We begin this evening in state headlines where the body of a young Pennsylvania boy who was found stuffed in a box, 65 years ago has finally been identified and laid to rest.
Last night, a church in Philadelphia honored the life of the boy who they said they never forgot.
Aziza Shuler reports.
“Hear Oh Lord to our prayer”
“By which we humbly beg your mercy”
“the Gospel of the Lord”
Parishioners at Saint Cecilia in Fox Chase honored the life of Joseph Augustus Zarelli.
Last month, Philadelphia Police identified Zarelli as the 1957 murder victim known as the Boy In The Box.
“People never stopped caring when it came to the death of Joseph Augustus Zarelli. Since that cold day that his body was found in the box off Susquehanna Road in 1957, people care.”
The mass Wednesday Afternoon took place not far from where Zarelli’s four year old body was found stuffed in a box sixty five years ago.
It’s a case that’s haunted this community for decades
But as Reverend Christopher Walsh emphasizes people never stopped caring.
“They cared about his name, they cared about where he was from. They cared how he died.”
Dozens of community members paid their final respects, many who had no connection to Zarelli, but have followed the case for as long as they can remember.
“We felt like this was a piece of closure for the city, the neighborhood, and we couldn’t not come today.”
While for some the service provided closure, much of the case remains a mystery.
“But we want more. Who did this, why they do this, will they be brought to justice?”
