S2.E14 - The Boy The World Tried to Find: The Tragic Tale of Joseph Augustus Zarelli

About this episode

The episode discusses the tragic case of Joseph Augustus Zarelli, known as 'The Boy in the Box', and the efforts to identify him after decades of mystery.

This week, the Pandemonium team discusses the heartbreaking case known for decades as “The Boy in the Box.” In February 1957, the body of a young boy was discovered inside a cardboard box in the woods of Philadelphia. He had no name, no missing persons report, and no one who seemed to be searching for him. For more than 65 years, investigators and amateur sleuths worked to identify the child once called “America’s Unknown Child.” This episode walks through the discovery of the boy, the many theories that followed, and the decades-long effort to finally give him back his name. Because even when the world didn’t know who you were, your story still deserves to be told. Links We Used: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Joseph_Augustus_Zarelli https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/us/philadelphia-boy-in-box-thursday/index.html https://themchenrymessenger.com/who-was-the-boy-in-the-box/ https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/news/the-boy-in-the-box-finally-identified-65-years-after-his-body-was-discovered https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/the-boy-in-the-box-joseph-augustus-zarelli/…

People in this episode

Host: TPW3MPodcast

Topics covered

• true crime
• unsolved mysteries
• child murder
• forensic investigation
• historical cases

Keywords

• Joseph Augustus Zarelli
• The Boy in the Box
• Philadelphia
• unsolved case
• true crime
• mystery
• child murder
• investigation

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Philadelphia

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