Inside The Unsolved Mystery Of The Boy In The Box

There have been many unsolved cases over the years. Each has left people scratching their heads and putting out theories as to what really happened. Few have generated as much publicity and theories, though, as the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box.

Discovered in the 1950s, the child's identity is still unknown to this day. No one is sure who his family was or how he lost his life, but there's been repeated efforts to unlock these secrets. To understand the possible answers, we need to look inside the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box.

The Boy in the Box mystery began when a hunter discovered his body near a park

The story of the Boy in the Box mystery started in February 1957 when a young muskrat hunter was out checking his traps. The man had no idea that this day would be different from any other. It was only when he ventured across some trash that things changed, although he initially wasn't that suspicious of his discovery.

He was near a park in North Philadelphia, so littering was hardly uncommon. However, as he progressed through the brush, he soon realized that something was out of the ordinary. This box wasn't like anything else that had been dumped in the area in the past. After all, it contained the body of a child whose life had been extinguished.

The hunter didn't report his discovery to the police for fear of the repercussions 

As soon as the hunter looked inside the box, he could tell that this discovery spelled trouble. Even without taking a close look at the body, the fact that someone had lost their life and been dumped this way meant the situation was serious. The Boy in the Box being a child only made things worse.

The police needed to know about the body, and it was the hunter's responsibility to tell them. However, he was reluctant. The hunter feared that reporting the discovery would lead him to get in trouble for laying traps nearby. Was revealing the location of the Boy in the Box worth being punished? The hunter didn't think so.

Someone else found the Boy in the Box after allegedly following a rabbit

With the hunter deciding to forget what he saw, the Boy in the Box mystery almost didn't get off the ground. Fortunately, someone else soon came along and found the abandoned child for themselves. This person was Frederick Bononis. The 27-year-old college student claimed that he was following a rabbit when he happened upon the distressing scene.

According to Benonis, he was driving along the road but pulled up when a rabbit caught his eye. Supposedly aware of traps in the area, he got out of the car and followed the rabbit to ensure their safety. Frederick never anticipated that his quest would lead him straight to the Boy in the Box. 

Benonis thought the Boy in the Box was a doll and was reluctant to report his discovery

Much like the hunter, Frederick was stunned to find the abandoned body of a child lying in a box. Saying that, though, he didn't initially realize exactly what he was looking at. His first impression was that the child was a doll, so there was nothing untoward about it being abandoned. However, Frederick soon realized his mistake.

Like the hunter, Benonis felt conflicted as to what to do. It turns out that he didn't chance upon the Boy in the Box because of a rabbit. Instead, the man was a peeping tom who was planning to spy on girls at the nearby Good Shepherd Home. He didn't want the police to uncover his true intentions.

The disappearance of Mary Jane Barker prompted Benonis to come forward

Although Benonis was afraid of what might come to light if he reported the Boy in the Box to the police, he did do the right thing. It seems Frederick was convinced to do so after hearing about the disappearance of Mary Jane Barker. The young girl went missing in New Jersey, and Frederick thought the child might be her.

It soon emerged that this wasn't the case. The police identified the Boy in the Box as being male. What's more, Barker was found in the closet of an empty home a week after her disappearance. She'd apparently lost her life through a mixture of fear and starvation after being trapped in there for three days.

The police couldn't be sure of how old the Boy in the Box was when he passed away

After Frederick reported his discovery to the police, efforts to tackle the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box began. Unfortunately, it was hard for the cops to make any significant developments with the case. For one, they couldn't even get a firm idea of how old the child was before he lost his life.

The Boy in the Box being underweight certainly didn't help matters. He was reportedly only 30 pounds when he passed, so the police had to estimate his age. They put him between three and seven years old, which made things more difficult when it came to seeing if he matched any recently reported missing persons cases.

The Boy in the Box could have been abandoned there for days or even weeks

This was just the first detail that confused the police in the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box. They also had no idea when he lost his life, another detail that would make trying to locate the culprit difficult. It seems that the weather was to blame for this confusion because of the impact of the cold.

The medical examiner was reluctant to give any confirmation of how long he'd been out there, instead saying it could have been days or even weeks. With such a wide timeframe to work in, solving the Boy in the Box mystery wasn't going to be easy. Still, the police were determined to get this child the justice he deserved.

X-rays of the Boy in the Box showed arrested growth, indicating malnourishment 

As soon as the police recovered the Boy in the Box, their medical experts did what they could to find clues about who he was or what had happened to him. The longer he'd been out there, the greater the chance of evidence being lost. So, there was no time to waste in the search for answers.

Something crucial they uncovered was the discovery of arrested growth in his x-rays. It appears that the boy's bones had ceased growing while he was still alive, a common symptom of malnourishment. This suggested that whoever he was, he wasn't treated well in the short time that he was still around. That just made them more determined to find answers.

The Boy in the Box received a haphazard haircut around the time he passed away

The police didn't need x-rays to find all their clues about how the Boy in the Box was treated before his untimely demise. There was some clear evidence sitting right on top of his head. It appears as though someone had given the boy a haircut around the time of his passing, either before it happened or after.

This wasn't the most natural haircut, as there appeared to be missing patches and tufts of hair all over. Was the person short on time when they did this haphazard job? Did they do it in a panic, perhaps because they were responsible for ending the life of the Boy in the Box? The police wanted to know.

The child might have passed away by having his head squeezed too hard during the haircut

Throughout the investigation, the police had many theories as to what had happened to the Boy in the Box. The evidence on the body certainly gave them indications of what might have occurred, but it was hard to say anything for sure. One of the possible explanations was that his haphazard haircut may have actually been responsible.

After the boy's autopsy, the doctor reported that "pressure" on the head might have been what ended his life. The police speculated that this might have happened during the haircut if someone had squeezed his head too hard. They couldn't confirm anything, although that was par for the course throughout the investigation of the Boy in the Box mystery.

He had surgical scars, but the police didn't know what procedures he'd gone through

The fatal haircut route was just one of the many avenues that investigators explored while trying to tackle the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box. His butchered haircut aside, there was plenty of other evidence that indicated different forms of foul play. For instance, it seems that the child's body was covered in surgical scars.

These scars included an L-shaped one on his chin, along with others on his ankle and around his groin. These appeared to be surgical scars, which raised the question of what procedures the Boy in the Box might have gone through. Surely there would be evidence of this somewhere? Unfortunately, there wasn't, meaning they had to look elsewhere.

The Boy in the Box reportedly had a chronic eye disease when he was alive

Somewhere else that the police looked for clues was in the boy's eyes. During the autopsy, it seems that this part of his body brought up something interesting. The doctor discovered that when he exposed the boy's eyes to ultraviolet light, his left eye turned a shade of blue. What was this a sign of?

It appears that the Boy in the Box had recently used a treatment intended for chronic eye disease. Much like the surgical scars, this suggested health issues of some form that there would surely be evidence of. Unfortunately, the doctor's discovery did nothing to help tackle the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box.

Police searched around the crime scene but found nothing of interest

While medical professionals searched the Boy in the Box for clues, investigators turned their attention to the area he'd been found in. They hoped that a thorough search of the scene might unearth evidence that would turn the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box on its head. However, they didn't have a great deal of luck with this.

The site being near the park meant many people could have come by and unknowingly disturbed some vital evidence. There was also a chance that the culprit could have come along and cleared their tracks without raising suspicions. Even with hundreds of eyes looking for clues, the police came up short in their search efforts. Well, almost.

There was a hat 15 feet from the Boy in the Box, which raised suspicions

It appears that amongst the children's clothes and other belongings they found abandoned near the crime scene, there was something that raised the police's suspicions. They discovered a blue corduroy cap only 15 feet from where the Boy in the Box was abandoned. That distance seemed too short for them to overlook, so they investigated further.

The police couldn't be certain that this latest discovery was anything meaningful, so they attempted to dig deeper to see if they could connect the hat to anyone who could have been in the area. Find its owner, and there was a chance they'd have a suspect on their hands. Sadly, making this connection was no walk in the park.

The manufacturer remembered making the hat, but the guy paid for it in cash

Thankfully, the investigators didn't have to go around asking people if the hat was theirs until someone said yes. Instead, they simply needed to locate the company that manufactured the item and try to get some answers from them. Hannah Robbins was apparently the one responsible for making the hat. Better yet, she remembered doing it as a custom order.

For a moment, it looked as though the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box was about to hit a breakthrough. However, while Robbins recalled that the buyer was a blond man in his 20s, the guy paid for his order in cash. This meant that Hannah had no records or anything that could help locate the responsible party.

No one came forward with any information about the Boy in the Box

The police didn't want to admit that their efforts to solve the Boy in the Box mystery were going nowhere. However, all their leads were turning up nothing, and the evidence they had of the child didn't give them anything concrete. At this point, their best bet seemed to be turning to the public for help.

Perhaps someone out there recognized the child but didn't know that anything had happened to him? Unfortunately, if that was the case, they weren't going to come forward until they knew he was no longer alive. The public didn't willingly come forward with information on their own, so investigators had to try and persuade them to help out.

The cops released thousands of flyers but didn't generate any new leads

The cops were determined to make a breakthrough in the Boy in the Box mystery, so they started releasing flyers telling the public about the incident. They said that they wanted any information that might be relevant to the case, hopeful that someone might recognize the child and help out. This had the opportunity to make a big difference.

Over the next few years, 400,000 flyers were reportedly produced by the police and handed out in various ways. From being hung in windows to included in gas bills, the investigators showed just how desperate they were to tackle the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box. Unfortunately, their efforts didn't generate any genuine help from the public.

They posed the Boy in the Box for photographs as though he were still alive

The police were so desperate for answers regarding the Boy in the Box mystery that they went to lengths that would probably never happen today. It seems that the flyers giving details about the boy's appearance didn't jog anyone's memory. So, they decided that pictures of the child might produce different results. It was a disturbing move.

They took photographs of the Boy in the Box that made it appear as though he was still alive. They dressed him up and posed him in ways that gave the illusion he hadn't passed away. It seems they believed that seeing the Boy in the Box in such a way might make people realize they had seen him before.

No fingerprint matches were found for the Boy in the Box

Thousands of children go missing around the world every year, including an estimated 460,000 in the US alone. Not all of them are ever found or identified. If that's the case with all the modern technology available, it's perhaps no wonder the police struggled so much with the Boy in the Box in the 1950s.

Although developments were being made regarding fingerprinting, this was yet another avenue that provided no breakthrough for the investigation. They found no matches in their system, meaning they once again had to look elsewhere for answers. If the Boy in the Box had gone missing today, might the current advancements mean things would have turned out differently for the police?

Investigations into the medical records of the Boy in the Box also turned up nothing

The hat was a bust. The flyers were a bust. The fingerprints were a bust. Everything the police thought of seemed to lead nowhere. It reached the point where they were running out of options, but they still had avenues to explore. This included hospital records. Surely, evidence would exist of him somewhere in the system?

Unfortunately, the cops came up short once again. It didn't help that they didn't know the age of the Boy in the Box, thanks to him being so malnourished. What's more, there was every chance he might have been born somewhere outside of Philadelphia or maybe not in a hospital. If so, the records would naturally turn up nothing.

It's believed that the Boy in the Box lost his life due to blunt force trauma

Throughout the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box, the police were reluctant to say anything concrete about who he was or what had happened to him. However, there were several things they were pretty sure of, such as how he lost his life. This was put down to blunt force trauma to the head.

After the autopsy, the doctor did say they couldn't rule out pressure being responsible, hence the theory about the haircut. However, he was likely hit with a blunt object, as evidenced by several reported bruises on his forehead. The believed presence of a cerebral hemorrhage also pushed the doctor toward blunt force trauma being the culprit.

The Boy in the Box was laid to rest five months after the investigation began

The problem with an investigation like this that has no leads is that the police can't put the victim to rest. The longer they make no progress, the longer they need to hold onto the body in case of further evidence. What's more, they have no family to hand him over to who can arrange a funeral.

Of course, they can't hold onto the body forever. That's why the Boy in the Box was buried five months after he was discovered. The detectives pooled some money together to get him a headstone that read: "Heavenly Father, Bless This Unknown Boy." He was laid to rest in Philadelphia's potter's field, near a mental institution.

Police tracked the box used at the scene of the crime to a JCPenney store

The police might have looked everywhere they could think of for clues, but that doesn't mean they were going to give up. They didn't want to end the investigation until they'd exhausted every lead. That's why they turned their attention to the box that the boy was abandoned in. Would this provide the answers they'd been looking for?

Upon investigation, the cops discovered a serial number on the box which proved useful. They tracked it down to JCPenney and learned that the box had initially held a bassinet. What's more, the store it was purchased from was only 15 minutes away from where the Boy in the Box was abandoned. Things were finally starting to look up.

Everyone who bought the bassinet did so with cash, meaning no official records

They knew what the box had been for and where it had been bought from. For once, it seemed like the investigation was making great progress. All they needed now was the store's records to find out who had bought a bassinet in the recent past. Again, things seemed positive because only a dozen of these products had been purchased.

Unfortunately, this was where the good news ended. It appears that all 12 of those customers bought the bassinet with cash. Just like with the corduroy hat, there was no hard evidence that the cops could investigate to potentially locate a suspect. The box had given them hopes that were once again dashed by this complicated mystery.

The police couldn't accurately work out where the blanket had come from

As ever, the investigators weren't about to give up hope that they'd unravel the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box. They simply needed to move their attention elsewhere - the blanket, perhaps? When they found the Boy in the Box, his body was covered up, so this was potentially another clue that could lead them to some answers.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the cops once again came up short. They managed to make some progress with the blanket, but only enough to work out that it was produced in either North Carolina or Canada. They couldn't pinpoint anything more detailed, and searching both places would have taken too much time and resources.

Some theorized that the Boy in the Box lost his life by drowning

With the police failing to find any sufficient leads, there wasn't much more they could do except theorize what had happened. The unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box has prompted many people to have their say on what went down, including one investigator who believed the child had drowned. It seems there was also evidence pointing to this.

Apparently, the skin of the boy's hands and feet were wrinkled when the police found him, which suggests he may have been submerged in water. The fact that clumps of hair stuck to his body also seemed to indicate this. However, the autopsy didn't appear to identify any water in his lungs, which should have been there if he'd drowned. 

A barber came forward claiming to have cut the boy's hair, but this led to nothing

Investigations into the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box frequently came back to the boy's hair. The fact that it had been cut so poorly certainly seemed to be an indicator of something, but what? The police thought they were about to get an answer to that when a barber claimed that he'd cut the child's hair.

Supposedly, the boy had come with his older brother to get a haircut. He was still in one piece when he left, indicating that the barber wasn't responsible for his demise. This story raised tons of questions, none of which the police got an answer to. None of the clues led to anything, meaning more disappointment for the investigators.

Remington Bristow believed he made a breakthrough after speaking with a psychic

It's clear that the police were desperate for breakthroughs in the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box. They were so eager for answers that some of them turned to very unconventional methods in search of developments. For instance, medical examiner Remington Bristow wasn't above getting help from a psychic, which isn’t unheard of with the police.

It seems that the psychic had some intriguing revelations, like the claim that the Boy in the Box either fell from a window or drowned. She also led Bristow to a foster home in the woods, somewhere that the medical examiner was convinced was important to the case. He was determined to unearth the secrets hidden within its walls.

Bristow discovered a bassinet and blankets at the foster home that suggested a connection

Bristow was more convinced than anyone else that the foster home would lead to revelations about the Boy in the Box mystery. That's why he investigated the place on his own. He found the perfect opportunity to look around when there was an estate sale there, and it was then that Remington uncovered some significant evidence.

It seems that during his investigation, he happened upon a bassinet that was very similar to the one sold by JCPenney. What's more, there were blankets hanging outside that were also a strong match for the one found with the Boy in the Box. Were these just coincidences, or had Remington found himself a suspect?

Remington believed the Boy in the Box was a child born out of wedlock

In Bristow's eyes, it was very clear what had happened to the Boy in the Box. He believed that the child was the son of the stepdaughter of the man who ran the foster home. He was sure that he'd been conceived outside of wedlock, so he was kept hidden after his birth to avoid anyone finding out.

Nowadays, having children out of wedlock isn't that big of a deal. Things were different in the 1950s, though. So, when the Boy in the Box accidentally lost his life - as Remington believed - his family disposed of him secretly to avoid shame coming upon his mother. The woman's stepfather supposedly played a pivotal role in hiding the body.

DNA evidence proved decades later that the family had no connection to the Boy in the Box 

Remington's theory wasn't inconceivable, but it was still just a theory. Without solid evidence to back up his claims, it was impossible for the police to make any arrests. Unfortunately, it was a long time before any developments were made in regard to the family at the foster home. When these did occur, they seemingly proved Bristow wrong.

It wasn't until the 1990s that the man and his stepdaughter were interviewed. Although police discovered that the woman did indeed have a child who lost his life young, a DNA test proved that she wasn't related to the Boy in the Box. The investigators had no choice but to cross this theory off as another failed lead.

One woman claims that her mother bought the Boy in the Box when he was alive

Bristow's theory is one of the biggest theories surrounding the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box. However, it's not the only one that's generated significant interest. Another major theory came to light decades later in 2002, when a woman known as "M" claimed that her mother had purchased the Boy in the Box as a child.

"M" was a young girl herself at the time, which is presumably why it took so long for her to come forward about allegedly knowing the boy. Apparently, her mother was a librarian and bought the Boy in the Box from his birth parents. The three of them lived in Philadelphia for several years before things took a turn.

The Boy in the Box was allegedly purchased so he could be abused

It's not often you see people agreeing to give money in exchange for a child. It's sometimes a prominent issue in less-developed parts of the world, but in the United States? It does happen, though, and it was far more likely to be an issue when the Boy in the Box mystery began. So, "M's" story wasn't unbelievable.

Unfortunately, it seems that the intentions behind purchasing the Boy in the Box weren't wholesome. "M" alleges that her mother was abusive in all sorts of ways towards the child and forced him to sleep in a dirty basement. He was with the family for two and a half years until everything changed after dinner one day.

The mother supposedly lashed out at the boy after he was ill

According to "M," her mother was incredibly abusive towards the Boy in the Box, but that doesn't mean she intended to end his life. However, it seems that her temper allegedly got the better of her after the child was ill. "M" claims that he was given baked beans for dinner, which proceeded to make him ill.

Enraged at the boy's behavior, the mother supposedly lashed out and smashed his head against a hard surface. This would match with the reported bruises on the boy's forehead. She apparently put the child in the bath afterward, which is where he lost his life. Again, that matches the evidence that suggests he was submerged in water before his passing.

She supposedly gave the Boy in the Box a quick haircut to disguise his identity

After years of alleged abuse, the child's suffering was finally at an end. Unfortunately, "M" and her mother now had to do something about the boy's body. They couldn't keep it in the house, which meant finding somewhere to bury him, or, in this case, leave him in a box somewhere. Where to go, though?

They settled for the location where the hunter and Benonis ultimately found the Boy in the Box. Before he was left there, though, "M" says that her mother gave him a haircut. She apparently wished to disguise his identity, should the police find him. This was done in a rush, hence the child's haphazard haircut.

A motorist apparently spotted "M" and her mother trying to abandon the Boy in the Box

"M" knows what happens next because she was forced to go with her mom to get rid of the Boy in the Box. The duo left home in the middle of the night and stopped in the Fox Chase area to get rid of the body. That's when a motorist reportedly pulled up and asked if they needed assistance.

It took some convincing, but "M" claims her mother managed to convince the motorist they didn't need any help. She also says that she was told to stand in front of the license plate so the driver couldn't help the police to track them down later. With disaster averted, "M" and her mother finished what they went there to do.

Information in "M's" story matched evidence that the police hadn't made public

When "M" was done with her story, the police were left with a decision to make: did they believe her or not? The fact it had taken years for her to come forward didn't work well in her favor. However, investigators weren't quick to write off her account for one very good reason - she knew things she shouldn't have done.

Some of the information in her story matched evidence they'd collected but never made public. This included baked beans being in the stomach contents of the Boy in the Box. There was also the matter of his wrinkled hands and feet, which matched what "M" said about her mother bathing him. This information was also only known to the cops.

"M's" struggles with mental illness brought her account of the Boy in the Box into question

"M's" account of the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box seemed to pull everything together. It wrapped up loose ends and didn't give investigators any significant reason to question its plausibility. However, there's a reason that the Boy in the Box mystery remains unsolved. It seems that "M" wasn't as reliable as she might have appeared.

The police discovered that their witness had a history of mental illness, bringing the legitimacy of her story into question. They couldn't determine whether what she'd told them was an authentic story or just something she'd misinterpreted as the truth. They needed to look deeper to find out whether they could trust her version of events.

Neighbors disputed the claims about the Boy in the Box living with "M"

Unfortunately, delving deeper into the woman's history didn't offer the police anything positive. They spoke to neighbors who'd lived by her house when the Boy in the Box was first discovered. None of them had any recollection of ever seeing another child at the property, nor had they ever heard him either. It didn't look good.

With neighbors disputing "M's" story and claiming it to be "ridiculous," the police had no choice but to give up this line of investigation. The woman's account had a lot going for it, but with only circumstantial evidence and unreliable testimony, there wasn't much of a case. So, they dismissed her story, leaving it as nothing more than a theory.

The identity of "M" was leaked, allegedly prompting her to flee the country

Any hope of "M" potentially turning things around and proving she was right is now long gone. She reportedly hasn't been seen for years, having allegedly fled the country. It seems she was prompted to do this after her name was leaked to the press, removing the anonymity that had been pivotal to her helping with the case.

Unfortunately, we may never know whether or not she was telling the truth. As retired FBI officer Bill Fleisher put it, her history of mental illness might have actually resulted from what she told the police. If her account is true, then she had an incredibly traumatic childhood, and evidence does suggest that childhood trauma can lead to mental illness.

One theory alleges that the Boy in the Box was actually the girl in the box

So, if the Boy in the Box wasn't born out of wedlock or sold to an abusive mother, who was he - or should that be, who was she? After all, one of the theories surrounding the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box is that they were actually raised as a girl before they passed away.

If the theory is true, it would at least explain why people didn't come forward with any real information, even after those posed photos were released. If the Boy in the Box was raised as a girl, anyone who knew them would have been accustomed to them looking more feminine. Could they really have been living as a girl, though?

There's potential evidence supporting this theory, but it's never been proven

This theory was posited by the Vidocq Society, a group of professionals who help the police solve crimes. Frank Bender, a forensic artist, helped found the society, and he said that seeing the photos of the Boy in the Box convinced him he was raised as a girl. That and the unusual circumstances regarding how he passed away.

Some of the supposed evidence supporting his theory included the haircut, which was apparently done so that people wouldn't see how long it was. Moreover, the Boy in the Box allegedly had his eyebrows plucked around the time that he passed away, which Bender believed was another clue. However, as with the other theories, nothing's ever been proven.

The suspicious passing of a carnival worker's child made him a person of interest

The police have never arrested anyone for taking the life of the Boy in the Box. However, theories have pointed the finger at several people. That includes Kenneth Dudley and his wife, Irene. The pair were carnival workers who attracted the attention of the cops because the Boy in the Box was believed to be one of their children.

Interest in the couple began when it emerged that one of their kids had passed away. Seven-year-old Carol Ann lost her life as the result of malnutrition, neglect, and exposure. Do those causes ring a bell? The fact that she was abandoned in the woods wrapped in a blanket made the police quietly confident they might have found their culprits.

No clear connection between Kenneth and the Boy in the Box was ever established

Carol Ann's body might have been abandoned in Virginia, but there was no denying the similarities between her and the Boy in the Box. Was it possible that they were siblings who'd passed in similar circumstances and been left behind by their parents? The police thought so, especially as seven of the couple's kids had allegedly lost their lives.

With all these children being neglected and starved, it was hard for the police not to think that the carnival worker was the key to the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box. Unfortunately, they could never make any clear connections between the couple and the child in Philadelphia. So, they couldn't place the blame on Kenneth and Irene.

Bill Kelly believed that the Boy in the Box was actually a Hungarian refugee

This isn't where the theories regarding the Boy in the Box end. Another suggestion put forward by several experts is that the child was actually a Hungarian refugee. Bill Kelly, a fingerprint expert, put this possibility forward, and it would certainly explain why the police couldn't find any records of the Boy in the Box.

The United States saw a significant influx of refugees in response to the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, with Kelly believing that the Boy in the Box was one of them. He'd apparently seen an article talking about the arrival of Hungarians the year before the child was discovered. This prompted Bill to start putting the pieces together.

His search for proof revealed that the Boy in the Box probably wasn't a Hungarian refugee

As with the other theories, this suggestion by Kelly wasn't impossible to believe. After all, the Boy in the Box being a Hungarian refugee definitely filled in some of the gaps from the investigation, like the lack of records. It might also have explained why no one seemed to know anything about him because he was just one of many.

Of course, to prove his theory, Bill needed solid evidence. He searched through 11,000 photographs to find one that matched who he believed the Boy in the Box was. His efforts were successful and located the child. However, it didn't lead him to the Boy in the Box. The refugee was still alive and living in North Carolina.

There were questions about the Boy in the Box being Steven Craig Damman

With these theories repeatedly leading nowhere, you might think people would give up trying to work out the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box. However, many have continued to attempt to understand what happened back in 1957. That's why the theory about the Boy in the Box actually being the missing child Steven Craig Damman exists.

This boy was only two years old when he disappeared in 1955. Someone abducted him from in front of a grocery store, and no one's ever found him. After the Boy in the Box showed up several years later, some cops began to wonder if the two kids were one and the same. The age was certainly a potential match.

Too much evidence went against the theory of Steven being the Boy in the Box

For a short time, there was hope that this was the lead the police had been looking for. After all, both boys apparently had blond hair and blue eyes, as well as the same scars. Unfortunately, those hopes were soon dashed when it emerged that the Boy in the Box didn't have the same healed arm fracture as Steven.

What's more, footprints that the cops had of Damman from when he was a baby didn't match with those of the Boy in the Box. Plus, DNA evidence taken from the missing boy's sister in 2003 didn't reveal a match either. So, either Steven and his sister secretly weren't blood-related, or he wasn't the Boy in the Box.

Police returned to the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box in 1998 to collect DNA

For the longest time, the police had to leave the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box as it was. Every effort to find evidence and follow leads had taken them nowhere, and they could only devote their time to him for so long. That's why he was buried in 1957, and his case was ignored for decades.

It was only in 1998 that interest in the Boy in the Box mystery resurfaced when they exhumed the body to collect DNA samples. There wasn't much they could extract, given how long he'd been buried. However, they were able to get some mitochondrial DNA from a tooth. Thankfully, with DNA, sometimes a tiny amount is all you need.

The Boy in the Box was reburied with a new headstone from the Vidocq Society

With the advancement of DNA technology in the time since the Boy in the Box had been buried, the police were hopeful. If nothing else, they wanted to try and identify any living relatives so there might be someone to mourn the boy. Unfortunately, even with the new DNA at their disposal, efforts to make discoveries have been fruitless.

The Boy in the Box is now back in the ground, although this time, he has more of a grave. He's buried in Philadelphia's Ivy Hill cemetery with a proper headstone that reads: "America's Unknown Child - Dedicated November 11, 1998." The Vidocq Society apparently funded this headstone so the Boy in the Box could have a proper burial place.

People still tend to the grave of the Boy in the Box all these years later

With the Boy in the Box now having a more established grave, his resting place receives greater attention than the original did. His reburial actually received significant publicity from the media, resulting in quite a public turnout for the event. Would all this interest help the police to finally solve the Boy in the Box mystery?

Unfortunately, even with all that publicity, there was no progression in the case. Things could still change in that regard, though. After all, people often visit the grave and tend to it with fresh flowers and stuffed animals. Maybe someone will come forward one day and reveal something that resolves the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box.

Two writers thought they found a DNA connection to the Boy in the Box in 2016

It almost seemed like a big development was going to happen in 2016 when two writers were confident that they'd discovered a DNA connection. Jim Hoffman and Louis Romano from Memphis, Tennessee, were so certain of the connection that they asked the police to compare their samples with the Boy in the Box. They thought they were onto something big.

The Philadelphia Police Department and the Vidocq Society worked to try and identify a match between this person in Memphis and the Boy in the Box. They initially remained quiet about the investigation, stating that they needed more time. Unfortunately, when they did finally reveal what they'd been doing in December 2017, they had bad news - it wasn't a match.

Robert Kulhmeier expressed confidence that DNA would resolve the Boy in the Box mystery

For some investigators, the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box is something they'll never forget. If they're still alive, they're determined to keep searching for answers until they find what they need. However, there's no assurance that day will ever come. That hasn't affected their optimism, though, as one of Robert Kuhlmeier's interviews proves.

The man dedicated his life to solving crimes, and when DNA technology made great advances, he became confident this would help with the Boy in the Boy mystery. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer that some of the answers the police were looking for would be found here. It might not reveal the culprit, but the boy's identity is another matter.

The culprit behind the unsolved mystery might be long gone

The problem with cold cases is that it's hard to get the justice the victim deserves. With the Boy in the Box mystery happening so long ago, it's unlikely the police will ever identify the culprit. Even if they do, what's the likelihood that they'll be able to punish them? The person might not even be alive anymore.

Robert knows that the responsible party likely isn't around anymore, especially if they were the child's mother or father. The fact that elements of this investigation might forever remain unresolved is a little tough to swallow. Unfortunately, that's the reality of some cold cases. The unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box may never have a satisfying conclusion.

Continued efforts to identify the Boy in the Box could eventually solve the crime

It would be easy for a case that's been around since the 1950s to be considered old news at this point. However, the Boy in the Box mystery isn't something that's been forgotten about since the initial investigation. Although interest has dropped at times, there have been frequent resurgences as people have endeavored to unlock the truth.

It's that spirit that could be the key to solving the Boy in the Box mystery. With all these societies outside of the police working to solve cold cases and identify unknown victims, the story isn't over yet. A new development could arise any day now and turn the unsolved mystery of the Boy in the Box on its head.