The 1950's The Boy In The Box

1228 Words3 Pages

The Boy in the Box is a gruesome tale told by many. During the 1950’s there was a traumatizing event in the state of Pennsylvania. This story is about a young boy around seven years of age who was brutally beaten by someone who cared for him dearly. The day he was found the head investigator took the body in to be investigated. There was two men that discovered that the police received a call on the day the body was found saying there was a doll found next to the body sadly the call or person was ever found. The dead boy's fingerprints were taken, and the police at first were optimistic that he would soon be identified. However, no one ever came to the station to claim the body. The case attracted massive media attention in Philadelphia and …show more content…

The interview seemed to confirm that the family was not involved in the murder. The foster home investigation was closed.[7] A DNA test showed that the stepdaughter was not the boy's mother.[1]Another theory was brought forward in February 2002 by a woman identified only as "M." Police considered "M"'s story to be plausible but were troubled by her testimony, as she had a history of mental illness.[8][9] "M" claimed that her abusive mother had "purchased" the unknown boy (whose name was Jonathan) from his birth parents in the summer of 1954.[4][10] Subsequently, the boy was subjected to extreme physical and sexual abuse for two and a half years. One evening at dinner, the boy vomited up his meal of baked beans and was given a severe beating, with his head slammed against the floor until he was semiconscious. He was then given a bath, during which he died. These details matched information known only to the police, as the coroner had found that the boy's stomach contained the remains of baked beans and that his fingers were water-wrinkled.[4]"M"'s mother then cut the boy's distinctive long hair (accounting for the unprofessional haircut which police noted in their initial investigation) in an effort to conceal his identity. …show more content…

The child's unprofessional haircut, which appeared to have been performed in haste, was the basis for the scenario, as well as the appearance of the eyebrows having been styled. Bender later released a sketch of the unidentified child with long hair, reflecting the strands found on the body.[12]In 2016, two writers, one from Los Angeles, California (Jim Hoffmann) the other from New Jersey (Louis Romano) explained that they believed they had discovered a potential identity from Memphis, Tennessee and requested that DNA be compared between the family members and the child. The lead was originally discovered by a Philadelphia man (who introduced Romano and Hoffmann to each other) and then developed and presented, with the help of Hoffmann, to the Philadelphia Police Department and the Vidocq Society in early 2013. In December 2013, Romano became aware of the lead and agreed to help the man from Philadelphia and Hoffmann to personally obtain the DNA from this particular family member in January 2014 - which was sent quickly to the Philadelphia Police Department. Local authorities confirmed that they would investigate the lead, yet they stated that they would need to do more research on the circumstances surrounding the link to Memphis before comparing DNA. In October 2017 the PPD confirmed, through DNA (retrieved by the PPD through the Memphis PD), that the Memphis man and the Fox

More about The 1950's The Boy In The Box

Open Document