03-12-22, 20:02
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Boy in The Box Murder Mystery Finally Identified 65 Yrs Later
Boy in The Box Victim in Mystery Murder Case Finally Identified 65 Years Later
WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT: The crumpled corpse of a little boy was found stuffed in a box and abandoned on a stretch of road in north Philadelphia in February 1957
BBC 3 DEC 2022
A mystery murder case branded "The Boy in the Box" kiillings has been solved 65 years on.
The corpse of a little boy was discovered stuffed in a box and abandoned in Philadelphia more than half a century ago.
For the first time on Wednesday, police said they have uncovered the child's identity, meaning a name can finally be added to his headstone.
Cemetery worker Linda Tamburri 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."
Ms Tamburri and her colleagues at Ivy Hill Cemetery burst into tears yesterday when they were told that Philadelphia police have at long last cracked the case.
She and Dave Drysdale have been looking after the boy's resting place since his remains were transferred there in 1998.
Drysdale said: "I think it's wonderful.
"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.'"
It has taken years of analysing DNA and cross-referencing it with genealogical databases to uncover his name, CBS3 Investigations reports.
The child, who was aged between four and six at the time of his murder, was found discarded along a stretch of road in northern Philadelphia in February 1957.
He couldn't be identified at the time or during the years that followed, earning him the tragic moniker of "America's Unknown Child".
Now-retired Detective Sergeant Bob Kuhlmeier told the outlet in April 2021 that the cause of death was "blunt force trauma".
"He appeared to be cleaned and freshly groomed with a haircut," he added.
In 2019, police exhumed the boy's remains to retrieve more DNA which helped them develop a successful DNA profile.
Using the DNA, detectives scoured genealogy information to track down potential links and relatives.
An update on the case is expected next week, Philadelphia police say.
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