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

[Siliconecindy]

Is there proof that the box was already on the scene?


MOO: The box was likely brought to the scene with JAZ. The box was from a different part of town. (15 miles away) It came from a JC Penney's in Upper Darby.

It also was intact, fairly new and not "weather worn" like the rest of the trash. It was sold between 12/03/56 and 02/16/57 by the J.C. Penney store at 100 S. 69th St., Upper Darby, PA. Someone purchased that bassinette recently.

MOO: Also, most people keep large boxes like that, they usually don't discard them, especially after a short time. (This is because the boxes get re-used ) My dad kept every large box that came his way and so did we. MOO

http://americasunknownchild.net/BOX1.JPG

http://americasunknownchild.net/BOX2.JPG

Evidence

I also believe it wasn’t at the scene but they brought the box from wherever they come from.

IMO!! I would think it would be “easier” to discard a toddler in a box from the crime scene and then to the possible transportation and then to the dumping ground, than it would be to actually carry the body, like when someone cover their victims with blankets or stuff and easier to just throw away.

I don’t know but the most killers I’ve read about usually try to hide their victims and it’s not as many who wants so leave their victims out in the open to be found without any attempts to hide, even if it’s just some leaf’s and dirt thrown in the body or in this case, a big enough box to attempt a conceal a body.

And I have keeps my boxes from my kids cribs so I can pack away/ Sell them later and I think most people keep those boxes, specially then. JMOO.

IMO i I think whatever happened to poor Joseph the death wasn’t the outcome they wanted since it’s a trouble to have to deal with a murder and hide it.

I hope I make some kind of sense but English is my second language and I’m kinda tired, haha.

 

[RaspberryMama]

W

As for the hair, I'm less inclined to think it's a gender thing, and more inclined to think it was matted. I know I had matted hair in my childhood. It was worst behind my ears, where it had to be cut close to the skin to remove them. His nails may also have been long and ragged. His body may have been filthy with dirt. So, they trimmed his hair and nails postmortem and washed the body. All more care that he was ever shown in life. There was nothing they could do to cover up the malnutrition, extensive bruising, and head trauma.

Why would they go to that trouble? No one was going to take a look at his malnourished, bruised body and say, "well look at those nails, he must have really been taken care of!" What was the point? To make him unrecognizable? To remove evidence? Because of regret?

And why didn't they put clothes on the poor child?

 

[iamshadow21]

W

Why would they go to that trouble? No one was going to take a look at his malnourished, bruised body and say, "well look at those nails, he must have really been taken care of!" What was the point? To make him unrecognizable? To remove evidence? Because of regret?

And why didn't they put clothes on the poor child?

I think probably evidence removal. I think the attempt was to 'minimise' the appearance of neglect and abuse. As horrific as Joseph's body appeared when found, after these ministrations, I can only imagine what he looked like before them. I do not think there was any guilt, shame, regret, or care that motivated this. I think it was fear. Fear of being judged, fear of prosecution, fear of loss of status in the community. Whatever. You murdered a kid after a slow, torturous prelude. The victim having shorter hair and nails and a cleaner body doesn't change that. But who knows what these folks were thinking. Like that person who put their kid in a trash bag for disposal, then insisted it was a kind thing to do, that showed care, because the bag was blue.

MOO

 

[Friday Fan]

"At the time of Zarelli's death in 1957, he was living in the area of 61st and Market streets, police said.

Given the publicity that the case received at the time and ever since, police are unsure why no one from the family or Zarelli's neighborhood came forward with information. It's unclear how long Zarelli had been living in West Philly. "

Philly's cold-case homicide victim, the 'Boy in the Box,' identified as Joseph Augustus Zarelli, police say

Investigators hope this breakthrough – the result of forensic DNA analysis – leads to an 'avalanche of tips' that help determine his killer

www.google.com

Same article says the bio mom birthed 2 other siblings all between 1954 to 56. Might be a combination of the birth certificates that gave them the assumption he was living with the mom during those years in the vicinity. Maybe that combined with utility records. They also say they don't know how long he lived in west Philly, but have suspicions of who might be responsible.

Seems reasonable that they don't want to name anybody till they dig deeper.

Police said he was from the area. I don't believe they said he was living there. Odds are, if they knew, they would have a better idea of who did this. It can be hard to determine where he was last residing.

 

[Daphne1972]

I agree that it seems the most likely explanation that the bassinet box was brought to the scene with Joseph, but just because it seems the most likely, doesn't means it's necessarily true. There are other explanations.

I wonder if there's a way of finding out what the weather was in Fox Chase at the time, especially as I remember hearing about a witness who claimed they saw the box at the site before Joseph was dumped there, but I'm struggling to find a source for it and don't have the time to search, especially as there's a plethora of new articles about the case since he's been identified.

That's known. No rain during the two weeks before the find. Other than drizzle on 24 February.

 

[Daphne1972]

61st and Market is a corner, so it won't be between the streets.

It's the wards 46D and 34P.

 

[Daphne1972]

Find the car, find the perp. Details about the car have afaik never been released.

 

[steff13]

I'm reading the Boy in the Box book, and I noticed that the Good Samaritan saw the woman and boy in the car near the site on the Sunday before Joseph was found. However, the teenage boy who found him and didn't report it to the police thought he was there on the day before, Saturday.

 

[LaLa723]

I'm reading the Boy in the Box book, and I noticed that the Good Samaritan saw the woman and boy in the car near the site on the Sunday before Joseph was found. However, the teenage boy who found him and didn't report it to the police thought he was there on the day before, Saturday.

Interesting…I wonder if the woman and boy dumping at that site is a red herring?!

Did the Good Samaritan get a make and model of the car. I read they were trying to conceal the license plate, but maybe there were more details on the car?

 

[jessr927]

As for the hair, I'm less inclined to think it's a gender thing, and more inclined to think it was matted. I know I had matted hair in my childhood. It was worst behind my ears, where it had to be cut close to the skin to remove them. His nails may also have been long and ragged. His body may have been filthy with dirt. So, they trimmed his hair and nails postmortem and washed the body. All more care that he was ever shown in life. There was nothing they could do to cover up the malnutrition, extensive bruising, and head trauma.

I have no idea how extensive DNA was in the 1950s but perhaps Joseph had scratched his killer so they cut his nails. Then washed him off if the killer's blood was on him. JMO

 

[steff13]

Interesting…I wonder if the woman and boy dumping at that site is a red herring?!

Did the Good Samaritan get a make and model of the car. I read they were trying to conceal the license plate, but maybe there were more details on the car?

It could be.

The book didn't say, or hasn't as far as I've read yet. I assume that he probably did, but I'd never thought about it before. It's weird, because that would have been a pretty easy way to confirm M's story, right? The GS says (for instance) it was a blue Buick and her parents never owned a blue Buick or whatever. But I've never seen it mentioned.

 

[RoseTree]

Someone here mentioned that a suspect or family member may have attended a memorial based on the sign in sheet? Does that ring a bell with anyone? Can anyone tell more about that?

Thank you. This is what I was understanding too but some recent posts left me a bit confused. So she had two other children, but we have no indication of when they were born.

we just know they were born between 44 and 66

 

[RoseTree]

As for the hair, I'm less inclined to think it's a gender thing, and more inclined to think it was matted. I know I had matted hair in my childhood. It was worst behind my ears, where it had to be cut close to the skin to remove them. His nails may also have been long and ragged. His body may have been filthy with dirt. So, they trimmed his hair and nails postmortem and washed the body. All more care that he was ever shown in life. There was nothing they could do to cover up the malnutrition, extensive bruising, and head trauma.

I assumed that he got a bath because he had thrown up and they were getting him cleaned up, where he then succumbed to his injuries.

Edited- I do agree that he was groomed to make it appear that he had been cared for. For some reason they didn’t mind dumping an abused, murdered kid but did mind him looking like he wasn’t cared for.

But I wonder if the cared/murderer even knew he was dying until he was in the bath (evidence of drowning in lungs)

 

[steff13]

I have no idea how extensive DNA was in the 1950s but perhaps Joseph had scratched his killer so they cut his nails. Then washed him off if the killer's blood was on him. JMO

DNA was first used in criminal investigations in 1986. Forensic DNA Profiling and Database.

I feel like now, in 2022, we know about DNA and we would know to do something like cut a person's fingernails to try to get rid of evidence, but would someone in the 50s have known that? I would tend to think not, but I also don't know what other plausible explanation there is to cutting his nails. According to the book, LE thought that perhaps one of his caretakers did care for him, and that's why.

 

[Daphne1972]

I have no idea how extensive DNA was in the 1950s but perhaps Joseph had scratched his killer so they cut his nails. Then washed him off if the killer's blood was on him. JMO

No DNA testing!

 

[Daphne1972]

DNA was first used in criminal investigations in 1986. Forensic DNA Profiling and Database.

I feel like now, in 2022, we know about DNA and we would know to do something like cut a person's fingernails to try to get rid of evidence, but would someone in the 50s have known that? I would tend to think not, but I also don't know what other plausible explanation there is to cutting his nails. According to the book, LE thought that perhaps one of his caretakers did care for him, and that's why.

What if cutting his nails etc was done prior to his death?

 

[RoseTree]

What if cutting his nails etc was done prior to his death?

There is the theory that the bruises on the forehead came when he was getting a haircut, which would be before death. Who knows!!

 

[LaLa723]

I have no idea how extensive DNA was in the 1950s but perhaps Joseph had scratched his killer so they cut his nails. Then washed him off if the killer's blood was on him. JMO

A lot of people in the 1950s didn’t have knowledge about DNA. Even my mom born in the 50s sometimes struggles to understand basic DNA concepts taught in high schools because she never learned about it. She calls it “new science”. We just laugh.

 

[Daphne1972]

Why wasn't Joseph vaccinated? Because he was kept hidden? Or because he wasn't seen as "valuable"?

 

[steff13]

Why wasn't Joseph vaccinated? Because he was kept hidden? Or because he wasn't seen as "valuable"?

It's a puzzle, because he'd clearly had other medical interventions. Someone cared enough about him at some point to get those. I wonder what the vaccine rates were like in the 50s. I know polio was a big concern, but I think that was an oral vaccine; my dad told me about having to take it on a sugar cube. DPT and smallpox would have been injections.