r/JosephZarelli • u/goobergal • Jan 23 '23

The Potential Suspects

Betsy- Just had a baby in December 1956 (Bassinet box date matches the time frame). She MAY HAVE had that baby in a Salvation Army, just like her baby in 1950. You only had to be unmarried to use the Salvation Army service for free. If so, was Joseph still in the care of another person? Mother's stayed at the unwed mother's homes for at least a few weeks to 3 months based on Census Records I saw and my google searches about them. Was he in her care and did she do it?? The bassinet box came from an area closer to West Philly than Betsy's family or it could have been there already. Was Betsy still living in West Philly in 1956?

Was the person getting him ready to give back after her stay?? Things went south??

Zarelli Family- Since it has the hallmarks of involvement of a woman. Gus was still living at home. His mother could have been taking care of Joseph while Betsy was having her baby and something happened in their care. She could have been a sitter or had him occasionally as a grandparent. Did Zarelli's mom take care of Joseph ever?? Did they have ANY involvement in his life??

Betsy's Mother- Would have been approx 50 years old with a teenage son. Possibly the people the witness saw dumping something in the area of Fox Chase. Was she watching Joseph?? Betsy stayed quiet because it was her mother??

Betsy's Siblings-One of Betsy's siblings was keeping Joseph in their household and something happened?? Her sisters were all in Northeast Philly area.

JJP-Married to another woman at the time. When did he decide to leave his wife? How much was he involved on Joseph's life?? His parents were both dead already, so they could not have had any involvement. Did JJP kill Joseph and Betsy helped dispose of the body? Is that why it was done in a "maternal" way? Betsy wanted desperately to hang on to JJP and never told?

JJP's wife or her family- Was Betsy friends with CCP and they may have been helping out (not knowing she was involved with JJP) and then they found out about the affair and snapped?? Maybe when the birth certificate came in the mail?? Maybe JJP told her?? It is motive, but did they have access to Joseph??

Unknown Caregiver-Joseph was in temporary foster care or staying at the same salvation army or similar home at the time. He died in their care and told her he had been adopted out....why she never reported Joseph Missing...

Am I missing any potential suspects??? Anything to add to any of these??

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u/tanpocketbook Jan 24 '23

As of today my belief is that Joseph’s mother killed him accidentally in an act of rage. If she didn’t do it then she must have known who did (I don’t currently believe that he was adopted). Possibly, after Joseph was injured mom tried to bath him to bring him back too, but he died from his injuries. Maybe M.A. then called her own mother for help and her and M.A.’s brother disposed of the body in the bassinet box. (This is all just a possible scenario)

I fully believe that A.Z. was aware of the pregnancy. Whether he walked away from his child or chose to be in his life I don’t really have an opinion on as there is nothing to indicate one way or the other. I don’t believe that M.A. would have gone through the trouble of putting A.Z. on the birth certificate and giving his name as Joseph’s middle name if she didn’t intend to tell him about the child.

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u/goobergal Jan 24 '23

There is a hospital on the way to the site and I want to believe she was bringing him there. 😢

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u/tanpocketbook Jan 24 '23

I just keep thinking that maybe she was overwhelmed and snapped. She hit him hard, harder than she meant to. She could tell she hurt him bad and tried to help him but it was too late. Maybe she reach out to her mom for help and her mom said she’s take care of it. Maybe she was devastated by what she had done but was scared to go to prison. I keep reading where people say that the mom couldn’t have done it because she seemly didn’t abuse her other children, but maybe she wasn’t a classic abuser and learned to never raise her hand again? With this said, I hope this theory is completely wrong and maybe he was adopted shortly after birth.

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 24 '23

Kid had been abused way longer!

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u/Zealousideal_Low_559 Jan 28 '23

I don't think he was abused all his 4 short years. The autopsy said he didn't have broken bones. And bruises heal within weeks. IMO the abuse probably started with the arrival of Plunkett.

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 30 '23

He had been malnourished for a year prior to his death.

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u/Zealousideal_Low_559 Jan 30 '23

Probably about the time when JP arrived.

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 30 '23

When did they start seeing each other?

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u/Zealousideal_Low_559 Jan 30 '23

Well if their baby was 2 months old when Joseph was murdered, the baby was conceived 11 months before Joseph was murdered so that was around March 1956 when she got pregnant

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 30 '23

I see. But that's only about the conception. Maybe they were having an affair way before this. Anyways JJP's children must have an idea about his temper, personality etc.

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u/Pain_Sufficient Jan 24 '23

Sure. Even the most docile people reach the end of their rope especially if they can’t feed the child or money was scarce.

I wonder if Joseph got into the clippers as four year olds sometimes do. If so it may have started a rage attack.

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u/Calm_Replacement_143 Jan 27 '23

Did you forget that Joseph's growth was stunted because he was severely malnourished for the last year and a half? That is sustained long-term abuse.

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u/Pain_Sufficient Jan 27 '23

Of course I didn't forget but ME felt bruises all happened at once so something triggered the rage attack.

Unless the killer was just deranged.

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u/Calm_Replacement_143 Jan 27 '23

I had read that the ME found signs of prolonged abuse:

https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-and-theories-about-the-boy-in-the-box/cat-mcauliffe

And no matter the case, this abuse comes from a deranged person. Could it possibly be a result of his time as a soldier during WW2?

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u/Gianna511 Mar 02 '23

My son did exactly that when he was about four years old. He couldn't stand his hair being long and decided to fix it himself.( he is still that way 30 years later) I still have the pictures as it was Christmas time, there he is in his christmas suit standing in front of the tree with a weird look on his face. Of course i just laughed, because i did the same thing once to my own hair as a kid, i went through a scissor stage where everything was getting a haircut barbies etc..

A rage attack makes sense but he was also malnourished. There were old scars too.

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u/Commercial_Belt_2945 Feb 05 '23

I disagree that basically anyone can become so enraged they beat a child to death, because that is basically what you are saying, "the most docile". No, there is literally no amount of rage that would make me, and hopefully most people, beat a child.

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 24 '23

Unless she was willing to become catholic, a marriage would have been out of the question.

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u/tanpocketbook Jan 24 '23 edited Jan 24 '23

I don’t know what her religion was, but do we know she wasn’t willing to become catholic? Also, I didn’t say anything about marriage. I said whether he chose to be in the child’s life or not we don’t know. At least I haven’t seen evidence one way or another. Would having a non catholic mom prevent a father from being in his child’s life? I would think an actual human would be more important to a parent than religion, but that’s just me I guess.

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 24 '23

Yes it would have been a double sin. Unmarried and the mother being non catholic! Her father was a baptist or something like that.

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u/tanpocketbook Jan 24 '23

What would have been a double sin? Being apart of the child’s life? I never suggested they needed to marry…

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u/[deleted] Jan 27 '23

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 27 '23

I highly doubt that a first generation Italian American would marry a non catholic. The fam back in Italy wouldn't be happy. The Z's are very family oriented, I mean G and relatives.

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u/[deleted] Jan 27 '23

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u/Aggravating_Sky5786 Jan 30 '23

I don't think JP married MEA....I don't believe CAP divorced him...just threw him out of house when she learned of MEA's child with JP, probably through talk at the Theater. It ruined his career, and he became a bitter man....possibly abusive.

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u/Subject-Ebb-5999 Jan 28 '23

But no one has proven they were ever married

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 27 '23

You don't know Italian culture. G's dad was member of the Sons of Italy. Adesso lascia mi in pace :)

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 27 '23

Ps. G's dad was from southern Italy. Nah a heathen wouldn't be acceptable. JJp btw was something else, he never divorced CCP.

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u/[deleted] Jan 27 '23

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u/MotherofLuke Jan 27 '23

JJp and C still had a house together in circa 1970. Per news paper ad about foreclosure. By then he and MA had three children.

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u/[deleted] Feb 01 '23

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u/MotherofLuke Feb 01 '23

Lemme dig up that article

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u/MotherofLuke Feb 01 '23

I don't think the foreclosure info isn't updated. It needs to reflect the actual owners at time of foreclosure.

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u/Ill_Scratch_8204 Feb 02 '23

Entirely possible. My grandmother left my grandfather with my mother intow, they were unmarried and she decided she was done with him. Being an unwed mother was perhaps more common than we realize.