Philadelphia police identify child known as the 'Boy in the Box' as Joseph Augustus Zarelli

[Leroy N. Soetoro]

https://6abc.com/boy-in-the-box-identified-philadelphia-cold-case-watch-
news-conference-live-name/12544392/

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police identified the child known as
the "boy in the box" on Thursday during a news conference.

According to Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, the child has been identified
as Joseph Augustus Zarelli.

Joseph was born on January 13, 1953, and is believed to be from West
Philadelphia.

The child's naked, badly bruised body was found on Feb. 25, 1957, in a
wooded area of Philadelphia's Fox Chase neighborhood. The boy, who was 4
years old, had been wrapped in a blanket and placed inside a large
JCPenney bassinet box. Police say he was malnourished. He'd been beaten to
death.

"This announcement only closes one chapter in this little boy's story
while opening up a new one. This is still an active homicide investigation
and we still need the public's help in filling in this child's life
story," Outlaw said.


Danielle M. Outlaw
@PPDCommish
·
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Today, after 65 years, America's Unknown Child's name was finally
restored. I want to thank all who have worked tirelessly since 1957 to
give Joseph Augustus Zarelli his voice back. However, the search for
justice continues. If you have any information on his homicide, please...
8:09 AM · Dec 8, 2022
Read the full conversation on Twitter

https://twitter.com/PPDCommish/status/1600885274346913792

His remains had never been identified until now. The case is one of
Philadelphia's oldest unsolved homicides.

"Without the hard work, dedication, passion and doggedness of the many we
would not be here today to give America's formerly unknown child Joseph
Augustus Zarelli a voice," Outlaw said.

"It was determined the case of the unknown child...would benefit from the
application of modern forensic techniques," Philadelphia Captain John
Smith said.

Police said both of Joseph's parents are dead, but he has living
relatives.

"Joseph has a number of siblings on both the mother and father side who
are living and it's out of respect for them that their parents'
information remain confidential," Smith said.

Smith also said Thursday police do not know who is responsible for the
child's death.

"We have our suspicions as to who may be responsible but it would be
irresponsible of me to share these suspicious as this remains an ongoing
and active criminal investigation," he said.

The boy's missing identity gnawed at police officials, generations of whom
took up the case.

Bill Kelly took the young victim's fingerprints at the scene back in 1957.
His family says he never stopped trying to find out the boy's identity or
assailant up until his death.

"He was one of the first on scene that fateful day. He never forgot about
that image. I mean how could you? ... He was the fingerprint expert on
scene. Those fingerprints were ingrained in his mind his whole life, and
when he closed his eyes in his mind that's what he saw," said Kelly's
granddaughter, Jessica Greene, who knew him as Pop-Pop.

"I was thinking my father would be so happy ... so happy," said Kathleen
Kelly Greene, who is Jessica's mother.

When news spread last week that Philadelphia police would hold a news
conference revealing the boy's identity, it sent shock waves through the
community. It hit home to the children of the people who worked the case
and had hoped to see a resolution in their lifetime.

Kym Durham is a psychic medium in South Jersey. She has assisted law
enforcement in missing persons and homicide cases. Her gift, as she
describes it, was passed down from her mother, internationally renowned
psychic medium Joan Friel Durham.

Joan Durham even received an award from the Vidocq Society, the
prestigious group of law enforcement tasked with solving cold cases,
including the "boy in the box." Joan has since passed but her daughter
remembers her mother receiving a call in the 80s to assist with the now
65-year-old cold case.

"She talked about this person - a male - she talked about the nose," said
Kym about a man her mother described as someone being involved.

Independent of each other, both Bill Kelly and Joan Durham gave a name to
the victim. Kelly called him Jonathan; Durham called him Johnny.

Both families say they are glad to see an update on the case.

"I think as a family that's why it's important, not just us, but America's
unknown boy has this identity revealed. But now with his ID coming to the
forefront, we can piece together some of the theories they had in the
past," said Jessica Greene.

The case still remains unsolved. There is a $20,000 reward for information
that leads to an arrest and conviction of a suspect in this case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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