Philadelphia police expected to release identity of 'Boy in the Box' from 65-year-old cold case

The identity of one of the most enduring and heartbreaking murder victims in the U.S. is expected to be released this week as Philadelphia police are anticipated to announce the name of the "Boy in the Box" discovered in 1957. 

The young child's body was found in a cardboard box by the side of what was then the rural Susquehanna Road northeast of Philadelphia's downtown. Efforts to identity the boy and/or his killer over the years have proven unsuccessful. 

Yet Philadelphia police are expected to announce his identity as early as this Thursday. 

Authorities reportedly determined his identity using "genetic genealogy," a method in which genetic database are cross-searched with a donor's or victim's DNA to try and locate the closest family member.

“Despite numerous attempts to identify the child throughout the years, the identity of the boy remained a mystery," Philadelphia police said in a statement on Tuesday. "Through detective work and DNA analysis, police are finally able to identify the child."