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

[elliha]

I wonder what the name of the store was, or the name of the woman who was doing the alterations. Usually when you drop something off and need to return to pick it up you leave your name and number so that person can call you when the job is done. I'll try to find the name of the store.

Tried to find the "48 hour" segment that aired showing the foster home but couldn't find that either, not that I think they were involved, LE has cleared them 100%, but just wanted to look at the children on the video for other missing person cases. I couldn't even find out the names of the foster children they had.

I find the boys haircut strange and the fact that his nails were recently cut and his blanket washed. I think the hair cut was done by a family member and not at a barber shop, They usually brush you off at a barber shop and I think they found a lot of hair on his body.

I wonder if they were "grooming" him because he was going to go live with someone else, either by selling him to someone or someone was arranging an adoption for him. If either of those plans fell through it might have made the person who killed him angry.

Wonder if any local adoption agencies where checked out to see who was trying to have their child adopted.

One guess would be that the strap was such an easy job that he didn't need to leave it at the store and it was done while he was waiting. I assume the police was clever enough to ask the store lady for her records if she had any. My brother is an upholsterer and as a side business he also does small jobs like that and if you are used to it, it doesn't take very long to sew in a strap. He often doesn't do such easy jobs while the customer is waiting because he is afraid they would feel his prizes are too high if the found out just how easy it is.

 

[O'Really]

I wonder what the name of the store was, or the name of the woman who was doing the alterations. Usually when you drop something off and need to return to pick it up you leave your name and number so that person can call you when the job is done. I'll try to find the name of the store.

It was the Robbins Bald Eagle Hat&Cap company at 7th&Shunk in South Philadelphia; the other end of the city from where the boy in the box was found. The hat company owner that Detectives spoke to was Hannah Robbins. She said she sewed the strap in the hat for a blond fella in his late twenties, who didn't have an accent, and resembled the picture of the boy in the box.

The Robbins hat co is long gone. I believe a barber shop is in that space now.

 

[alliemay]

Thank you for that info

 

[Ms Suzanne]

If I may please say.They never found the blond haired man that bought the hat at Robbins Bald Eagle Hat&Cap company at 7th&Shunk that resembled the boy in the box.The description does not appear to match the bust Frank Bender did of what this little boy in the box's father might have looked like.

 

[alliemay]

I wonder if there is a list of all the adoption facilities in the area at that time, because this case is so old its hard to find free information, like directories.

Just throwing my thoughts out, think the man in the hat might have either been the boys father or the boyfriend of the mother. In my scenario, the man kills the boy and the mother covers it up. Not sure if the child was beaten on a regular basis since there was no evidence of broken bones. Maybe it was in the heat of the moment that this happened to him.

The biggest part that confuses me is the fact that this boy had some surgeries
in his short life. But yet all the hospitals were checked comparing footprints of the boy. Did they also check any surgeries that had been done in a five year period. Makes me wonder if possible this boy was not from Phili, maybe he was from a neighboring state. I guess it would have taken a lot of manpower to compare footprint/surgeries in all the surrounding states, and now who knows if those records would even be available.

My mind keeps going back to the fact that his hair was cut and his fingernails were cut and the blanket washed. Why do that for someone if you are going to beat them and dump them along side a road.

You might do all those things though if you were sending this child somewhere and you did not want these other people to think you were a bad mother.

I know they went to adoption agencies and asked them if they had any child in there that looked like the boy, they were told no, taking their word for it, but did they ask to see the records of each facility to see if maybe there were any "pending" adoptions.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I wonder if there is a list of all the adoption facilities in the area at that time, because this case is so old its hard to find free information, like directories.

Just throwing my thoughts out, think the man in the hat might have either been the boys father or the boyfriend of the mother. In my scenario, the man kills the boy and the mother covers it up. Not sure if the child was beaten on a regular basis since there was no evidence of broken bones. Maybe it was in the heat of the moment that this happened to him.

The biggest part that confuses me is the fact that this boy had some surgeries
in his short life. But yet all the hospitals were checked comparing footprints of the boy. Did they also check any surgeries that had been done in a five year period. Makes me wonder if possible this boy was not from Phili, maybe he was from a neighboring state. I guess it would have taken a lot of manpower to compare footprint/surgeries in all the surrounding states, and now who knows if those records would even be available.

My mind keeps going back to the fact that his hair was cut and his fingernails were cut and the blanket washed. Why do that for someone if you are going to beat them and dump them along side a road.

You might do all those things though if you were sending this child somewhere and you did not want these other people to think you were a bad mother.

I know they went to adoption agencies and asked them if they had any child in there that looked like the boy, they were told no, taking their word for it, but did they ask to see the records of each facility to see if maybe there were any "pending" adoptions.

Quote
I know they went to adoption agencies and asked them if they had any child in there that looked like the boy, they were told no, taking their word for it, but did they ask to see the records of each facility to see if maybe there were any "pending" adoptions.


It only took 2 days to rule out orphanages and institutions.I really don't think they checked orphanage records or court house records of who was in there.I feel they need to check now for who was just getting into these places too.I pray someone now checks these records again.I feel very strongly there is a huge cover up in one of these institutions,foster homes or Child Welfare DHS.Maybe a few cover ups in a few different places.Can someone please re investigate this little boys case again.He deserves his name on his grave and the truth.He deserved it a long time ago.

 

[alliemay]

Quote
I know they went to adoption agencies and asked them if they had any child in there that looked like the boy, they were told no, taking their word for it, but did they ask to see the records of each facility to see if maybe there were any "pending" adoptions.


It only took 2 days to rule out orphanages and institutions.I really don't think they checked orphanage records or court house records of who was in there.I feel they need to check now for who was just getting into these places too.I pray someone now checks these records again.I feel very strongly there is a huge cover up in one of these institutions,foster homes or Child Welfare DHS.Maybe a few cover ups in a few different places.Can someone please re investigate this little boys case again.He deserves his name on his grave and the truth.He deserved it a long time ago.

Two days...two days!!! That's nothing.....and yes it would be good to check court records, child welfare etc. good points. How does one get in touch with the Vidoc society since it appears they still have people working on this?

 

[TxJan1971]

Two days...two days!!! That's nothing.....and yes it would be good to check court records, child welfare etc. good points. How does one get in touch with the Vidoc society since it appears they still have people working on this?

Here's their website with contact information. Hope this is helpful.

http://www.vidocq.org/where.html

 

[alliemay]

Here's their website with contact information. Hope this is helpful.

http://www.vidocq.org/where.html

Thank you for the link...not sure if just anyone can contact them though, I don't fit into the following categories: represent a member of a law enforcement agency, family member of a victim, reporter, producer or other media representative. Might try anyway on Monday for the heck of it.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

It's best to call Philadelphia Police Department Homicide.It is their case.They are handling it.


Philadelphia Police Department
Homicide Division
215-686-3334
You may remain anonymous if you wish.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

Or the Philadelphia tip line.I got a hold of someone at the tip line number.She said she would turn my tip in.I assume she did.I turned in a boy Timothy Trahey for them to check.

215.686.TIPS (8477)

 

[Robin Hood]

I just posted this on the other thread, I will now read here from the start to see what I've missed.

The J C Penny store was under 20 miles away from Susquehanna road ( in Upper Darby) I wonder what the address of the shop who made the hat with the leather stap was located ? Anybody know ? It could look to it being a local family and not travellers passing through.
I'm looking to triangulate an area to narrow it down (if it's possible).

The orphanages and foster folk where possible, would have been checked.
Could the boy have been born out of wedlock and passed to a family member who moved to the area ? Maybe the boy was killed before he was known and established.
Somebody looked after him well before and IMO believed there was no reason to think he had come to harm.
I'm looking at news archive to see if anything is written before he was found, not quite sure what I'm looking for, will know it if I see it.

Edited to add- News may bring up a death of a parent or family which brought on somebody 'taking on ' this boy.

 

[alliemay]

I just posted this on the other thread, I will now read here from the start to see what I've missed.

The J C Penny store was under 20 miles away from Susquehanna road ( in Upper Darby) I wonder what the address of the shop who made the hat with the leather stap was located ? Anybody know ? It could look to it being a local family and not travellers passing through.
I'm looking to triangulate an area to narrow it down (if it's possible).

The orphanages and foster folk where possible, would have been checked.
Could the boy have been born out of wedlock and passed to a family member who moved to the area ? Maybe the boy was killed before he was known and established.
Somebody looked after him well before and IMO believed there was no reason to think he had come to harm.
I'm looking at news archive to see if anything is written before he was found, not quite sure what I'm looking for, will know it if I see it.

Edited to add- News may bring up a death of a parent or family which brought on somebody 'taking on ' this boy.

If you go to the previous page, there is a post about the hat company and the address....and yes it does appear that someone did look after him if they actually took him to the hospital for the medical care that he needed.

 

[Robin Hood]

If you go to the previous page, there is a post about the hat company and the address....and yes it does appear that someone did look after him if they actually took him to the hospital for the medical care that he needed.

Thanks Skeet, will read all the pages and start again. Posted before I realised the size of this thread.

Edited to add this link (One of many) it does say they thought originally he came from a good home.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...=5430,2299908&dq=jc+penney+philadelphia&hl=en

Also adding Upper Darby - the box and the hat shop at 7th and Shunk are quite close, the disposal on Susquevanna seems to be a distance away, probably that 'distancing' could narrow the area.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I think he was just getting into a foster home or orphanage or possibly getting ready to be adopted out.Probably an orphanage and he was getting groomed and died while getting a hair cut in the orphanage.I feel the orphanage possibly lied to police or falsified records.I hope and pray someone new can look into all records and court house records of all the places again.

 

[alliemay]

Thanks Skeet, will read all the pages and start again. Posted before I realised the size of this thread.

Edited to add this link (One of many) it does say they thought originally he came from a good home.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...=5430,2299908&dq=jc+penney+philadelphia&hl=en

Also adding Upper Darby - the box and the hat shop at 7th and Shunk are quite close, the disposal on Susquevanna seems to be a distance away, probably that 'distancing' could narrow the area.

Great job in finding that, always good to read original news articles if possible...its interesting they said something might have been wrong with one of his eyes, I had read somewhere else about them finding evidence of blue dye in his eye. Unless that was an act of cruelty on the killers part, the only other place I know they put dye in your eye is the eye doctor.....but I doubt the police back then ever checked local eye doctors but you never know?

I also wondered it the police had ever done any sketches of the boy WITH hair, no one knows how long his hair might have been before the person cut it, and its possible if they did one with hair, it would have triggered someone's memory better, had to say either way.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

I agree pictures of him with hair would be nice.Here's some artist sketches of him and more information on him.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/4umpa.html

 

[alliemay]

I agree pictures of him with hair would be nice.Here's some artist sketches of him and more information on him.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/4umpa.html

Thanks for that link, I find it interesting that there was automotive grease on the blanket....someone who owns a garage? works on cars?, someone with the initial G?

 

[Robin Hood]

More pics with hair
http://americasunknownchild.net/Artists.html

 

[STANDREID]

Was his hair also checked for dye or bleach? Or could that part have been cut off?

The blue dye in the eye business was a thing the Nazis did.