"Boy in the Box" Joseph Augustus Zarelli gets new headstone
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was a long time coming, but on Friday, the little boy once known as "The Boy in the Box" finally had his name placed on a gravestone.
A headstone dedication ceremony was held Friday morning for Joseph Augustus Zarelli. It was the first opportunity CBS Philadelphia had to speak with family members of Zarrelli.
Zarelli was identified by investigators last month after decades of work.
"He's always been there, Kimberly Augustine, daughter of the late detective who led the investigation, said. "It's always something in our heart and in our head."
The boy's body was found in a bassinet box along Susquehanna Road in the city's Fox Chase section in February 1957.
The case stayed with some people for decades and investigators put in long hours trying to determine his identity. Ultimately, DNA led to the reveal in December 2022.
For weeks, surviving family members have declined to comment until Friday. CBS Philadelphia has learned the biological mother and father of Zarelli are deceased.
Those family members still living say they were blindsided when police called to tell them they were related to this young homicide victim.
They say they never knew about their connection to the case before last month. One family member, who asked that her name not be used, told CBS Philadelphia they mourn for Zarelli and wanted to be there Friday.
They also say they will be persistent with police and other investigators to continue to figure out what happened to the young child in 1957. They want closure.
Until Friday, Zarelli's grave at Ivy Hill Cemetery was labeled with a headstone that read "America's Unknown Child." Workers at the cemetery were emotional last month when they finally learned the name of the boy whose grave they had cared for through the decades.
Friday would have been Zarelli's 70th birthday.
CBS Philadelphia spoke with Bill Fleisher, commissioner of the Vidocq Society, about the significance of identifying Zarelli. The group helps law enforcement agencies work on cold cases, and worked on the case for years.
"It's a confluence of cutting-edge technology, DNA and the art of forensic genetics - all these people all these years with us and only here in spirit should be commended by all humanity," Fleisher said.
CBS Philadelphia can also report the paternal side of Zarelli's family has deep roots in West Philadelphia and Overbrook, specifically Saint Donato Parish, as well as Broomall and parts of Delaware County more recently.
The investigation into what happened to Joseph Zarelli is still ongoing and for closure sake, his family hopes to know someday what happened.
