After Decades, They Have Finally Identified A Murder Victim Known As ‘The Boy In The Box’ And…

A young boy’s battered and naked body was discovered in a box by the side of the road near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 25, 1957. The victim was known as “The Boy in the Box” as officials were unable to identify him for more than 65 years.

The boy’s name hasn’t been made public yet, although the Philadelphia Police Department has now claimed that it was able to identify the youngster through the use of DNA and genealogical data, according to CBS Philadelphia.

The youngster was well-groomed, with a haircut and manicured fingernails, but he also had numerous scars on his body, some of which resembled surgical. It is said that the youngster was found to be emaciated, and although his exact age was unknown, it is assumed that he was between the ages of four and six at the time of his death.

The discovery of the boy’s identity could lead to criminal charges, as Police determined that the boy was killed by blunt force trauma.

Linda Tamburri, who has taken care of the boy’s cemetery who was previously unnamed, said, “To have a name on that stone, that’s what everybody has been wishing forever, I’m just glad I’m here to actually know I’ll see that little boy’s name on the stone.”

The discovery was “wonderful,” Dave Drysdale, cemetery secretary, and treasurer at Ivy Hill, where the boy was buried said.

He continued, “I just wish that the police officers and all the people involved who long passed away were still here to see it because that was one of their goals and a couple of them said, ‘I hope they live long enough to see a name put on there.’”

When the boy’s remains were transported from Potter’s Field in 1998, Drysdale was at Ivy Hill.

“Someday, there will be a name on there and it will be great. It will be great,” Drysdale said.

According to reports, police have been trying to identify the youngster for years. In 2019, they exhumed his bones to collect more DNA for testing. And in order to create a family tree and locate the members of the family, this research was compared with genealogical data.

However, police found the boy’s birth certificate, as sources told NBC 10 Philadelphia.

The identification of the remains means “[t]he investigation will start all over again and then we’ll start seeking for a suspect,” Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith told the site last year.

The name of the child will be will reveal next week as police said.

Sources: Dailywire, CBSnews, People