# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/joseph-augustus-zarelli
# Generated: 2026-08-14T22:39:50.490Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/joseph-augustus-zarelli"
name: "Joseph Augustus Zarelli"
slug: "joseph-augustus-zarelli"
description: "Joseph Augustus Zarelli, previously known as the \"Boy in the Box\", the \"Boy in a Box\" or \"America's Unknown Child\", was an American four-year-old male whose nude, malnourished and beaten body was found on the side of Susquehanna Road, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 25, 1957. Zarelli 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. He was also severely malnourished. His body was covered with scars, some of which were surgical. Authorities believe that the cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma."
tagline: "American formerly unidentified murder victim (1953 - 1957)"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Boy_in_the_Box_1957_Recon_001C.jpg?width=1200"
gender: "male"
country:
  name: "United States"
  isoCode: "US"
birthDate: "1953-01-13"
deathDate: "1957-02-25"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           55.84
  momentum:             1.681114585758667
  historical:           17.23626533333333
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  50
  trendDirection:       "STABLE"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
sources:
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Joseph_Augustus_Zarelli"
    title: "Killing of Joseph Augustus Zarelli"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B7%D9%81%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%82"
    title: "طفل الصندوق"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Augustus_Zarelli"
    title: "Joseph Augustus Zarelli"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%94%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%86%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%B1_%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85_%CE%A4%CE%B6%CF%8C%CE%B6%CE%B5%CF%86_%CE%91%CE%B3%CE%BA%CE%AC%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%82_%CE%96%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%AD%CE%BB%CE%B9"
    title: "Δολοφονία του Τζόζεφ Αγκάστους Ζαρέλι"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Joseph_Augustus_Zarelli"
    title: "Murder of Joseph Augustus Zarelli"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_ni%C3%B1o_en_la_caja"
    title: "El niño en la caja"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Augustus_Zarellin_murha"
    title: "Joseph Augustus Zarellin murha"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meurtre_de_Joseph_Augustus_Zarelli"
    title: "Meurtre de Joseph Augustus Zarelli"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragazzo_nella_scatola"
    title: "Ragazzo nella scatola"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9C%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9"
    title: "ボーイ・イン・ザ・ボックス"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%83%81%EC%9E%90_%EC%86%8D_%EC%86%8C%EB%85%84"
    title: "상자 속 소년"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moord_op_Joseph_Augustus_Zarelli"
    title: "Moord op Joseph Augustus Zarelli"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%82opiec_z_pude%C5%82ka"
    title: "Chłopiec z pudełka"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassinato_de_Joseph_Augustus_Zarelli"
    title: "Assassinato de Joseph Augustus Zarelli"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A3%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE_%D0%94%D0%B6%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B5%D1%84%D0%B0_%D0%97%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BB%D0%B8"
    title: "Убийство Джозефа Зарелли"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_in_the_Box_(Philadelphia)"
    title: "Boy in the Box (Philadelphia)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%86%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%88%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%8B%E0%B8%9F_%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%AA_%E0%B8%8B%E0%B8%B2%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B5"
    title: "การฆาตกรรมโจเซฟ ออกัสตัส ซาเรลลี"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%E1%BB%A5_gi%E1%BA%BFt_h%E1%BA%A1i_Joseph_Augustus_Zarelli"
    title: "Vụ giết hại Joseph Augustus Zarelli"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B4%84%E7%91%9F%E5%A4%AB%C2%B7%E5%A5%A7%E5%8F%A4%E6%96%AF%E9%83%BD%C2%B7%E6%89%8E%E9%9B%B7%E5%88%A9"
    title: "約瑟夫·奧古斯都·扎雷利"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q331015"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Imported from discovery source: wikidata-dump