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

[Sashy]

Photos from that time/area. There are more if you search. (Parking on streets very common in Philly…then and now.)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60/

The link doesn’t seem to work on this platform…and I don’t think I can screengrab due to copyright. The user is “Tiffany Morgan”

 

[charminglane]

Grandparents had a Philly rowhouse and Buicks. Rented garages from neighbors.
Just a thought.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

If the bruises on his forehead were finger marks as posited by the ME, then maybe his resistance to having his hair cut was the inciting incident that caused his death. That might explain why it was so patchy, too.

I hate trying to put myself in this "person's" shoes, but I would think if I were trying to cut a dead person's hair to make him less recognizable, I would just shave it all down evenly.

I have, on occasion shaved my head, with a blade. I usually end up cutting myself. I also have to cut it down with clippers first, or you get a lot more problems. Unless you have clippers, shaving it down evenly is next to impossible.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

MOO: I think Joseph's hair was long because he wasn't well taken care of. He was malnourished and if your child is malnourished, I really don't think haircuts are a high priority. Also he may have had sensory issues compounding all of this.

We also don't know how long his hair actually was? Several inches? As to why his hair was cut when he died? I have no idea. Maybe the people were ashamed that it was long. MOO

I agree.

He was bathed, nails trimmed, and hair cut, close to or just after death.

 

[steff13]

I have, on occasion shaved my head, with a blade. I usually end up cutting myself. I also have to cut it down with clippers first, or you get a lot more problems. Unless you have clippers, shaving it down evenly is next to impossible.

I was assuming they'd used scissors. Regardless, I don't think it would have been so choppy if they had cut it postmortem. MOO.

 

[KAYTOM]

Photos from that time/area. There are more if you search. (Parking on streets very common in Philly…then and now.)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60/

This site is a good source of photos. You can sort by year too. = PhillyHistory - Search

That site shows the intersection of Veree and Susquehanna too in 1954.

This site has historical maps - PhilaGeoHistory Maps Viewer

There's a lot of apartment buildings in the 61st and Market vicinity that shows up on the 1942 map, which jumps out at me with young parents, easy access to mass transit and a caretaker that might be financially challenged.

 

[Friday Fan]

Based on occupations of people in the census record, it appears that residents near 61st and Market did have access to at least one vehicle.

 

[RaspberryMama]

I too suspect the hair cut was out of anger and possibly tied to the vomiting they think happened. Maybe it was cut like that out of anger to get vomit out of his hair instead of cleaning him? or maybe the vomiting happened from crying during the hair cut?

My son has sensory issues and hates getting his haircut. When he was younger it was really tough to cut his hair cut. There was a few times he'd start crying after the frustration from me and him reached a point.

Yes, my son has sensory integration issues as well. You have ALL my empathy - I understand! Tears happen with haircuts here too. I cut his hair because I can't imagine how it would go with someone who isn't mindful of his needs and issues. You can try to explain, but unless you live with it and have studied it for your own child, it's difficult to understand. Patience and solidarity, Mama!

 

[Daphne1972]

I do think the article makes some good points. First of all, the brothers working in the area where he was found in construction, and just knowing about that area might have been the reason the person who placed him there, did so.

Yes the checking of BCs versus untraceable kids! This could have been solved a long long time ago! Poor Joseph.

 

[Daphne1972]

I agree with you. First of all, if Joseph was her first birth, her second would have been premature.

Also, JAZ hs siblings (plural) on both sides.

Yes plural. Means half siblings. That's also the case when a married woman has a child by another man.

 

[Friday Fan]

Yes the checking of BCs versus untraceable kids! This could have been solved a long long time ago! Poor Joseph.

You know how hard that would be?

They didn't know where he was born
They didn't know when he was born
They couldn't trace every single child who was born in the early 50's forever.

What about physicians who had lost track of their patients? They never heard from them.
They tried tracking physicians who had possibly performed surgery and they didn't get anywhere.

I believe Bill Kelly tried matching the footprints of BITB with every child who was born in the Philadelphia area. He got nowhere.

 

[Daphne1972]

You know how hard that would be?

They didn't know where he was born
They didn't know when he was born
They couldn't trace every single child who was born in the early 50's forever.

What about physicians who had lost track of their patients? They never heard from them.
They tried tracking physicians who had possibly performed surgery and they didn't get anywhere.

I believe Bill Kelly tried matching the footprints of BITB with every child who was born in the Philadelphia area. He got nowhere.

How about doing this in say 10 years?

 

[RoseTree]

Yes plural. Means half siblings. That's also the case when a married woman has a child by another man.

Correct. Half siblings.

 

[blackbeary]

Maybe he belongs to one of the sons and a sweetheart, that relationship didn't work out and the son and sweetheart ended up marrying different people?
Maybe it wasn't a bio parent responsible for the boys injuries?
Or, was the mother unable to care for him, or forced to give him up by her folk's?

 

[txsleuth70]

I was surprised that aspect was completely overlooked by Techner.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

You know how hard that would be?

They didn't know where he was born
They didn't know when he was born
They couldn't trace every single child who was born in the early 50's forever.

What about physicians who had lost track of their patients? They never heard from them.
They tried tracking physicians who had possibly performed surgery and they didn't get anywhere.

I believe Bill Kelly tried matching the footprints of BITB with every child who was born in the Philadelphia area. He got nowhere.

Add to this that there were not school records. He was too young.

If someone that age moved to another area, it would be difficult to track him down without knowing his parents.

 

[KAYTOM]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

They didn't know where he was born
They didn't know when he was born
They couldn't trace every single child who was born in the early 50's forever.

What about physicians who had lost track of their patients? They never heard from them.
They tried tracking physicians who had possibly performed surgery and they didn't get anywhere.

I believe Bill Kelly tried matching the footprints of BITB with every child who was born in the Philadelphia area. He got nowhere.

yes, according to stats, philly had about 2 million people and approximately 33% were children between 0-17 or 340k, so about 20k kids per each year of age. Does sound tedious, but perhaps it's doable if they compared it to Kindergarteners in 1957.

 

[LaLa723]

yes, according to stats, philly had about 2 million people and approximately 33% were children between 0-17 or 340k, so about 20k kids per each year of age. Does sound tedious, but perhaps it's doable if they compared it to Kindergarteners in 1957.

Most children in the 1950’s didn’t even go to kindergarten. Neither my mom (b. 1953) or my MIL (b. 1951) went to kindergarten in different states. Their public schools started in first grade.

Also since they didn’t even know Joseph’s age when they found him they’d have to look at many more years of school records to cover their bases. You’re right that it sounds tedious!

 

[LaLa723]

Add to this that there were not school records. He was too young.

If someone that age moved to another area, it would be difficult to track him down without knowing his parents.

You’re right about kids moving in and out of the area. The task would be next to impossible.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Another problem is that birth certificates given by the hospital, the ones with the footprints, are not official. The hospital may not keep copies and they are not filed in a central place if retained.

After 45 years, I contacted the hospital for my birth records and they could not provide them. Neither could the church where I was baptized. The state has a record, but there is nothing identifiable on it.