By Sean Adams
Source pennlive.com
One aspect of a 65-year-old mystery in Philadelphia has been solved.
At a press conference in Philadelphia, the city’s police revealed that they have identified the body of a boy found in a cardboard box in Philadelphia in 1957.
The boy, who became known as the Boy in the Box, was identified on Thursday morning as Joseph Augustus Zarelli, who was born on Jan. 13, 1953.
His identity was established through the use of new forensic genealogical technology, coordinated by Identifiers International, and a collaboration between the Philadelphia Police and the Vidocq Society, a group of volunteer retirees from law enforcement and forensic professions.
Police did not reveal the identities of Zarelli’s birth parents, beyond that both were deceased.
“Joseph has a number of siblings on both the mother’s and father’s side who are living, and it is out of respect for them that their parents information remain confidential,” said police captain Jason Smith during the press conference.
Police also have not made any arrests in connection to Zarelli’s murder, but stated that leads are being followed, and the death is still under active investigation.
Zarelli’s was found naked in a cardboard box, with evidence that he had suffered severe beatings and from malnourishment, in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood on Feb. 25, 1957.
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