Throwback Thursday: The Boy in the Box Pt. 2
Aug 13, 2026 · 32m
Summary
This episode covers the second half of the "Boy in the Box" cold case, detailing decades of investigation by detectives and the V-Doc Society. It recounts failed leads, including a disputed tip from a woman named Martha, and the eventual use of genetic genealogy to identify the victim as Joseph Augustus Zarelli in 2022. Despite this breakthrough, the murder remains unsolved, with investigators still seeking answers about his parents and killer.
Topics discussed
Intro, Crime House 24-7 overview, and Boy in the Box teaser
1957 discovery and Remington Bristow's decades-long pursuit
1998 case reopening and the Anna Marie lead
The V-Doc Society joins the investigation
America's Most Wanted segment and online sleuthing boom
1998 exhumation, DNA extraction, and reburial
Ad breaks: Alma and The First 48 podcast
Mitochondrial DNA success and the search for relatives
Martha's shocking tip about trafficking and murder
Investigating Martha's claims and the failed verification
Testing Anna Marie's DNA and the negative result
2019 exhumation, genetic genealogy, and identifying Joseph
Joseph Zarelli's identity revealed and ongoing mystery
Outro, Crime House Plus promo, and Crimes of Reddit ad
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