Credit: Philadelphia Police
America’s Unknown Child no more. The former “Boy in the Box” has been identified as Joseph Augustus Zarelli, born Jan. 13, 1953.
Colleen Fitzpatrick, Misty Gillis and Identifinders International identified not only Joseph, but also the boy’s now-deceased birth mother and father, as well living siblings on both sides.
“This was the most challenging case of my whole career,” said Fitzpatrick.
No identification clues
On Feb. 25, 1957, a little boy’s naked, badly bruised body was found stuffed inside a cardboard box in a wooded area of Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood. The boy was malnourished and bore both old trauma and new injuries indicating he had been beaten to death.
“In his very short life, it was apparent that this child experienced horrors that no one should ever be subjected to,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw Thursday during a press conference.
Forensic scientists and investigators employed many avenues of possible identification in 1957, including newspaper ads, posters and footprint matching. Police spoke to local hospitals under the assumption the boy had at least one surgery thanks to IV marks found on his arm during autopsy. They also checked orphanages and foster homes. The medical examiner’s office dressed the boy and released post-mortem photographs, hoping to trigger someone’s memory. They also made a death mask that was brought along whenever there was a potential lead.
However, nothing led to a positive identification. The still-unidentified boy was then buried in a potter’s field.
DNA and genetic genealogy
Over 40 years later, in 1998, the boy’s body was exhumed to extract DNA. He was subsequently reburied in a donated plot at a Philadelphia cemetery. The DNA profile was entered into CODIS and constantly run, but there were still no hits.
Then, in 2018, forensic investigative genetic genealogy burst onto the scene and changed everything. Soon after, the Philadelphia Police Department’s Office of Forensic Science implemented a forensic genealogy program to assist in dozens of unidentified human remains or unknown suspects cases—Joseph’s being one of them. Fitzpatrick and Identifinders International were soon tapped to collaborate.
On April 24, 2019, Joseph’s body was exhumed again, as it was determined the portion of his remains stored at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office was insufficient for modern DNA analysis. This time, enough DNA was extracted for testing.
However, that DNA was not ideal.
“It took 2.5 years to get the DNA to a point where we could generate SNP data for genealogy,” said Fitzpatrick.
Once that data finally came in, Misty Gillis, Identifinders’ senior forensic genealogist and cold case liaison, worked “night and day to get that boy his identity back,” said Fitzpatrick.
Building a family tree
Eventually, Fitzpatrick and Gillis gave the Philadelphia Police Department leads for the maternal side of the child’s family. Detectives made contact with the family, obtaining a DNA sample from a living relative. After further testing, Fitzpatrick and Gillis were able to confirm the identity of the child’s birth mother.
With a name in hand, detectives found three birth certificates for the established mother in the timeframe between 1944 and 1956. Two certificates were for living children previously known to investigators. The third was for a male child born in 1953—consistent with the approximate age of the boy. Additionally, the name of the child’s birth father was listed on the birth certificate.
Based on research by the detectives and genealogists, a candidate was established as the possible birth father. After making contact with and testing the child’s paternal side, Fitzpatrick and Gillis were able to establish the identify of the birth father, and confirm it was the same male listed on the birth certificate.
That also meant they had a name for the little boy. Although no social security card was ever issued for Joseph Augustus Zarelli, his death certificate now reflects his name.
Capt. Jason Smith of the Philadelphia Police homicide unit said they will not be naming Joseph’s birth mother and father, although he did confirm they are both deceased. However, Joseph has living siblings on both sides. Smith did not provide their names or information either, citing the fact that Joseph’s murder is an ongoing criminal investigation.
“We have our suspicions as to who may be responsible, but it would be irresponsible of me to share these suspicions as this remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation,” Smith said. “We’re hoping to receive an avalanche of tips from this press conference. Someone in their mid to late 70s or 80s who remembers that child.”
Smith confirmed Joseph lived the four short years of his life in West Philadelphia, not too far from where his body was found.
“We may not make an arrest,” Smith said. “We may never make an identification (of the killer). But we’re going to do our darndest to try.”
The hope in a name
The identification of Joseph Augustus Zarelli represents the first identification of human remains using genetic genealogy as a result of the forensic genealogy program at the Philadelphia Police Department’s Office of Forensic Science.
Ryan Gallagher, Criminalistics Unit Manager at the Office of Forensic Science, said the program has tested dozens of cases, ranging in years from 1957 (Joseph’s case) to 2022.
“While this is the first, it will definitely not be the last,” said Gallagher. “Our goal for the project is that there will never be another unidentified homicide victim in the city of Philadelphia. We have established a process for all new and unidentified remains, and are working through the records for all previous homicides that may be eligible for this program. We may not obtain the lofty goal of 100%, but the identification of American’s Unknown Child strengthens us.”
Fitzpatrick agrees. The case may have been the hardest yet of her career, but the successful outcome is giving her hope.
“Every case we solve we learn something from that pays forward to the next one,” she said. “The technology we push forward is giving hope to other unidentified victims whose DNA is thought to be beyond the modern horizon of technology. Maybe it isn’t after all.”