Joseph Zarelli

**Joseph Augustus Zarelli** (January 13, 1953 - February 25, 1957) was an American boy who was previously known as the "***Boy in The Box***" or " ***America Unknown Child*** "

## Discovery

On February 25, 1957, Zarelli's body, wrapped in a plaid blanket, was found in the woods off Susquehanna Road in Fox Chase, Philadelphia. The body was discovered by a young man who was checking his muskrat traps. Fearing that the police would confiscate his traps, he did not report what he had found. A few days later, a college student spotted a rabbit running into the underbrush. Knowing that there were animal traps in the area, he stopped his car to investigate and discovered the body. He was also reluctant to have any contact with the police, but he did report what he had found the following day, after hearing of the disappearance of Mary Jane Barker.

The naked body was inside a cardboard box that had once contained a bassinet of the kind sold by J. C. Penney. Zarelli's hair had been recently cropped, possibly after death, as clumps of hair clung to the body. There were signs of severe malnourished, as well as surgical scars on the ankle and groin, and an L-shaped scar under the chin

## Investigation

The police received the report and opened an investigation on February 26, 1957. The dead boy's fingerprints were taken, and police at first were optimistic that he would soon be identified. However, no one ever came forward with any useful information.

The case attracted considerable media attention in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. *The Philadelphia Inquirer* printed 400,000 flyers depicting the boy's likeness, which were sent out and posted across the area, and were included with every gas bill in Philadelphia. The crime scene was combed over and over again by 270 police academy recruits, who discovered a man's blue corduroy cap, a child's scarf, and a man's white handkerchief with the letter "G" in the corner; all clues that led nowhere. The police also distributed a post-mortem photograph of the boy fully dressed and in a seated position, as he may have looked in life, in the hope it might lead to a clue.

In 1998, his body was exhumed for the purpose of extracting DNA, which was obtained from a tooth. On March 21, 2016, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released a forensic facial reconstruction of the victim and added him into their database. The body was then exhumed yet again in 2019 to retrieve still more DNA samples

### Identification

The child was an unidentified murder victim for decades. However, on November 30, 2022, the Philadelphia Police Department announced that they had identified the child through the use of genetic testing and investigative genetic genealogy, and that they would provide a case update in the following week. Sources stated that he was the child of a prominent family in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Authorities said that the investigation will use this new information to continue to search for suspects. On December 8, 2022, the child was publicly identified as 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli, born on January 13, 1953. Investigators were finally able to identify him after a second cousin once removed uploaded DNA to a public database.

Investigators had used that to have the first cousin submit a genetic profile to GEDmatch which allowed investigators to identify his parents. A court order for the child's birth certificate was then made. Both of his biological parents were deceased, but Zarelli had living half-siblings.

## Burial

Joseph Augustus Zarelli was originally buried in a potter's field. He was reburied at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Cedarbrook, Philadelphia, which donated a large plot. The coffin, headstone, and funeral service were donated by the son of the man who had buried the boy in 1957. There was significant public attendance and media coverage at the reburial. The grave has a large headstone bearing the words "America's Unknown Child". City residents keep the grave decorated with flowers and toys

On January 13, 2023, in memory of Joseph's 70th birthday, at a time to be announced, the Vidocq Society will dedicate a new grave marker at Ivy Hill Cemetery bearing the name, image and dates of Joseph