The terrifying unsolved mystery of the child found in a cardboard box… whose identity remains unknown 60 years later

ALMOST 60 years ago, police uncovered a box which contained the dead body of a little boy.

Tragically, a post-mortem revealed that the child was likely to have been physically abused, as he was covered in bruises and scars.

Six decades on, the Philadelphia investigators still haven’t been able to identify the body, or come any closer to solving the mystery that shocked the world.

As the 1957 case still lays unsolved, here’s what we know about “Americas Unknown Child”…

What do we know about the victim?

It’s believed that the boy was around four to six-years-old.

Tests on his body revealed that he was suffering from malnourishment, suggesting he could have been a victim of abuse.

As well as fresh bruises, surgical scars were found on different areas of the body, including the ankle and groin.

Investigators estimate that the boy’s hair was cut following the murder, as an attempt to conceal his identity.

What evidence was uncovered?

After the grisly finding was reported to the police by a member of the public, officers went to investigate the scene.

The young victim had been placed in a JC Penney bassinet box before he was dumped in Susquehanna Road in Fox Chase.

After fingerprints of the boy were taken, police uncovered evidence related to the case, including a child’s cap, scarf and handkerchief.

What was the response?

As the crime was so shocking in nature, there was a huge amount of media attention.

The case was widely reported in The Philadelphia Inquirer released over 400,000 flyers appealing for information, all with an image of what the boy looked like.

As the police struggled to find any leads, they decided to release a post-mortem photograph of the boy, who they dressed and posed in a sitting position.

This year, facial recognition software was applied to get a sense of what the victim would have looked like.

What are the theories?

Was the boy an abandoned orphan?

Some theorists believe that the crime had something to do with a foster home, which was located just over a mile from where the body was uncovered.

One of the medical examiner’s employees, Remington Bristow, became fixated with solving the case.

In 1960, he contacted a psychic in New Jersey, who told the investigator to search for a house that resembled a foster home.

As officers scoured the property, they spotted a bassinet which could have fit into a JC Penney box.

Bristow also claimed that the blankets in the foster home closely resembled the ones wrapped around the unidentified victim.

Despite speculation, police were unable to find any solid links to the crime.

Suspect M

A shocking confession blew the case wide open in 2002 by a person who the police identified only as M.

The woman, who had a history of mental illness, claimed that her abusive mum had “purchased” the young boy from another family.

In her extensive police interview, the witness also claimed that the boy was sexually and physically abused for two and a half years before he was killed.