A little boy killed more than 60 years ago has finally been identified thanks to police work and DNA analysis, the Philadelphia Police Department said.
The case, known as “the boy in the box,” is Philadelphia’s oldest unsolved homicide.
A little boy killed more than 60 years ago has finally been identified thanks to police work and DNA analysis, the Philadelphia Police Department said.
WPVI
On Feb. 26, 1957, a boy between 4 and 6 years old was found dead in a box in a wooded area in northeast Philadelphia. The naked boy had been severely beaten, Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said.
No one ever came forward to claim him, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.
The boy has now been identified as Joseph Augustus Zerilli, born Jan. 13, 1953, Smith said.
Genealogists used the boy’s DNA to research possible relatives and eventually established the identity of his birth parents, Smith said, adding that detectives learned no Social Security number was ever issued for Joseph.
It is not clear who is responsible for Joseph’s death, Smith said.
“We have our suspicions as to who may be responsible, but it would be irresponsible of me to share these suspicions,” Smith said, citing the ongoing investigation.
Smith also did not release the names of Joseph’s parents.
“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,” he explained.
