Identified! PA - Philadelphia, 'Boy in the Box', WhtMale 4-6, 4UMPA, Feb'57

[ah ha moment]

God. This case should be possible to resolve. I STILL think it has something to do with the foster home nearby where his body was found. If he has / had siblings, they'd only be late 50's or early 60's. Little man. No little baby deserves to be left in a box, beaten and all. How can people live with themselves?

everytime I see this case on tv I cannot believe no one knows who this child is I also think there maybe was something about the nearby foster home. heartbreaking! who could do this to a child? so sweet and tiny. these are the hardest cases for me.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

Hi Welcome. I would totally believe the foster home.The blankets cut in half,the bassinet I feel was never explained. Mr Authur Nicoletti refusing to take a lie detector test.All this does point to the foster home.I would believe it but for one thing.The little boy in the box's haircut did not match the hair cuts they gave.I just can't get past that.
There is a video.I will try to find it now.

Well,it was here.It is not any more.That's interesting hmmmm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOrSZIhvWEw

Anyone want to help me find it?48 hours or something like that.It was a video,showing the kids at the foster home on Moredon street.Tom Augustine was showing the film and pointing the hair cuts did not match.I agree with him that they did not match.

 

[ah ha moment]

That could explain something. if the child WAS a hemophiliac and the child was being treated in Philadelphia, it could mean that the child was not LIVING in Philadelphia but was from a surrounding area. If this is true, and the child was not from Philadelphia, it could explain why no one called in to claim they knew the child or that they had seen the child. Now, here is an interesting theory.

Let's say a woman and her husband have this child. We will assume that they had money, because treatments at a good hospital with cutting edge treatments available wouldn't be cheap, nor would it be cheap to take the child to Philadelphia if they lived furthur away. The woman would be taking the train probably, a good mode of transportantion back than, to and from the city for treatments for the child. Odds are, that would be the woman's only child because she would have to be able to take her child to Philadelphia for treatments on a regular basis. Also I would suggest definitly the mother is a "homemaker". Someone who had the time and didn't have to work in order to get her child to these treatments.

Okay regressing here sorry. So she is taking her son to and from these treatments, she has money, her husband works and she is probably taking the train or the bus to and from the treatments. Now... Perhaps the hospital is offering a new form of treatment something probably experimental and something goes wrong. The hospital would never want to get in trouble for making a mistake like that, or get in trouble for trying this treatment on a child. Perhaps the mother even begged them to try this new "experimental treatment" because she wanted her son to get better. And than something goes terribly wrong and the child dies.

Just a theory.

I was thinking about this. the cut down scar maybe chemo? to access a good artery? and the bruising from side effects of the treatments? that would also explain the missing patches of hair. may be looking for access? but the skull fractures I am not sure unless they were strapping him down for treatments? that also explains why he was so thin? maybe he died from malnutrion and skull fractures or maybe his ca,k,sodium was off and he seized? I am also curious because I take old time chemo meds for my condition and I know about the bruising and have been warned about a calcium df. that causes weakened bones. so maybe he had been taking it long enough to cause the weakened bones and it could have effected his skull?

 

[Ms Suzanne]

Well,very sadly I am getting no where very slowly trying to help him.This makes me very sad for him.I think we need a very good detective to help us please find out who he is.I know someone,somewhere knows who this little boy is?

 

[ah ha moment]

I personally have dismissed her lead.I won't look into it any more.LE looked into her lead and nothing could be found out as the truth.There was no trace of this little boy found in her basement.LE checked it.Neighbors and friends that had access to their house and was in every part of the house never saw a boy like the boy in the box there.No one ever saw a boy that looked like him with her and her parents.To me I feel all she remembered was her own basement.That proves nothing to me.This lead really didn't pan out.

The Good Samaritan said he saw a BOY and a woman.Not a girl.This information was in the newspapers very early in the investigation where she could have saw this in the newspaper.

The more I read and learn on this little boy in the box's case.The more I'm thinking that the boy and woman seen may not have been related to the boy in the box at all.I just don't know.Apparently the place the Good Samaritan saw them was in the same place women's clothing and maybe a child's smaller clothes than what the boy in the box size was were found.I'm confused about what was found there.The woman and boy might have just been using the area as a dump site and not related to the boy at all.If they are related I want to know more about these woman a child's clothing found there.I have not ruled the woman and boy seen near the car out though.


http://americasunknownchild.net/FrontPage.htm

More of the article at the link
Front Page Detective Magazine - November 1957

WHO IS THE BOY IN THE BOX?

By Bruce McIntyre


Two hundred feet from the body, along Verree Road, police searchers found a cache of clothing for a woman and child - but the smaller clothing was not the dead boy's size.

A story told by an informant who later contacted police seemed to cast some light on this clothing, but created a new mystery.

Two days before the body was found, said the man to Lieutenant William Lovejoy of the northeast detective division, he had been driving along Verree Road when he saw a middle-aged woman and a boy, 12 to 14, unloading something from the trunk of a car.

"I thought the car might have a flat tire, so I stopped and asked if I could help. They didn't say a word, and seemed to be standing so as to block my view of the license plate."

The scene which he described was almost exactly where the clothing had been found. The informant described the car and the woman and boy, but they were never found.

do you think it is possible that this witness mistook the girl for a boy? and the cache of clothes belonged to the woman and the girl.And the girl was dressed like a boy? just putting ideas out there.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

do you think it is possible that this witness mistook the girl for a boy? and the cache of clothes belonged to the woman and the girl.And the girl was dressed like a boy? just putting ideas out there.

No I do not.I think she (M's story) is full of it.Not stable at all from what I read in newspaper articles other people have said.I don't think and believe she was there at all.I really do not mean to be ugly or mean.She's just irritating me.I don't believe she was stable at all.That's just my honest opinion.I don't believe her.It sounds to me the cache' of clothing for a woman and child were not related to the boy in the box.But who knows? I got the impression the clothes were from a younger child and did not fit the boy in the box.But I do not know this.It's just what I'm thinking.I'm starting to believe the woman and boy seen near the car near where our boy was found that the Good Samaritan saw might not be related either.But I just don't know.I'm not ruling anything out.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

But..... Maybe she might know something? She changed her story later and told the detectives she thought the boy in the box was related to her uncle? Which side? I don't know.Did LE check all aspects for a connection of who her uncle knew that could have been the boy in the boxes mother? I do not believe she was there at all.Why change her story?

But as I said before I read an article from Haleigh Cummings great grandmother that I very much agree with.She said.

"If can't never get your story straight, then who would you be protecting except your self? The truth has one face. The truth has one voice.....and it doesn't change.

 

[ah ha moment]

I agree and I did not mean to upset you! I was wondering if fox chase hosp. was close to this area?i have tried searching it to no avail. I wonder if they ever looked into children treated at the hosp. with unknown disorders? Do you remember where you seen the article?

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I agree and I did not mean to upset you! I was wondering if fox chase hosp. was close to this area?i have tried searching it to no avail. I wonder if they ever looked into children treated at the hosp. with unknown disorders? Do you remember where you seen the article?

Oh no.You did not upset me at all.M's story did.I'm glad your here.About M changing her story it's in news paper articles on the America's Unknown Child's website and I know it's in David Stouts book.THE BOY IN THE BOX- The Unsolved Case of America's Unknown Child on page 225.It says the uncle was on M's fathers side of the family.
I agree they should have and still if they can check the other hospitals for unknown disorders.I think they should have checked all area drs offices and eye Drs offices and hospitals more for his eye ailment.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

Hi Welcome. I would totally believe the foster home.The blankets cut in half,the bassinet I feel was never explained. Mr Authur Nicoletti refusing to take a lie detector test.All this does point to the foster home.I would believe it but for one thing.The little boy in the box's haircut did not match the hair cuts they gave.I just can't get past that.
There is a video.I will try to find it now.

Well,it was here.It is not any more.That's interesting hmmmm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOrSZIhvWEw

Anyone want to help me find it?48 hours or something like that.It was a video,showing the kids at the foster home on Moredon street.Tom Augustine was showing the film and pointing the hair cuts did not match.I agree with him that they did not match.

Ok I think I finally found where the video would be from.I think it was from this 48 hours newspaper article.It really has a lot of good information in this video.It shows a lot.Can someone please help me find it?

http://americasunknownchild.net/48Hours.htm

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I have looked very much into Orphanages in around Philadelphia around the time period our boy was found and I am very interested in pictures of blankets,haircuts ect... of the Lutheran Home for Orphans and Aged, 6950 Germantown Ave. It's the only Orphanage I could find that took in babies and children.

I asked awhile ago if any one checked out these two boys to see if they could be the boy in the box.Has anyone found out? I believe they went to that orphanage.

http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.religious.lutheran.lutheran-roots/4.92/mb.ashx


Re: Lutheran Children's Home-Germantown, PA

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 5:24PM GMT
Classification: Query
Lived there in late 50's. Looking for anyone who can give location or staff info. Lost two younger brothers during this period. Their names were james and robert hagan.​

 

[ah ha moment]

I posted last night and I could not find it on here any where. I did research on Fox Chase Hospt. it appears to be that a new medical director and board of directors was appointed in 1957. This makes me wonder why.In my experience when hosp,nursing homes, healthcare related places come in and appoint. and hire new people for these positions something has happened. accidental or intentional. so I find this very odd.I would like to go through their old records to see how many children they treated up until this time.Is it also possible the box was there when the boy was taken there and they put him in it? I would also like to find out if they took dna from the daughter of the foster mother? Could the little boy be the the stepfathers and the daughters boy? were they having relations while her mother was still alive? He refused the lie detector test. This would be a good reason. I wonder if the daughter is still alive.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I posted last night and I could not find it on here any where. I did research on Fox Chase Hospt. it appears to be that a new medical director and board of directors was appointed in 1957. This makes me wonder why.In my experience when hosp,nursing homes, healthcare related places come in and appoint. and hire new people for these positions something has happened. accidental or intentional. so I find this very odd.I would like to go through their old records to see how many children they treated up until this time.Is it also possible the box was there when the boy was taken there and they put him in it? I would also like to find out if they took dna from the daughter of the foster mother? Could the little boy be the the stepfathers and the daughters boy? were they having relations while her mother was still alive? He refused the lie detector test. This would be a good reason. I wonder if the daughter is still alive.

I'll try to answer your questions as well as I can.From David Stouts book the foster mother's daughter was ruled through Dna as not being the boy in the box's mother.She is apparently in a nursing home.I feel they should check all other area hospitals also.Manayunk and Roxborough too.I personally do not feel our boy was from the Fox Chase area.But you never know.

 

[emily85]

Hi everyone, I have been reading these threads for a long time but have never posted anything here before. I apologize if this is something that has been discussed before. I was looking at the Doe Network site for women that went missing in the same general area and around the same time as the boy was found. I found one case that looked interesting to me and wondered what everyone else thought. It is file #1119DFOH. Here is the information from her page:

Bertha Marie Tidd Newell
Missing since July 13, 1948 from Zanesville, Ohio.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: September 26, 1907
Age at Time of Disappearance: 40 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'8 - 5'10, 125 - 145 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Dark brown hair; dark brown eyes.
Marks, Scars: Scar on head just behind crown
Clothing: She was last seen wearing a brown tweed dress and high heels
AKA: Bertha Marie Tidd, Marie Newell; Marie Tidd
Medical Conditions: She had some mental health issues before her disappearance and stayed in an Ohio state mental hospital for a brief period.

Circumstances of Disappearance
On July 13, 1948 Newell told her family she was going to the grocery store. She never returned and has never been seen again. She didn't take her purse nor any other personal belongings.
After her disappearance, there were numerous stories circulating; That she ran away to join a traveling circus, that her husband may have murdered her and a possibility she was in a nursing home in Woodfield. None of these were substantiated.
In 1956, there was a report that she had been seen in a town north of Zanesville. After some investigation, the police reached a dead-end. There has been no real leads since and Newell is no longer on file with the Zanesville Police Department.
Newell had given birth to 10 children.

I know that she would have been a little old to be the mother of the boy, but could advanced maternal age have been responsible for some of his health problems? Also, the fact that Bertha had mental health problem may account for why the boy was never reported missing. The final piece that I thought was interesting was the mention of a circus. I seem to remember reading something about a circus in relation to the boy's case, but can't find it again now.

What do you think?

 

[ah ha moment]

I'll try to answer your questions as well as I can.From David Stouts book the foster mother's daughter was ruled through Dna as not being the boy in the box's mother.She is apparently in a nursing home.I feel they should check all other area hospitals also.Manayunk and Roxborough too.I personally do not feel our boy was from the Fox Chase area.But you never know.

Was wondering if the book said how they ruled Steve Damman out? And I wondered if they ever thought about Fredrick holmes who went missing May 25,1955? I think he would also fit time frame and age he would have been 4-5 years old when her went missing. I should buy the book and read it myself but, I cannot sit and read a book.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

Was wondering if the book said how they ruled Steve Damman out? And I wondered if they ever thought about Fredrick holmes who went missing May 25,1955? I think he would also fit time frame and age he would have been 4-5 years old when her went missing. I should buy the book and read it myself but, I cannot sit and read a book.

Both Steven Damman and Fredrick Holmes were both ruled out with DNA as not being the boy in the box.There are also Newspaper articles not on the unknown child's website that were written later.

This newspaper article is on Fredrick Holmes.
http://bangordailynews.com/2010/03/23/news/womanrsquos-dna-no-match-to-boy-in-box/

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I really felt so bad and sad for her.I pray she finds out what happened to him one day.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

This is from the America's Unknown Child's website under Case updates and for Steven Damman.There have not been any more updates for a very long time.It's very sad.It does say there are updates in David Stouts book.It is also in David stouts book.

http://americasunknownchild.net/recent.htm

October 2003: After a long delay, the investigators were finally granted permission to examine the basement of the Lower Merion home where the unknown boy allegedly resided. Unfortunately, no trace evidence of the boy was found.
Analysis of a DNA sample submitted by Steven Damman's sister proved conclusively that Steven was not the unknown boy discovered in Philadelphia in 1957.

 

[ah ha moment]

I did look up schools in Darby School District. if he was 4-6 there would be a chance he was in school. they have yearbooks with names. I wonder if the LE talked too these children and teachers to see if there was a child that was in school and then gone? May be I could do it one school at a time. I can find them and send emails and ask. if no in Darby I will move to another school district.Some family is still missing this boy!

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I did look up schools in Darby School District. if he was 4-6 there would be a chance he was in school. they have yearbooks with names. I wonder if the LE talked too these children and teachers to see if there was a child that was in school and then gone? May be I could do it one school at a time. I can find them and send emails and ask. if no in Darby I will move to another school district.Some family is still missing this boy!

That is a very good idea.I remember reading articles I think they checked schools.Probably in just Philadelphia?fox Chase?But I am not sure about that.Maybe a child who was in kindergarten or 1st grade around Philadelphia and the surrounding area's and counties maybe could have had DHS Child Welfare remove them from the home or he was put in a foster or adopted out through an Orphanage or some place like that.But he use to live in and around Philadelphia or he could have been from a regular family.