Philadelphia Police Exhume Unidentified Homicide Victims

The Philadelphia Police Department's Homicide Unit, in collaboration with federal investigators and forensic specialists, is exhuming eight unidentified human remains from Potter’s Field in Northeast Philadelphia this week. This effort is part of the Remains Identification Project (RIP), which began in 2018 and aims to identify victims of homicides and suspicious deaths using advanced forensic techniques such as DNA testing and genetic genealogy. The remains include victims ranging from a child aged 4 to 6, killed in 1962, to adults aged 50 to 60. The project has so far identified seven individuals, including the notable case of Joseph Augustus Zarelli, known as the 'Boy in the Box'. The ultimate goal is to identify all unidentified homicide victims in Philadelphia.