Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor defeated the allegations.
On February 25 , 1957 , Mary Jane Barker , an American 4-year-old girl from Bellmawr , New Jersey -LRB- southeast of Philadelphia -RRB- , United States went missing along with her playmate 's dog .. United States. United States. Philadelphia. Philadelphia. After an extensive search throughout the city , dubbed by the press as `` the largest search in South Jersey '' , her dead body was discovered by her playmate in the closet of a vacant house near her home on March 3 .. South Jersey. South Jersey. The dog bounded out of the closet , seemingly unharmed .. Despite the initial suspicion of foul play , the death was ruled an accident ; a case of starvation and exposure as Barker was unable to escape the closet .. starvation. starvation. Investigators concluded that Barker died on February 28 , three days after her disappearance .. As a result , the mayor ordered closet doors to open more easily .. The press surrounding the Barker case also led to the first calls about the Boy in the Box .. Boy in the Box. Boy in the Box ( Philadelphia )