Joseph McGillen, investigator for city medical examiner

Joseph F. McGillen, 89, of Philadelphia, a retired investigator for the city Medical Examiner's Office, died Thursday, Oct. 22, of congestive heart failure at Nazareth Hospital.

Mr. McGillen worked on the famous "Boy in the Box" murder case a year after joining the Medical Examiner's Office in 1956.

He ran down tips phoned in by the public and analyzed clues found near where a student discovered the battered remains of the 4- to 6-year-old in a cardboard crate designed for a bassinet in February 1957.

Though the Philadelphia case was publicized internationally, and Mr. McGillen and others continued to work on it into retirement, the child's identity and that of his family have never emerged.

Jack Maxwell, a friend and a retired chief inspector of the detective bureau, said Mr. McGillen was a highly respected forensic investigator with a sharp, analytical mind that never dimmed.

"Joe was ahead of his time, he was doing CSI, and recognized the importance and potential of forensics in criminal investigations," Maxwell wrote in an email.

"He had tremendous dedication and an astonishing memory," Maxwell wrote. "Once I was looking for some old info on the Boy in the Box case, and went to see him, even though he was retired for many years.

"He had a copy of over 400 phone tips that were called into detective headquarters starting shortly after the boy was discovered murdered. He was still working on the case with the prestigious Vidocq Society," which investigates unsolved slayings.

Mr. McGillen and his friend William H. Kelly, a former Philadelphia detective, for a time were codirectors of the Vidocq Society's Boy in the Box investigation. They used the Internet to try to stimulate new interest in the murder. They visited the boy's grave each February.

In 2007, Mr. McGillen told the New York Times that even if the killer remained unknown, eventually the murderer would be "in a place where there's no appeal. And I feel good about that."

Maxwell said that Mr. McGillen worked on another famous case, that of Marie Noe, the Philadelphia woman whose 10 children died mysteriously between 1949 and 1968. Crib death was the accepted cause.

But when a Philadelphia Magazine writer questioned that finding, police reopened their investigation and turned to Mr. McGillen for his extensive knowledge of the case. He turned over all his records to them.

In 1999, Noe pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in eight of the deaths and was sentenced to five years under house arrest and 20 years of probation. The other two children died of natural causes.

"Without his assistance, she would not have been charged," Maxwell said.

A resident of Northeast Philadelphia, Mr. McGillen was a baseball scout in his free time. He moved into Deer Meadows, a nursing facility, as his health declined.

His wife, Elaine Foti, died in 1998.

He is survived by daughters Carolann Pettit and Kathie Maurer; son Michael J.; eight grandchildren; and a sister.

Services were Tuesday, Oct. 27. Interment was in Rosedale Memorial Park.

Donations may be made to Deer Meadows Benevolent Fund, 8301 Roosevelt Blvd., Philadelphia 19152.

bcook@phillynews.com

610-313-8102