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

<modsnip: sleuthing family>

By contrast the Penney's where bassinet was bought was 1.3 miles from the home and accessible by mass transit (Trolley, Elevated Train).

Second, it was suggested that the paternal DNA was Italian. So could the maternal DNA. It is not unlikely that, in the 1950's people would marry within their ethnicity.
 
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I also only want to know how Joseph ended up in such terrible circumstances. One thing to consider if M had a changing story and later refused to cooperate is fear from organized crime. I have only heard brief snippets from Unsolved Mysteries on M's story. Are there any links or suggestions of articles?
 
I hope so too. Definitely a time to be having conversations with our elders. I love finding old photos of the area my family are from and showing them to my grandad, it always leads to fun conversations about people he remembers or people he even knew of that lived in the street. I see it in Facebook groups all the time how people can bond and reminisce over old photos or newspaper clippings. Who knows what little tidbit someone might have stashed away, something that maybe stood out to them at the time but years put a distance to it. I hope people gain confidence to come forward because IMO I think any information on that neighbourhood, even if they think it's trivial, could be helpful to the police.
I hope someone is at the library digging into microfiche, looking up the parents names and Joseph’s name: who knows what they might find
 
There is something else. Aside from Cobbs Creek Park, Delaware County was not as built up as it was. I went through some street views and a lot of it is clearly late 1960's.<modsnip: sleuthing family>
 
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If he was a foster child, there should’ve been records. I understand that there have been cases of lost foster children through the years, in different states, but most likely there would’ve been a paper trail and at some point he would’ve been missed by the agency. That’s why I’m leaning to adoption, most likely private, or an informal foster agreement.
 
I'm starting to wonder if bio mom and dad were married outside of the country, and JAZ is legitimate (excuse the outdated term). Is it confirmed that JAZ's birth certificate was issued in PA?
Based on the press conference and how investigators petitioned the court to see PA birth, death and adoption records for that time frame and they found it among the PA birth records, most likely it was issued in PA, or else they'd have had to have gone to the state where it is kept to find it. That's how I interpreted it.
 
Based on the press conference and how investigators petitioned the court to see PA birth, death and adoption records for that time frame and they found it among the PA birth records, most likely it was issued in PA, or else they'd have had to have gone to the state where it is kept to find it. That's how I interpreted it.
I think so too. Also, the fact that JAZ was circumcised makes it more likely he was born in the US. But I'm wondering if a marriage abroad explains how JAZ was given the Z name without the validation of a PA marriage license.
 
I think so too. Also, the fact that JAZ was circumcised makes it more likely he was born in the US. But I'm wondering if a marriage abroad explains how JAZ was given the Z name without the validation of a PA marriage license.
I don't believe a marriage license was necessary. I have my BC from around that time in PA. They also could have been married in another state versus another country.
 
I don't believe a marriage license was necessary. I have my BC from around that time in PA. They also could have been married in another state versus another country.
Right. Especially if it was a marriage the parents didn't approve of. My grandparents went from PA to MD to elope because my great grandmother wanted him to marry an Italian. Same thing was common for other surrounding states-- if you were under age and didn't want to have your parents sign other states were more lenient about age/showing proof etc.
 
I don't believe a marriage license was necessary. I have my BC from around that time in PA. They also could have been married in another state versus another country.

Right. Especially if it was a marriage the parents didn't approve of. My grandparents went from PA to MD to elope because my great grandmother wanted him to marry an Italian. Same thing was common for other surrounding states-- if you were under age and didn't want to have your parents sign other states were more lenient about age/showing proof etc.
Interesting.
So if a legal marriage outside of PA was annulled, for example, it may not show up in PA records?
 
I have not heard anything about refusing to cooperate etc.
They just couldn't verify the story.
Thank you. I have come across several stories today which could not be verified but seem possible. The investigator in this article was skeptical. I don't know if there was some way M would have know about a motorist stopping to ask if the people standing by trunk of the car needed help. Such a sad story and unfortunately there are so many of these.
 
Thank you. I have come across several stories today which could not be verified but seem possible. The investigator in this article was skeptical. I don't know if there was some way M would have know about a motorist stopping to ask if the people standing by trunk of the car needed help. Such a sad story and unfortunately there are so many of these.
The story about the car was published in 1957.

Philadelphia Inquirer: 02/28/57
Couple Sought in Boy's Murder
Pair Seen Unloading Car Trunk​

 
Interesting.
So if a legal marriage outside of PA was annulled, for example, it may not show up in PA records?
I don't know what the laws were then, but jurisdiction requirements vary from state to state-- you either have to apply for the divorce where you were married, or where you are a legal resident (defined by terms laid out by that specific state). If the divorce takes place out of state, those records should then be sent to the state where the marriage took place showing that those two are no longer legally bound to each other and are free to remarry.
 

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