Murder of Joseph Augustus Zarelli

Joseph appeared to have been cleaned and freshly groomed, with a recent haircut and trimmed fingernails, although he had suffered extensive physical attacks prior to his death, with multiple bruises on his body.On February 25, 1957,[8] Zarelli's body, wrapped in a plaid blanket, was found in the woods off Susquehanna Road in the Fox Chase neighborhood of Philadelphia.[13][14] The police also distributed a post-mortem photograph of the boy fully dressed and in a seated position, as he may have looked in life, in the hope it might lead to a clue.[15] On March 21, 2016, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released a forensic facial reconstruction of the victim and added him into their database.In 1960, Remington Bristow, an employee of the medical examiner's office who doggedly pursued the case until his death in 1993, contacted a New Jersey psychic, who told him to look for a house that matched the foster home.[9][12] In 1998, Philadelphia police lieutenant Tom Augustine, who was in charge of the investigation, and several members of the Vidocq Society (a group of retired policemen and profilers), interviewed the foster father and the stepdaughter (whom he had married).[22][better source needed] Another theory was brought forward in February 2002 by a woman identified only as Martha, or "M", accusing her mother of acquiring and killing the child.[24] In 2016, two writers, one from Los Angeles, California (Jim Hoffmann) and the other from New Jersey (Louis Romano), believed they had discovered a potential identity from Memphis, Tennessee, and requested that DNA be compared between the family members and the child.Local authorities confirmed that they would investigate the lead, but said they would need to do more research on the circumstances surrounding the link to Memphis before comparing DNA.[25] At a December 2022 press conference, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Outlaw stated that Joseph's death is "still an active homicide investigation and we still need the public's help."[29] In January 2023, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Joseph's biological parents were Augustus John Zarelli, known as "Gus," and Mary Elizabeth (née Abel) Plunkett, known as "Betsy.
The crime scene where Zarelli was found
Posters showing Zarelli's postmortem photos that was distributed during the initial investigation
Zarelli's torso, showing signs of severe malnutrition , starvation and scarring
Zarelli's legs showing signs of severe bruising , malnutrition and scarring
Forensic facial reconstruction by Carl Koppelman showing what Zarelli may have looked like when he was alive
Memorial sign near the location where the body was found on the side of Susquehanna Road. The sign was erected five years before Zarelli's identification.
Zarelli's grave at Ivy Hill Cemetery in August 2022
IdentifiedHomicideblunt force traumaFox Chase, PhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaIvy Hill CemeteryCedarbrook, PhiladelphiamalnourishedPhiladelphiabruisesPhiladelphia Police Departmentgenealogical databasesFox ChaserabbitMary Jane BarkerbassinetJ. C. PenneymalnutritionstarvationscarringbruisingDelaware ValleyThe Philadelphia Inquirergas bill in Philadelphiapost-mortem photographforensic facial reconstructionunidentifiedmurder victimgenetic testinginvestigative genetic genealogyDelaware County, PennsylvaniaGEDmatchbirth certificateForensicCarl Koppelmanfoster homepsychicunwed motherVidocq SocietyprofilersFrank Benderpotter's fieldCedarbrookPhiladelphia Police Commissioner OutlawNBC10 PhiladelphiaList of murdered American childrenList of unsolved murdersThe Doe NetworkNational Missing and Unidentified Persons SystemAssociated PressYork DispatchPeople MagazineCBS NewsNine NewsPhiladelphia City PaperPenguin BooksCourtTVPhiladelphia MagazineNational Center for Missing & Exploited ChildrenPhiladelphia Inquirer