Identified! PA - Philadelphia, 'Boy in the Box', WhtMale 4-6, 4UMPA, Feb'57 #2 - Joseph Augustus Zarelli

[Shamrock1]

M. stated he was physically and sexually abused. I’m inclined to believe M.’s explanation for his appearance.

 

[OddOneOut]

To me, the surgery scars prove that someone cared about him at some time. They cared enough to get him medical care. I've wondered for years if this could be a well loved child who lost one or both of his parents. He could have been sent to leave with a relative that didn't want him.

 

[GirlMarlowe]

If only we could browse hospital records from around 1950-1953 and find documents pertaining to these surgical procedures! I can’t help but wonder if A: the boy wasn’t born in Pennsylvania, and/or B: the records were “destroyed in a fire”.

Remember Stevie Crawford? They found him in Oregon, but he was born in New Mexico, which is why nothing was found to match him up with. And we all know about dental records and things like that being destroyed in fires…

Let’s go back to the M theory. If “Jonathan” truly was disabled in such a way as to render him incapable of learning to speak or walk, he had to have suffered a birth defect or an injury that would have been documented. Remember the IV scar in his foot? This suggests that the surgeons either found it difficult to locate a vein during his hernia surgery, or they used intravenous cannulation to supply him with nutrition, as they do with NICU neonates today.

We can *probably* rule out prematurity, because American NICUs weren’t around until 1960, and during the early ’50s, the most that could have been done for him was to place him in a Hess incubator and hope for the best…but then, nothing is impossible!

Whatever was going on with him, he was one tough little guy.

 

[Friday Fan]

If only we could browse hospital records from around 1950-1953 and find documents pertaining to these surgical procedures! I can’t help but wonder if A: the boy wasn’t born in Pennsylvania, and/or B: the records were “destroyed in a fire”.

Remember Stevie Crawford? They found him in Oregon, but he was born in New Mexico, which is why nothing was found to match him up with. And we all know about dental records and things like that being destroyed in fires…

Let’s go back to the M theory. If “Jonathan” truly was disabled in such a way as to render him incapable of learning to speak or walk, he had to have suffered a birth defect or an injury that would have been documented. Remember the IV scar in his foot? This suggests that the surgeons either found it difficult to locate a vein during his hernia surgery, or they used intravenous cannulation to supply him with nutrition, as they do with NICU neonates today.

We can *probably* rule out prematurity, because American NICUs weren’t around until 1960, and during the early ’50s, the most that could have been done for him was to place him in a Hess incubator and hope for the best…but then, nothing is impossible!

Whatever was going on with him, he was one tough little guy.

Stevie Wonder is blind due to 100% O2 used for premies back in the day.
I always think of a "cut down" when I think about his ankle scar. Although, I think he was a bit older than a newborn because the scar was notable.

 

[Gameman]

I wonder if, when his identity is found/revealed, it will even shed any light on what happened to him in life or if it will just be a name and a mystery lost to time.

 

[digiskunk]

I wonder if, when his identity is found/revealed, it will even shed any light on what happened to him in life or if it will just be a name and a mystery lost to time.

I was just thinking about this yesterday.. Even if his identity is discovered, that doesn't mean we'll know the full story. In fact, you could say that that's when the "real" investigation begins. Once they get a name, investigators will race to put the pieces of the puzzle together to establish a realistic timeline. Unfortunately, I doubt the story will ever be fully resolved, but I hope I'm wrong.

 

[GirlMarlowe]

They never were able to find out where exactly that house was, were they? I mean the house where our potential Boy was bought from as a baby?

 

[Shamrock1]

They never were able to find out where exactly that house was, were they? I mean the house where our potential Boy was bought from as a baby?

The address of a foster home (with the estate sale) is known. M. was 11 when she claims she and her mother drove to the home where M.’s mother purchased the boy. To my knowledge, that address hasn’t been released - nor has the address of the man who claimed his family’s renter sold a child. If that specific address (or addresses) isn’t known to investigators, I’d be surprised.

 

[digiskunk]

The address of a foster home (with the estate sale) is known. M. was 11 when she claims she and her mother drove to the home where M.’s mother purchased the boy. To my knowledge, that address hasn’t been released - nor has the address of the man who claimed his family’s renter sold a child. If that specific address (or addresses) isn’t known to investigators, I’d be surprised.

I know authorities haven't taken her claims too seriously but I can't get passed the fact that she accurately stated he had baked beans in his stomach, which the police found to be true. That is just so specific that I find it difficult to dismiss.

 

[taramarie]

I know authorities haven't taken her claims too seriously but I can't get passed the fact that she accurately stated he had baked beans in his stomach, which the police found to be true. That is just so specific that I find it difficult to dismiss.

She had a phd & was a successful woman. If she had mental problems, they certainly weren't severe enough to inhibit her professional life which tells me she was quite mentally sound. Frankly, of course she had some mental problems if her family was like she said. I'd be more surprised if she'd grown up unscathed after such a horrific childhood, so the way her story seems to have been dismissed is a little disturbing to me. Sounds to me like this could have been at least partially solved a long time ago. I suppose we'll find out if his name really was Jonathan at some point.

 

[Springrain]

She had a phd & was a successful woman. If she had mental problems, they certainly weren't severe enough to inhibit her professional life which tells me she was quite mentally sound. Frankly, of course she had some mental problems if her family was like she said. I'd be more surprised if she'd grown up unscathed after such a horrific childhood, so the way her story seems to have been dismissed is a little disturbing to me. Sounds to me like this could have been at least partially solved a long time ago. I suppose we'll find out if his name really was Jonathan at some point.

Not to mention, mental illness/mental problems can mean so many different things, from depression or anxiety to schizophrenia. We do not know what M's issues were, and quite frankly, if even half of what she said about her childhood is true, anyone who went through that would have mental health issues. I (JMO) feel it was used as an excuse to not take her seriously.

Now, whether Boy in the Box will be found to be named Jonathan, I'm not as sure, but I don't doubt her story. I just wonder if he was born and given one name, then called Jonathan and sold, or what the story there was.

 

[Shamrock1]

Even today, if the family of a missing person notes an anti-depressant RX, many commentators quickly skew to self-harm in their predictions. A female with some kind of mental health DX didn’t stand much of a chance of being taken seriously IMO - especially when M. reached out to investigators through her psychiatrist.

 

[Sweetluv]

Just checking in....I anxiously await for updates...if any

 

[digiskunk]

Just checking in....I anxiously await for updates...if any

Thank you for clocking in, it's great to see others still focused on this thread and bumping it.

I still check for updates on a regular basis but to no avail. I have the added benefit of living in the Greater Philadelphia area, so if the identity were to be released I'd imagine I'd hear about it pretty quickly.

I still think about the announcement that was made in mid-November stating that investigators were close to identifying the boy and that it would likely happen before the end of 2021; but alas, 2022 came and there was not only no announcement made, but no update either. It's quite possible that he was indeed identified but the announcement was withheld as to not complicate the ongoing investigation. If this is true, that means they've got a good lead—which is a good thing.

Still, I wonder...

 

[Gameman]

Did anybody follow Somerton Man? There were SO many clues that he was the father of this man named Robin, including an anomaly in their teeth where they didn’t have lateral incisors. There was much more, but as compelling as it all was, they turned out to all be coincidences. He wasn’t a spy, a ballet dancer, or Robin’s father…just a man wearing hand-me-down clothes. (Thankfully, the professor working on the DNA with Identifinders publicly released the man’s identity so we all got the news. Authorities are of the mind that it’s not his name until they confirm it’s his name.) It reminded me a lot of this case and M’s story. It will be interesting to know if it was coincidence.

 

[digiskunk]

I'm sorry to bring this up again, but can we please discuss this alleged "strangled cat in a sweater" that was found nearby? I've only stumbled upon this anecdotal detail recently and it really stands out to me. Does anybody have more information on this, perhaps even speculation? I'm not saying it's related to the crime, but I think it more likely is than not.

 

[Sweetluv]

Never read about a strangled cat (?)

 

[Gameman]

I'm sorry to bring this up again, but can we please discuss this alleged "strangled cat in a sweater" that was found nearby? I've only stumbled upon this anecdotal detail recently and it really stands out to me. Does anybody have more information on this, perhaps even speculation? I'm not saying it's related to the crime, but I think it more likely is than not.

Haven’t heard of it either. Did you read it from a reliable source?

 

[Shamrock1]

I'm sorry to bring this up again, but can we please discuss this alleged "strangled cat in a sweater" that was found nearby? I've only stumbled upon this anecdotal detail recently and it really stands out to me. Does anybody have more information on this, perhaps even speculation? I'm not saying it's related to the crime, but I think it more likely is than not.

Are you thinking of the muskrat traps? The person who found the boy delayed reporting it (about a day IIRC) for fear he’d get in trouble for his illegal traps.

ETA: yes, there was a cat:
“Two hundred and 70 police-academy recruits combed the crime scene, finding a handkerchief, a child’s scarf, and a dead cat wrapped in a man’s sweater—trash, or clues? And what of a child-sized blue corduroy cap discovered nearby?”

Who is the Boy in the Box? - Philadelphia Magazine

In 1957, a young boy was discovered dead in the woods in Fox Chase, his head poking from a cardboard box. It would become Philly’s most famous unsolved murder.

www.phillymag.com

 

[digiskunk]

ETA: yes, there was a cat:
“Two hundred and 70 police-academy recruits combed the crime scene, finding a handkerchief, a child’s scarf, and a dead cat wrapped in a man’s sweater—trash, or clues? And what of a child-sized blue corduroy cap discovered nearby?”
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Yes, this is exactly what I'm talking about! You'd think a detail like this would be more widely known, but apparently it isn't. I've read about it here and there, but for the most part it gets left out of most write-ups.