Seek Clue in Carton Death

The identity of a small boy found murdered in a large cardboard box in Fox Chase exactly one year ago today is still unknown, but detectives continue to run down new leads in the case, it was disclosed yesterday by Capt. David H. Roberts, commander of the Homicide Squad.

The case of the undernourished child, believed to have been between 3 and 5 years old, remains open on the books of the Police Department and detectives went out on a fresh track as recently as last Sunday, Roberts reported.

However, after tracing down hundreds of leads, no solid clue has been turned up. It still is believed that the parents, guardians or whoever had custody of the boy probably lived in this area.

The nude, bruised body was discovered in the box of Susquehanna rd. west of Verree rd. The child was a blue-eyed blond with a crude short haircut. The body weighed 40 pounds.

The death of the boy was attributed to a severe beating. Detectives were the mourners at a funeral held last July 24, when the body was buried in the city cemetery at Mechanicsville and Dunks Ferry rds., Holmesburg.

Lie Test Clears City Soldier In Death of Mystery Boy

Police to Decorate Slain Boy's Grave

Lieutenant Andrew Waters, of the police homicide unit, will go to the city cemetery, Dunks Ferry and Mechanicsville roads on Sunday and place a wreath on a small grave.

In the grave lies an unidentified boy about four years old, whose murder touched off one of the most intensive investigations in Philadelphia history.

Yesterday was the second anniversary of the finding of the boy's body in a cardboard box in a field at Verree and Susquehanna roads, Fox Chase.

Captain Joseph O'Neill, head of the homicide unit, said the most intensive manhunt ever put on by his unit has run down leads as far away as Mexico, California and Europe, all without success.

Philadelphia policemen contributed to buy the white headstone, which marks the grave.

2 Wreaths Honor The Unknown Boy

New Moves Started To Identify Slain Boy

By NATHAN KLEGER

Of The Bulletin Staff

A new attempt will be started this week to identify the unknown white boy found slain in Fox Chase on February 26, 1957.

On Wednesday 15 women volunteers will begin a massive examination of medical records at Philadelphia General Hospital to see if the youngster, believed to have been between three and five years old, was ever a patient there.

If records at the city hospital fail to produce a clue, the team of women will carry on the record search at other hospitals.

There was evidence that the murdered boy was undernourished and sickly and may have been operated on.

Found in a Box

The child's nude body, covered by a torn and faded cheap cotton blanket, was left in a cardboard carton in a thicket off Susquehanna road near Verree road.

The records check is beginning at PGH because it is believed the child, if he was a hospital patient, may well have been a charity case.

Also, a surgeon on the staff at PGH recently recalled that he operated at one time on a boy who may have been the unknown murder victim.

The hospital medical records are being examined for a record of an operation or illness that the unknown boy may have had. 

Begun by Spelman

The plan to check hospital records was launched by Dr. Joseph W. Spelman, city medical examiner, in co-operation with PGH officials.

PGH recruited the women volunteers to make the check. They come from various private social welfare agencies.

They will work full-time at PGH until all its records for the years 1953 through 1955 are checked out. This will take three to four weeks.

The women were given a briefing on the case at the city hospital last Wednesday by Dr. Spelman, Captain David Brown, of the homicide squad, and Dr. Wilton M. Krogman, professor of physical anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Examined Boy's Body

Also attending were Dr. Alfred C. LaBoccetta, PGH medical director, and Dr. Paul Gyrogy, head of its children's department.

Dr. Krogman, "the bone detective," made an examination of the unknown boy's body for Dr. Spelman before it was interred in the city cemetery in Holmesburg on July 24, 1957.

There was evidence of surgical care or healed accidental wounds.

There was a half-inch crescent-shaped scar on the right side of the boy's neck.

Weighed only 30 Pounds.

Other scars included three at the hairline and one on the left ankle.

The boy was about 40 inches tall and weighed about 30 pounds. He was of slender build. He had a high, narrow head, face and nose. His hair was brown, close and crudely cropped, and his eyes were blue.

These physical traits suggest a northwest or west-central European ancestry.

Dr. Krogman said his examination of the boy suggested that he was in chronic ill health prior to his death.

Dr. Krogman said this pointed to a lower-class family background and reduced economic circumstances.

If the women turn up any medical records showing any similarity to these findings, they will bring them to the attention of Drs. LaBoccetta and Gyrogy for evaluation.

Police Will Decorate Slain Boy's Grave