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

[Daphne1972]

I guess I don't understand the reasoning behind discrediting this woman at all. They say it was because they couldn't find any solid evidence to substantiate her claims...but how about the good samaritan that stopped to help them change a tire that night? He had the same story. Unless she was fed that info. They will be lucky to find any solid evidence at all-- it was decades ago. What would they accept? This was a firsthand account. Again, unless she gave them a totally bonkers story that they knew couldn't be true.

Apparently the good Samaritan told about it in confidence. Was this tidbit known in 2002?

 

[Sashy]

As an aside, what demanding industry was M's career in? I have seen that she was a "businesswoman," but nothing specific.

Graduated college with honors, Master’s degree, PhD, Assoc. Professor, BS Summa Laude, Research Scientist, traveled extensively. Never married or had children. In mother’s obit, asked for donations to a child abuse fund.

 

[LeBlack]

Thank you for posting this. I'm not on Websleuths often; what brought me here this time around was this specific case and its use of DNA to discover Joseph's identity. My daughter is a Philadelphia-area prosecutor (no longer with the Philly DA's office, not involved with this case) who texted me while the press conference was ongoing because of my avid interest in genetic genealogy.

As a researcher, I'm finding the amount of "I saw it on the Internet, so it must be true" on here disheartening. Personally I go for as much redundancy as possible when I'm out to prove a familial connection, and I view ALL family trees on Ancestry with a healthy dose of skepticism. Ditto with FindAGrave and any other user-submitted resources.

I'd take what you said further: "...that isn't proof unless there are historical public records _AND_ DNA matches to verify those relationships." That's how I prefer it ;-)

100%
Worth a reread
THIS is how it should be done. ALL family trees have secrets that you can no longer just believe the written records.

 

[steff13]

I thought the good Samaritan reported that he saw a woman and a teenage boy near the site.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Were M's parents (the librarian and the science teacher - per previously linked report on thread) ever named. Is it public knowledge that these were their occupations? And, the assumption from M's account... these parents simply purchased a child to physically abuse??

There's a LOT of info "out there" about M's parents if one were to go look but yes, it's public knowledge those were the occupations. As for M's story about where the boy came from, I've always assumed (you know what they say about that, lol) that it was supposed to be an "adoption" or taking the boy in temporarily, although it ended up being, as M described: purchased a child to abuse.

jmo

 

[Daphne1972]

There's a LOT of info "out there" about M's parents if one were to go look but yes, it's public knowledge those were the occupations. As for M's story about where the boy came from, I've always assumed (you know what they say about that, lol) that it was supposed to be an "adoption" or taking the boy in temporarily, although it ended up being, as M described: purchased a child to abuse.

jmo

I have a bad feeling M was telling the truth.

 

[Friday Fan]

I guess I don't understand the reasoning behind discrediting this woman at all. They say it was because they couldn't find any solid evidence to substantiate her claims...but how about the good samaritan that stopped to help them change a tire that night? He had the same story. Unless she was fed that info. They will be lucky to find any solid evidence at all-- it was decades ago. What would they accept? This was a firsthand account. Again, unless she gave them a totally bonkers story that they knew couldn't be true.

The story about the good samaritan appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 02/28/57 Archives-Text Page 1

 

[steff13]

Was there an official cause of death for Joseph? I saw that he was covered in bruises, including what they thought were finger marks on his forehead, but no broken bones.

 

[Daphne1972]

Was there an official cause of death for Joseph? I saw that he was covered in bruises, including what they thought were finger marks on his forehead, but no broken bones.

Blunt force trauma to the head.

 

[MarziPanda]

Consider that Jt's mother's mother ( grandmother) was almost certainly one of the Zarelli sisters if his uncle was a Zarelli. Therefore the Zarelli's would be maternal to Joseph based on what we know so far.

I'm confused as to how you came to this conclusion. They're maternal to JT, but could still be either to Joseph. JT's mother is a first cousin to Joseph, through her mother. So one of her mother's brothers/sisters must be Joseph's parent. That JT specifically mentioned that his mother's uncle was a Zarelli (instead of saying that her mother's maiden name was Zarelli) implies that said uncle would be Joseph's father, rather than one of the sisters being his mother.

But either could technically be the case.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Well she stated for a fact that her mother murdered JAZ. Should we just take this at face value?

She came forward in 2002.

Some accounts say she came forward to her therapist in the late 80's, so the 2002 date is questionable.

Should we take it at face value? No, but the level detail she went into, is certainly compelling at the very least.

jmo

 

[steff13]

Blunt force trauma to the head.

Is there a link to that info, I can't find it. TIA

 

[loveplace]

I'm confused as to how you came to this conclusion. They're maternal to JT, but could still be either to Joseph. JT's mother is a first cousin to Joseph, through her mother. So one of her mother's brothers/sisters must be Joseph's parent. That JT specifically mentioned that his mother's uncle was a Zarelli (instead of saying that her mother's maiden name was Zarelli) implies that said uncle would be Joseph's father, rather than one of the sisters being his mother.

But either could technically be the case.

I am taking what they told us in the press conference and other mainstream media about the process by which they gathered the information on the maternal side of the family at face value and applying it to the further specifics we have been told by JT. We know JT isnt affiliated with the father's side because we know the father's side is denying paternity in spite of DNA proof. Therefore his family is related to the maternal line of Joseph. The father's side isn't speaking out publicly. Jt has his father's surname. His mother has her fathers surname. Her mother's maiden name would need to be Zarelli for JT's mother to have a Zerelli uncle ( one of his grandmothers brothers, thus sharing the grandmother's maiden surname)

 

[Daphne1972]

Is there a link to that info, I can't find it. TIA

THE BOY IN THE BOX — American Hauntings

Tragic story of an American unsolved mystery

www.americanhauntingsink.com

 

[fred&edna]

Didn't "M" come forward to LE in the early 2000's? Or do I have that incorrect? If so, psychiatry wasn't so "foreign nor dismissed" during this time period so I assume LE couldn't validate her story. jmo

 

[Nikynoo]

The 2019 results were uploaded to DNA databases and “interpreted” by genealogists working on the case, Smith said. Based on the results, detectives were able to track down possible relatives of Zarelli on his mother’s side. More testing and investigation followed, which led to the identification of Zarelli’s mother.

Through a court order, detectives were then able to obtain from the state the birth, death and adoption records of all the children born to the mother between 1944 and 1956. The order yielded “responsive results:” the birth certificates of two children born to the mother and who were previously known to investigators, one of whom had provided a DNA sample, Smith said.

After 65 Years, Philadelphia Police Identify 'The Boy in the Box'

More than six decades since a child was found dead and abandoned in Philadelphia, police have identified "the Boy in the Box."

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

The third result was the birth certificate of a boy born to the mother in 1953. On that birth certificate was the name of the child’s father. Based on research from detectives and genealogists, the detectives contacted possible relatives of the child on his father’s side, Smith said.

Zarelli’s father was identified after genealogists established DNA connections on both sides of the family that could point only to that progenitor, said Colleen Fitzpatrick, the founder and president of Identifiers International, which specializes in genetic genealogy.

Thanks for reminding me of a previous post!

From the article I have bolded elements that I find interesting:

Through a court order, detectives were then able to obtain from the state the birth, death and adoption records of all the children born to the mother between 1944 and 1956. The order yielded “responsive results:” the birth certificates of two children born to the mother and who were previously known to investigators, one of whom had provided a DNA sample, Smith said.

The third result was the birth certificate of a boy born to the mother in 1953. On that birth certificate was the name of the child’s father. Based on research from detectives and genealogists, the detectives contacted possible relatives of the child on his father’s side, Smith said.

Can someone please advise what 'responsive results' are?
Am I correct in thinking that there were 3 children born to the mother between 1944 and 1956?
How were the 2 children from the same mother known 'previously' by investigators? Are they older or younger?
I am also thinking that the other 2 children did not have the same father as Joey?

 

[amybman1]

Scientist at a major pharmaceutical company.

Probably, IMO.

I just looked at my grandfather's PA BC (1914)-- the book copy, not just the copy you'd get if you requested one from vital statistics and there isn't a place that asks that. I don't know if that was added later or not. I don't have the book copy of my dad's (1953)-- just the regular format to check what the form was like by the 50's. The 1914 form does have a place for signature of physician, midwife, or unattended (where father would fill in info). It also asks for info such as number in order of birth, legitimate, twin/triplet etc but doesn't ask specifically about home/hospital (unless there were just different forms depending on whether it was a home or hospital birth). Also, there was an error on my grandfather's BC that I knew he had tried to correct in the 60's because I found his notes saying so but when I ordered his BC I received the uncorrected version. Vital statistics had no record of the correction for some reason, but they said any time corrections were made to a birth certificate (and again, I don't know what year this started/stopped), the original one in their book would not be corrected or written over, but a paper with the necessary corrections would be glued to the back of it in their book. I don't know if they would also put any name change due to adoption in the book that way as well?

 

[Daphne1972]

I am taking what they told us in the press conference and other mainstream media about the process by which they gathered the information on the maternal side of the family at face value and applying it to the further specifics we have been told by JT. We know JT isnt affiliated with the father's side because we know the father's side is denying paternity in spite of DNA proof. Therefore his family is related to the maternal line of Joseph. The father's side isn't speaking out publicly. Jt has his father's surname. His mother has her fathers surname. Her mother's maiden name would need to be Zarelli for JT's mother to have a Zerelli uncle ( one of his grandmothers brothers, thus sharing the grandmother's maiden surname)

This makes me wonder if Joseph was placed in the home of one of the father's family members.

 

[Friday Fan]

Some accounts say she came forward to her therapist in the late 80's, so the 2002 date is questionable.

Should we take it at face value? No, but the level detail she went into, is certainly compelling at the very least.

jmo

Anyone can say anything. I would be extremely skeptical therapist or no therapist. All of the details were likely available publicly. It reminds of me of the guy who said that his father killed the Black Dahlia. Heck, they even made a movie about that! Yet, there is no proof, just a guy who had grudge against his father.

 

[loveplace]

I just looked at my grandfather's PA BC (1914)-- the book copy, not just the copy you'd get if you requested one from vital statistics and there isn't a place that asks that. I don't know if that was added later or not. I don't have the book copy of my dad's (1953)-- just the regular format to check what the form was like by the 50's. The 1914 form does have a place for signature of physician, midwife, or unattended (where father would fill in info). It also asks for info such as number in order of birth, legitimate, twin/triplet etc but doesn't ask specifically about home/hospital (unless there were just different forms depending on whether it was a home or hospital birth). Also, there was an error on my grandfather's BC that I knew he had tried to correct in the 60's because I found his notes saying so but when I ordered his BC I received the uncorrected version. Vital statistics had no record of the correction for some reason, but they said any time corrections were made to a birth certificate (and again, I don't know what year this started/stopped), the original one in their book would not be corrected or written over, but a paper with the necessary corrections would be glued to the back of it in their book. I don't know if they would also put any name change due to adoption in the book that way as w

I wonder if it is more a matter of the address of birth is listed and you have to further research to determine if it was at home or a hospital address?( Strictly a guess)