Forensic Genealogist Misty Gillis (THE BOY IN THE BOX COLD CASE)

Forensic Genealogist Misty Gillis  

Misty Gillis has been a traditional genealogist for over 20 years focusing on US , Canadian and UK genealogy.

She is currently employed as the Senior Forensic Genealogist & Cold Case Liaision at Identifinders International, LLC

She has helped solve more than 100 cases and currently works with Law Enforcement exclusively on criminal cold case files as well as works professionally on adoption and misattributed paternity searches.

Special thanks go out to the Philadelphia Police Dept Special Victims Unit Leuitenent Douglas

And also the hard working men and women of the Philadelphia Cold  Case File Squad for their help and cooperation in this program.

Despite the publicity and sporadic interest throughout the years, the boy's identity remained unknown for over half a century. On November 30, 2022, the Philadelphia Police Department announced that detectives had determined the boy's identity using DNA and genealogical databases. On December 8, 2022, more than 65 years after his body was found, the boy was publicly identified as Joseph Augustus Zarelli during a press conference held by Philadelphia Police Department. Though the boy was identified, the exact circumstances leading to his death are uncertain and the case is still considered an open homicide investigation.

Joseph Augustus Zarelli (January 13, 1953[5] – February 1957), previously known as the "Boy in the Box", "Boy in a Box", or "America's Unknown Child", was a 4-year-old boy whose nude, extensively beaten dead body was found on the side of Susquehanna Road, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 25, 1957. Joseph appeared to have been cleaned and freshly groomed, with a recent haircut and trimmed fingernails, although he had suffered extensive physical abuse prior to his death, with multiple bruises on his body. Joseph was also severely malnourished. The body was covered with scars, some of which were surgical (most notably on his ankle, groin, and chin). Authorities believe that the cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma.