The parents of Phillys Boy in the Box are revealed

The parents of Philly’s “Boy in the Box” are revealed to be real estate developers and “beautiful” women

The parents of Philadelphia’s “Boy in the Box” have finally been exposed, 65 years after he was found murdered, as a Pennsylvania construction magnate and a “beautiful, kind and quiet” woman.

Earlier this month, the murdered Philadelphia child known as “Boy in the Box” finally received a headstone with his name on it after his identity was revealed in December.

A DNA breakthrough revealed the child victim of a brutal murder in the City of Brotherly Love in 1957 was Joseph Augustus Zarelli, 4.

His parents, who never married, were revealed to be Augustus Zarelli and Mary Abel walking past Betty, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. Family members believe the boy was put up for adoption by a Catholic organization shortly after his birth.

Speaking to the Inquirer, one of Abel’s relatives described her as a “true beauty”.

According to the newspaper’s reporting, Zarelli was the son of Italian immigrants who grew up in West Philadelphia.

Construction magnate Augustus Zarelli died in 2014 at the age of 87.  It is unclear if he ever knew about his son

Construction magnate Augustus Zarelli died in 2014 at the age of 87. It is unclear if he ever knew about his son

Relatives described Mary

Relatives described Mary “Betsy” Abel, pictured here in her high school yearbook photo, as “beautiful,” “friendly,” and “quiet.”

Police composites show the likeness of the child victim found in a roadside box in Philadelphia in 1957 DNA has led to identification of the victim as Joseph Augustus Zarelli, who was only 4 years old

Police composites show the likeness of Zarelli, who was beaten and found stuffed in a roadside box in Philadelphia in 1957

Their son, Joseph Augustus Zarelli, was conceived in the spring of 1952. He was born on January 13 when his mother was 21 years old.

The relative who spoke to the Inquirer suggested that Abel put her son up for adoption, as she had previously done with an earlier child she gave birth to, a daughter.

The Inquirer further reports that Abel was a 1949 graduate of Murrell Dobbins Career & Technical Education High School in North Philadelphia. A year later she had a daughter who she put up for adoption.

Her relative suspected that a “Catholic organization” was behind the adoption. The family member dismissed the suggestion that Abel had any connection to Joseph’s death.

They said, “Betsy? No way in the world. There was no cruelty, meanness or cruelty that swelled in her heart and soul.’

Abel later married her manager at the cinema where she worked, Joseph Plunkett. The couple had four children together.

Through their attorney, Gus Zarelli’s family said the family “have been attacked on all sorts of social media and suggested the most horrific things, all of which are unfounded.”

Obituary for Mary Plunkett née Abel, she died in 1991 after a battle with lung cancer

Obituary for Mary Plunkett née Abel, she died in 1991 after a battle with lung cancer

Joseph Augustus Zarelli, previously known only as Philadelphia's

Joseph Augustus Zarelli, previously known only as Philadelphia’s “Boy in the Box,” received a fitting gravestone on Friday, his 70th birthday

Augusts Zarelli with his second wife, who died in 2018

Augusts Zarelli with his second wife, who died in 2018

Gus Zarelli's construction business was well known in Chester County.  When he died in 2014, his obituary recognized his

Gus Zarelli’s construction business was well known in Chester County. When he died in 2014, his obituary recognized his “strength and character.”

Her attorney, Dan Bush, continued: “Each of his children has extraordinary sympathy for the death of this little boy and is appalled by the events being discussed. However, until recently, they had never heard of it. They were never shown anything that would connect their father or any member of their family.”

No family has been able to shed light on how Zarelli and Abel met or what the exact nature of their relationship was.

Abel’s relative said it’s possible that the child’s mother lived in West Philadelphia, where Zarelli lived, for a time in the 1950s.

Gus Zarelli’s construction business was well known in Chester County. When he died in 2014, his obituary recognized his “strength and character.”

The tribute mentions that he was survived by his 55-year-old wife, who passed away in 2018, as well as four children and nine grandchildren.

Pictured: A flyer issued by the Philadelphia Police Department asking for help following Zarelli's death.

Pictured: A flyer issued by the Philadelphia Police Department asking for help following Zarelli’s death.

The city held a ceremony for the boy at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Mount Airy

The city held a ceremony for the boy at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Mount Airy

A 1998 wedding announcement for Gus Zarelli’s son, also named Augustus, was a graduate of Drexel and Penn State University. He also worked in construction.

While Abel died in 1991 after a battle with lung cancer caused by asbestos. Her obituary described it as a “prolonged illness.” She was survived by her children, grandchildren, four sisters and one brother.

The obituary says she was predeceased by her husband.

Members of the Zarelli family previously anonymously told CBS they were blind when investigators told them they were related to the “boy in the box.”

They said they will continue to press for more leads as police try to figure out how Zarelli – whose body was beaten and found stuffed in a cardboard box in the Fox Chase neighborhood – met his grisly end.

A headstone dedication ceremony was held on January 13 at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Mount Airy, where a headstone for Zarelli was placed in 1998.

Zarelli's funeral service can be seen above.  The Philadelphia Police Department followed many leads over the decades before DNA testing revealed his identity

Zarelli’s funeral service can be seen above. The Philadelphia Police Department followed many leads over the decades before DNA testing revealed his identity

Mourners gather at a headstone that reads

Mourners gather at a headstone that reads “Heavenly Father bless this unknown boy” at the 1957 funeral.

City officials and residents attended the ceremony and presented cards, flowers and balloons in memory of the murdered four-year-old.

The murder shook the city on February 25, 1957, when his body was found naked in the box and showing signs of severe malnutrition, along with bruises all over his body and fatal head trauma.

The box had originally contained a cradle purchased from a JC Penney store in Upper Darby for $7.50.

A royal blue corduroy newsboy cap was found near the body, which police believe may have been tied to the killer. A recently washed and patched flannel blanket also covered the body, offering another clue.

As the case gripped Philadelphia and the nation, investigators turned to the public extensively for information, but over the years the boy’s identity has remained a mystery.

Detectives followed and discarded thousands of leads – including that he was a Hungarian refugee, a boy kidnapped outside a Long Island supermarket in 1955, or that he was a host of other missing children.

They investigated a couple of traveling carnival workers and a family who ran a nearby nursing home, but ruled them out as suspects.

An Ohio woman claimed her mother bought the boy from his biological parents in 1954, held him in the basement of her home in suburban Philadelphia, and killed him in anger.

Authorities found her credible but couldn’t confirm her story – another dead end.

Police are believed to have used genealogical DNA research to identify the boy by searching public databases for distant relatives and reconstructing the family tree.

Officials said they had suspicions about who was responsible for Zarelli’s death but said it would be “irresponsible” to release the information – or give out his birth parents’ names because of their surviving relatives.

The child’s body was exhumed twice and DNA was extracted from both cases.

After DNA testing, a birth certificate finally revealed his age at the time of his death – he had turned four just a month before his body was found. It also named his birth father.

The boy’s remains were transferred from Philadelphia’s Potter’s Field to Ivy Hill Cemetery in 1998.

Last month, workers at Ivy Hill spoke out, expressing their gratitude that the victim’s headstone will soon bear the boy’s real name.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Dave Drysdale, Ivy Hill Cemetery Secretary and Treasurer, told KYW-TV.

“One day there’s going to be a name there and it’s going to be great,” Drysdale said. ‘It will be great.’

“I just wish the cops and all those long deceased involved were still here to see it because that was one of their goals and some of them said, ‘I hope they live long enough to see, like a name will be added there.”‘