from 3 different families. Just sayin' it is a pretty popular Surname in the area.