small boy was discovered in a cardboard box
In February 1957, the body of a small boy was discovered in a cardboard box under some brush in Philadelphia. The child, who looked to be about four to six years old, was covered in bruises and surgical scars, appeared malnourished, and was found to have been beaten to death. For years, the nameless victim was simply referred to as the “Boy in the Box,” and the headstone marking his grave read “America’s Unknown Child.” But more than 60 years after the boy’s discovery, Philadelphia police announced that thanks to genetic genealogy and some old-fashioned detective work, the Boy in the Box has finally been identified: