Identified! PA - Philadelphia, 'Boy in the Box', WhtMale 4-6, 4UMPA, Feb'57 #2 - Joseph Augustus Zarelli

[ChatteringBirds]

@othram

Thank you for the work that you do. Do you ever take on cases in which the bones are determined to be from a (ETA: younger than teenager) child?

 

[othram]

@othram

Thank you for the work that you do. Do you ever take on cases in which the bones are determined to be from a (ETA: younger than teenager) child?

Thank you, and yes we do.

 

[Goecke]

I'm not sure if this has been posted here before, but this case was thought to be connected to this boy's around the time she was found. I can't find any info on it aside from the newspaper archives on the website linked in the sources. If she was identified or if there were ever any leads, it doesn't look like they were ever made public....
East Bronx Jane Doe

A few more thoughts on the case-
The surgical scars on his genitals, as well as the fact he might have been raised as a girl, really make me think he might have been intersex.
I also wouldn't be surprised if he came from some sort of orphanage or group home, and/or that he may have had some sort of developmental disability. Most developmentally disabled people 'look' completely normal... I know someone further up the thread said that he 'looked' autistic, but as an autistic person myself I can guarantee you that there's no facial features associated with autism, or a way to tell someone is autistic just by looking at them. It's not like Down syndrome or FAS where most people with it have distinctive facial features. That being said, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he was disabled.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I'm not sure if this has been posted here before, but this case was thought to be connected to this boy's around the time she was found. I can't find any info on it aside from the newspaper archives on the website linked in the sources. If she was identified or if there were ever any leads, it doesn't look like they were ever made public....
East Bronx Jane Doe

A few more thoughts on the case-
The surgical scars on his genitals, as well as the fact he might have been raised as a girl, really make me think he might have been intersex.
I also wouldn't be surprised if he came from some sort of orphanage or group home, and/or that he may have had some sort of developmental disability. Most developmentally disabled people 'look' completely normal... I know someone further up the thread said that he 'looked' autistic, but as an autistic person myself I can guarantee you that there's no facial features associated with autism, or a way to tell someone is autistic just by looking at them. It's not like Down syndrome or FAS where most people with it have distinctive facial features. That being said, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he was disabled.

Wow, it really does sound like the East Bronx Jane Doe and the Boy in the Box could be related cases. Both abused and discarded in similar ways. (Hypothetical: Why did her case not receive equal attention through the years?) Poor little-ones. (ETA: She has a thread on WS:
NY - NY - East Bronx, Girl, ~5, in Rodman's Neck Park, Aug'57)

I wonder if she was identified or could be through DNA. What if identifying one leads to solving both cases?

The link from Goecke's link with her case info:
Archives-text page 5

 

[othram]

Wow, it really does sound like the East Bronx Jane Doe and the Boy in the Box could be related cases. Both abused and discarded in similar ways. (Hypothetical: Why did her case not receive equal attention through the years?) Poor little-ones. (ETA: She has a thread on WS:
NY - NY - East Bronx, Girl, ~5, in Rodman's Neck Park, Aug'57)

I wonder if she was identified or could be through DNA. What if identifying one leads to solving both cases?

The link from Goecke's link with her case info:
Archives-text page 5

This is very interesting. Hopefully both cases can be worked to determine if there is, in fact, a connection.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

This is very interesting. Hopefully both cases can be worked to determine if there is, in fact, a connection.

There are so many cases out of this area, though, that I can understand if LE prioritizes more recent cases where justice is more likely. But these cases have really touched people.

It's also possible East Bronx Jane Doe could have been a copy-cat, if "Boy in the Box" was getting a lot of press at the time. It would be so interesting to hear what LE thinks.

 

[othram]

There are so many cases out of this area, though, that I can understand if LE prioritizes more recent cases where justice is more likely. But these cases have really touched people.

It's also possible East Bronx Jane Doe could have been a copy-cat, if "Boy in the Box" was getting a lot of press at the time. It would be so interesting to hear what LE thinks.

Its bandwidth and funding, but we are hoping to help fund and solve as many as possible. Ultimately, as the technology becomes more mainstream, its likely that larger grant opportunities will support the work as well.

 

[aThousandYearsWide]

Regarding finding his relatives, I almost worry in his case that they may not know who he is. Or those who did being possibly deceased. These were times where unwed pregnant women were secretly sent away to give birth and forced to give up their babies for adoption. If this is the case, his mother's family may never have known she was pregnant.

Regarding the evidence, did they ever determine when the bassinet was purchased? If it was more recent he could have a younger sibling who was either never told about their brother or was told he died of an illness or something vague.

 

[CCJD]

Regarding the evidence, did they ever determine when the bassinet was purchased? If it was more recent he could have a younger sibling who was either never told about their brother or was told he died of an illness or something vague.

RSBM

Between December 3, 1956 and February 16, 1957
Original Poster of the boy in the box

 

[themissingandthelost]

In the archive pages someone linked above and I was sent in a PM (link included below) it mentioned the Sanders family. Does anyone know if this was actually ruled out to be the missing Sanders' child? Or has anyone any links to read up on this?

Archives-text page 5

 

[killarney rose]

Vidocq Society Believes They Are Close To Figuring Out 'The Boy In The Box' In 61-Year-Old Philly Cold Case

 

[ChatteringBirds]

So it sounds like his DNA may be undergoing testing. Wow.

 

[Melt71]

So it sounds like his DNA may be undergoing testing. Wow.

I thought it already had? Barbara Ray Venter was working his geneaology at one point (it's back a couple of pages).

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I thought it already had? Barbara Ray Venter was working his geneaology at one point (it's back a couple of pages).

Maybe the article is referring to that then. I hope it's a success eventually, wonder if there is even a realistic chance.

 

[taramarie]

I thought it already had? Barbara Ray Venter was working his geneaology at one point (it's back a couple of pages).

BRV is no longer working the case. They weren't able to get a good sample to work with. The article implies they've made progress though, so hopefully we'll see movement soon.

 

[CCJD]

Vidocq Society Believes They Are Close To Figuring Out 'The Boy In The Box' In 61-Year-Old Philly Cold Case

The math is wrong. 61 years would be 2018, not 2020. Here's one from 2018 - also published on November 11th.
America's Unknown Child remembered in Cedarbrook

 

[Ms Suzanne]

Vidocq Society Believes They Are Close To Figuring Out 'The Boy In The Box' In 61-Year-Old Philly Cold Case

I pray he is Identified very soon.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

Vidocq Society Believes They Are Close To Figuring Out 'The Boy In The Box' In 61-Year-Old Philly Cold Case

I wonder what they meant by this? “There has been within the last six months extraordinary progress from sources all over the world,” said Howard Lebofsky.

 

[Eman317]

I wonder what they meant by this? “There has been within the last six months extraordinary progress from sources all over the world,” said Howard Lebofsky.

Sounds to me like its very possible that the boy may not be native to the US and might have come somewhere from Europe as some people have theorized.

 

[Gypsysoul25]

Sounds to me like its very possible that the boy may not be native to the US and might have come somewhere from Europe as some people have theorized.

All immigration is tribal,so he probably would have had some relative in the states who immigrated around the time the same boy or his family did,though it might lead to a dead end of cultural disconnection as the descendants would have been to Americanized to understand the mindset of the said boy's parents if they indeed were immigrants and probably a language barrier if we consider the supposed relatives would not speak English and even if they did it would have been obvious that English was not their first language(it would have been very fragmented,thick accent,not thorough,even some loss of translation)these are the factors