Joseph Augustus Zarelli

About

Best known as the "Boy in the Box" and "America's Unknown Child." His extensively beaten body was found on the side of Susquehanna Road, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 25, 1957.

Before Fame

He was found to be malnourished.

Trivia

On November 30, 2022, the Philadelphia Police Department announced that detectives had determined the boy's identity using DNA and genealogical databases.

Family Life

There were initially two theories about where he may have came from. The first was that he was from a foster home and the other theory was that he was related to a woman named Martha. It was later reported on by the Inquirer that his parents were named Augustus J. "Gus" Zarelli and Mary Elizabeth "Betsy" Abel.

Associated With

He shares a birthday with Patrick Dempsey.