The Boy in the Box

Late February, 1957, a young man, checking his muskrat traps in the woods off Susquehanna Road in Fox Chase, Philadelphia, found an old cardboard box. Upon further investigation, he found the body of a dead boy. He left the box and the body there and returned home, afraid the police would confiscate his traps.  A few days later, college student Frederic Benosis, was in the woods, spying on girls at the Good Shepherd School when he, too, came upon the box. Afraid to tell the police why he was in the woods, he chose to not report it, until the next day, February 26, 1957.

The box had once contained a baby’s bassinet, distributed by JCPenney. The boy was nude, wrapped only in a flannel blanket. Investigators determined that the boy’s hair had been recently cut, possibly after death. Clumps of hair clung to his body. His body was severely malnourished, and he had surgical scars on his ankle and groin areas. He also had an L-shaped scar under his chin.

Further investigation showed the boys hands and feet were wrinkly, indicating they were submerged in water for an extended time either just before or shortly after he died. His esophagus contained a dark, brown residue; it is believed he vomited shortly before death. Cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma as the boy had taken multiple blows to the head.

Police were hopeful at first. They took the boys fingerprints, and were confident they would be able to identify him. Unfortunately his prints were not in the system, and no one ever came forward with useful information. Police combed the crime scene over and over by at least 270 police academy recruits, who discovered a child’s blue corduroy cap, a child’s scarf, and a handkerchief – but nothing led them any closer to the killer, or the boy’s identity.

In 1957, police departments didn’t communicate widely, rather keeping cases mostly local. Also, while this case attracted massive media attention, it was limited to Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. The Philadelphia Inquirer flooded the area with flyers of the boys likeness on them, even including them in the gas bill for every resident. The police distributed a postmortem photograph of the boy fully dressed and in a seated position, hoping this would lead someone to recognize him. No one came forward.

The boy was ultimately buried in a potter’s field, next to Mechanicsville and Dunks Ferry Rd. His tombstone read, “Heavenly Father, Bless This Unknown Boy.” His body was exhumed in 1998 to extract mitochondrial DNA from one of his teeth. Unfortunately the DNA sequence is too small to produce a conclusive match with anyone, yet efforts continue.

On November 11, 1998, the boys body was reburied at the Ivy Hill Cemetery in Cedarbrook, Philadelphia. The cemetery donated a large plot for the boy, and the man who buried the boy back in 1957 donated the coffin, headstone, and a funeral service. The new headstone bears the words, “America’s Unknown Child.” City residents keep the grave decorated with stuffed animals, toys, and flowers.

Authorities had only a handful of leads. At first, they thought Frederic Benosis, the college student who reported finding the boy, could be guilty. He was questioned and ultimately cleared via a lie detector test.

Police also investigated a foster home, located 1.5 miles from the site where the boy’s body was found. The family had 8 foster children, and all children were accounted for. Investigators checked out each child and with no signs of abuse, the family was ultimately ruled out. Speculation remains, however, that Arthur Nicoletti, who ran the home, could have been involved. In 1960, Remington Bristow, a medical examiner’s office employee contacted a psychic. This psychic led Bristow and investigators to the foster home, without having ever visited the area first.

Bristow attended an estate sale at the foster home, and discovered a bassinet similar to the one sold at JCPenney. He also found blankets on the clothesline, similar to the one the boy had been wrapped in. Despite this circumstantial evidence, police could not find any definitive links between the boy and the foster home.  

The most compelling lead came in May 2002. A business woman from Cincinnati, OH, identifying herself as “M,” claimed her mother had purchased the boy from his parents in 1954. She named him Jonathan and regularly abused him both physically and sexually. The boy could not speak, and was also handicapped. She kept him in the basement for 2.5 years.

One evening at dinner, the boy vomited his meal of baked beans and subsequently given a severe beating – his head slammed into the floor until he was only semiconscious. He was put in the bathtub to clean up, where he ultimately died.

“M’s” mother cut the boys hair to hide his identity, then forced “M” to help her dump the boys body in the Fox Chase area. They parked the car and as they were working to remove the body from the trunk, a passing male motorist pulled up to see if they needed help. “M” was ordered to stand in front of the car, blocking view of their license plate while her mother convinced the man that they were fine and didn’t need any help.

The details fit – the boy had wrinkled hands and feet, and the coroner said the boy’s stomach contained baked beans. The boy’s hair had been cut haphazardly, most likely after death. A male witness, who had come forward in 1957 claimed there had been an empty box in the area where he stopped to help a female motorist.

But investigators couldn’t corroborate her story. Not only did “M” have a history of mental illness, but neighbors who had access to her home during the stated time period denied that there had ever been a young boy living there. They dismissed “M’s” claims as “ridiculous.”

On March 21, 2016, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released a facial reconstruction of the boy and added him into their database.

On November 30, 2022, police announced that they have finally identified the boy. Using the latest DNA technology, they were able to extract DNA from the boy, and cross-reference it with DNA information made available from genealogy databases.

His identity was released on December 8, 2022. The boy in the box is Joseph Augustus Zarelli. Even though we now know who this young boy is, we still do not have justice. Investigators have not given up, and have reported that charges might still be filed.

The story of the boy in the box will occupy our minds for years to come. Another case that has had the same effect, is that of Elisa Lam.

Give the gift of Prime – Amazon Prime

Note to readers: If you purchase anything through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a commission.