PA THE BOY IN THE BOX: WM, 4-6, found in Philadelphia, PA - 25 February 1957 *JOSEPH ZARELLI*

America's Unknown Child

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov

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www.crimewatchers.net

America's unknown child, the Boy in the Box, was found in Philadelphia, #PENNSYLVANIA in February of 1957 & identified in 2022 to be Joseph A Zarelli!

An unidentified Caucasian male, probable age 4 to 6 years, whose nude body, wrapped in a cheap flannel blanket, was found lying face up inside a large cardboard carton.
www.crimewatchers.net www.crimewatchers.net
 
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http://americasunknownchild.net/summary.htm


Florida Claimants: In early 2004, Detective Tom Augustine was contacted by people in Florida who claimed that their mother was the unknown boy's birth parent. They submitted DNA samples for testing at their own expense. The DNA samples were analyzed, but they didn't match. When Detective Augustine informed them of this, the people in Florida insisted that the DNA lab must have made a mistake because they were absolutely certain that their mother was the boy's birth parent! Subsequently, they submitted a sample of their mother's DNA for analysis, again at their own expense. The mother's DNA sample also failed to match the unknown boy's DNA profile.
 
http://americasunknownchild.net/summary.htm


Evidence Obtained From The Victim's Body (1998):

DNA technology did not exist in 1957. Forty-one years later, after the long-dormant case was reactivated, the boy's remains were exhumed for the purpose of obtaining tissue samples for DNA analysis. Investigators hoped to compare the boy's nuclear DNA profile against the DNA profiles of current and future suspects & claimants. Unfortunately, by that time, the remains were far too degraded to permit extraction of viable nuclear DNA. However, after several failed attempts, tissue samples were sent to an independent DNA laboratory, which successfully extracted mitochondrial DNA from the boy's teeth. Although a mitochondrial DNA profile is a less useful forensic tool than a nuclear DNA profile in certain respects, it can never-the-less be used to confirm or rule out a genetic relationship through maternal lineage. The victim's mitochondrial DNA profile has already been used to rule out the possibility that he was Steven Damman, a missing New York boy who was kidnapped in 1955.
 
David Stout. The Boy in the Box: The Unsolved Case of America's Unknown Child (Kindle Locations 2335). Kindle Edition.

Anna Marie Nagel Nicoletti from the Nicoletti foster home

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Anna Marie Nagle, foster daughter, has DNA taken and rumored maternity of Boy in the Box forever silenced: she’s not a match. The foster family is officially removed from the Philadelphia Police department’s radar.

Hoffmann, Jim. The Boy in the Box: America's Unknown Child (Revised Edition) (Kindle Locations 1093-1095). . Kindle Edition.
 
McGillen’s journey began in 1998 when he was asked to become a member of the Vidocq Society, and the members voted to take on the case of the Boy in the Box. The Philadelphia Police Department approved their
assistance. So many great minds searching for an answer. On November 3, 1998, the boy’s remains were exhumed for the purposes of DNA extraction, which was successfully taken from the boy’s teeth. On November 11, 1998, the boy was reburied at Ivy Hill Cemetery. The Vidocq Society, which paid for the exhumation, DNA extraction, and reburial of the boy, chose to name the boy, if just symbolically.

Hoffmann, Jim. The Boy in the Box: America's Unknown Child (Revised Edition) (Kindle Locations 1302-1304). . Kindle Edition.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidocq_Society

Vidocq Society

The Vidocq Society is a members-only crime-solving club that meets on the third Thursday of every month in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Vidocq Society is named for Eugène François Vidocq, the ground-breaking 19th century French detective who helped police by using the psychology of the criminal to solve "cold case" homicides. Vidocq was a former criminal himself, and used his knowledge of the criminal mind to look at murder from the psychological perspective of the perpetrator. At meetings, Vidocq Society Members (VSMs) listen to local law enforcement officials from around the world who bring in cold cases for review.

VSMs are forensic professionals; current and former FBI profilers, homicide investigators, scientists, psychologists, prosecutors and coroners who use their experience to provide justice for investigations that have gone cold. Members are selected by committee invitation only, pay a $100 annual fee, and commit to attend at least one meeting per year.

The Society was formed in 1990 by William Fleisher, Richard Walter, and Frank Bender. It solved its first case in 1991, clearing an innocent man of involvement in the murder of Huey Cox in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Vidocq will only consider cases that meet certain requirements: they must be unsolved deaths more than two years old, the victims cannot have been involved in criminal activity such as prostitution or drug dealing, and the case must be formally presented to them by the appropriate law enforcement agency. The Society does not charge for its services, and pays for the travel expenses of the law enforcement agents who come to present cases.

The Society was chronicled in a 2002 episode of The New Detectives entitled "Collective Justice", and was also a plot point in the finale of the 2007–08 season of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2010 it became the subject of a book, The Murder Room by Michael Capuzzo. In A Question of Guilt, a book in the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Super Mystery series, Nancy Drew and Frank and Joe Hardy, working on opposite sides of the same case, approach the Vidocq Society for help.
 
http://www.vidocq.org/

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FOUNDERS
Veritas Veritatum - The Truth of Truths

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The Vidocq Society was founded in 1990. Philadelphia’s second-in-command U.S. Customs Service Special Agent, a well-known forensic sculptor from Philadelphia, and a prison psychologist from Michigan were the first members.

The trio wanted to establish a venue at which like-minded persons, in and out of forensics, would gather to discuss and debate crimes and mysteries. The first meeting, a luncheon, occurred at the old Philadelphia Navy Yard. Later the organization met at the Olde City Tavern then at the Down Town Club. Today, The Union League of Philadelphia is our primary meeting site.

After the founding, federal state and local law enforcers sought to join, attention grew, and original members now-posted outside of the City of Brotherly love encouraged others to join.

In time the focus of the Society narrowed to where unsolved deaths and, in certain cases, disappearances became the organization’s mandate.

The Society was founded by William Fleisher, V.S.M., Frank Bender, V.S.M., and Richard Walter, V.S.M.

The Society’s original bylaws called for 82 Vidocq Society Members (V.S.M.s), one for each year of Vidocq’s life. Today more than 150 men and women from diverse backgrounds comprise our unique group, sprinkled with forensic experts, businesspeople, and others chosen to wear the distinctive red, white, and blue rosette Vidocq rosette.

Frank Bender, V.S.M., a talented sculptor and forensic reconstructionist with the uncanny ability to recreate faces for law enforcement from partial and complete skulls. His work has been featured on major documentaries and television programs across the globe.
 
http://www.vidocq.org/case-acceptance/

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CASE ACCEPTANCE
The mission of the Vidocq Society is to act as a catalyst and provide pro bono assistance to law enforcement agencies to aid them in solving cold case homicides.
Not all cases submitted to the Vidocq Society are accepted for consideration. Cases may come to the Society’s attention through a request from a family member of the deceased or an inquiry directly from the law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction.

Our sole purpose is to provide guidance to law enforcement agencies to assist them in solving these homicides. Opinions given by our members are personal and offered in the spirit of cooperation and assistance, based only upon the facts presented, and should not be considered formal or legally binding opinions of the Society.

When a case is accepted for presentation by the Society it is done so only with the active cooperation of the department involved. Our goal is to provide assistance when requested. We do not conduct independent investigations, nor do we seek public recognition for our work. If the department seeks publicity we will assist by allowing the press entry to the presentation. However, the investigation remains 100% under the control of the investigating agency.

Some specific criteria are:

The victim must not have been engaged in criminal activity that caused his/her death.
The department with investigative jurisdiction must invite the Society to assist their effort.
The case should, at minimum, have the following:
A body
A known crime scene
Physical evidence
 
http://www.vidocq.org/training/

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TRAINING

MEMBER TRAINING
Training for members in various forensic disciplines is conducted on a regular basis and members are notified by e-mail.

PRO BONO LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING
The Vidocq Society conducts pro bono cold case homicide seminars on a regular basis. Usually a law enforcement agency or college criminal justice program hosts these five day seminars. We work with the host agency to develop a seminar based on their requirements. The Vidocq members provide their expertise by lecturing in varied disciplines. While one of our members is lecturing other members are examining cold cases brought by seminar attendees, in an attempt to move investigations forward. Attendance is limited to credentialed law enforcement and homicide prosecutors. There is no charge to the host agency, however on occasion the host agency will help defray our costs through the use of grants and training funds.
 
Historic marker placed for boy by the Vidocq Society, with the Boy Scouts

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Philadelphia's Boy in the Box was buried by the Vidocq Society, for the second time, on November 11, 1998. This burial is in Ivy Hill Cemetery.

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http://americasunknownchild.net/recent.htm

To the Detectives of the Homicide Division of the Police Department of the City of Philadelphia:

As a sign of my concern for their spiritual welfare and with confidence in God's special care for "America's Unknown Child", I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican - March 15, 1999

Pope John Paul II
 
I have been contacted to provide information about the Boy in the Box to Barbara Rae-Venter. I have declined this request. Any information Dr. Venter-Rae needs for her research should be obtained from the Philadelphia Police Department or the Vidocq Society, if they have requested her assistance with this case. There has been too much troll activity involving the Boy in the Box. Confidential information has been released at Reddit and other websites. Cryptic posts have been made on this thread. I have no interest in releasing confidential information.
 
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