Annual tribute to Joseph Augustus Zarelli

Annual tribute to Joseph Augustus Zarelli aka "The Boy in the Box"

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Vidocq Society hosted its annual tribute to Joseph Augustus Zarelli. Until December of last year, he was known as the Boy in the Box.

This year's event was moved to Ivy Hill Cemetery at Zarelli's gravesite.

It was previously held on Susquehanna Road in Northeast Philadelphia where the 4-year-old's body was found on this date in 1957.

A former homicide detective talked about the years spent working on Zarelli's case.

"Towards the end of my career, we were able to come up with the idea of combining the DNA technology and put a plan together to help establish the boy's identity," retired Philadelphia Police Sergent Bob Kuhlmeier said, "and that plan ended up being successful. Here we are today, you know, with the boy's identity, Joseph Augustus Zarelli."

Zarelli's DNA helped police to identify him.

The Vidocq Society is a private, crime-solving club.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.