In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on a road called Susquehanna Road, on February 25, 1957, the battered body
of a small boy was found wrapped in a blanket and stuffed inside a cardboard
box that once contained a bassinet.
The child was thought
to be between the ages of 4 and 6. His hair, toenails and fingernails
had recently been groomed. He was found face up, in the box and his
body was nude, though he was wrapped in a blanket. His eyes were
blue, his hair was blonde and he appeared to be suffering from malnutrition.
The child had signs
of having had several surgeries in the past. It was hard to
know just how long
the child had been dead, since the weather was cold that time of the year.
The
discovery site on Susquehanna Road.
In an attempt to help
identify the child, police dressed him up in children's clothing and sat
him up as though he were sleeping. Unfortunately, he was not recognized
by anyone. Below is a picture of the child sitting up and an artists view
of what the child looked like. I have chosen not to post pictures that
show the child more clearly, however, you can visit the site listed at
the botton of this story to find full details and more pictures.
Evidence collected at
the site where the child was found consisted of items that may or may not
have belonged to the child and his murderer. A pair of chilrens shoes that
did not fit the child, a shirt that was the size which the child would
have worn, a mans white handkerchief, a child's scarf and perhaps the most
important item found was a royal blue corduroy mans hat with a leather
strap and a buckle in the back.
There was a path
in the brush that went directly from the hat to the childs body. It was
learned that the hat was made by the Robbins Bald Eagle Hat & Cap
Company in Philadelphia.
Police also learned that only 12 of this particular hat had been made and
they had been made without the strap in the back.
Mrs. Robbins remembered
the man who came in to purchase the hat asking her to sew the strap on.
Mrs. Robbins also remember that the man looked like the child in the pictures
on the police poster. He had come to the store alone, was dressed
in work clothes, had blonde hair and was thought to be in his lat 20's.
A woman by the name of Martha came forward
to say that the child's name was Jonathan. Martha claimed that her
mother had purchased Jonathan for the purpose of sexually abusing him claiming
her mother had been sexually abusing her as well. Martha said that Jonathan
was not able to talk and was mentally handicapped.
Martha gave many details about what happened
on the day Jonathan had died. He had thrown up in the bathtub which
caused Martha's mother to become angry with him. Martha's mother
had killed him by slamming him on the floor.
Martha's told of driving "Jonathan's" body
in the trunk of the car, to the area where she and her mother dumped him.
She told of a man who had stopped and asked them if they were having car
trouble. This story matched an account that had been given to the police
by a man who reported having stopped on the road to ask a woman if she
was having car trouble. The police were very skeptical since
Martha had a history of mental illness and the case was considered unsolved.
Though many people called in with leads, which
lead to the questioning of many many people, no arrests were ever made
in this case of this murdered child. The investigation is still going on
today.
Please visit the site below to find out
more about this case and to find phone
numbers and e-mail addresses where you
can contact investigators if you have any information:
.
Please
don't let them become Angels to soon.
1-800-4-A-Child
Call
this number to report child abuse!
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