Philly’s newly ID’d ‘Boy in the Box’ gets grave marker at 70
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A slain child at the center of one of Philadelphia’s oldest cold cases now has his name on a grave marker. Mourners who gathered at the gravesite Friday are marking what would have been the 70th birthday of Joseph Augustus Zarelli _ the 4-year-old found dead in 1957 and long known as the “Boy in the Box.” A month ago, police learned his identity through DNA, detective work and genealogical records. Now they hope to learn how he died, even if it’s too late to make an arrest. Retired detective William Fleisher says the boy’s story is an important part of Philadelphia history.
