UNSOLVED: The Boy in the Box 2
Murder: True Crime Stories
Crime House
4.6 • 770 Ratings
🗓️ 7 August 2025
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For decades, investigators searched for answers to solve The Boy in the Box cold case. In this gripping conclusion, we unpack the moments that finally led to a breakthrough, from a chilling tip to the DNA match that identified Joseph Augustus Zarelli. But while his identity is no longer a mystery, the case still remains unsolved and his killer is still at large.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey everyone, Carter Roy here. |
| 0:04.4 | If you're loving murder, true crime stories, you need to check out Crimes of, the newest show from Crime House. |
| 0:11.7 | Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season, from crimes of the paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances, and more. Their first season is |
| 0:23.3 | Crimes of Infamy, the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains. Crimes of is a |
| 0:32.2 | crimehouse original powered by Pave Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or find them on YouTube at Crimehouse Studios. |
| 0:41.0 | New episodes out every Tuesday. This is Crime House. |
| 0:57.0 | Every cold case is a wound left open. |
| 1:04.0 | For loved ones, for investigators, for anyone who stumbles across a name and wonders what happened. |
| 1:11.6 | But in some cases, that wound never heals. |
| 1:16.6 | Because while every victim deserves justice, some get more attention than others. |
| 1:23.6 | Usually it has to do with family and friends. |
| 1:26.6 | The more dedicated they are, the more likely the media is to spread information and highlight |
| 1:33.1 | a case. |
| 1:34.5 | But in 1957, something unusual happened. |
| 1:39.3 | The young boy was found dead on the outskirts of Philadelphia. |
| 1:43.6 | No family stepped forward to claim him. |
| 1:46.7 | And yet, his story captured the hearts of the entire country. |
| 1:52.7 | Long after police had packed up the evidence and moved on, others couldn't let it go. |
| 1:59.9 | The small group of believers kept searching, following hunches, testing theories, and refusing to give up on a child the world seemed unwilling to forget. |
| 2:12.1 | And because of them, America's unknown child eventually got his name back. |
| 2:20.3 | People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end, but you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon, and we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder, True Crime Stories, Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. |
| 2:53.6 | And now we are releasing twice a week every Tuesday and Thursday. |
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