Although several theories have been proposed,the case remains cold, and thefamilies are still searching for closure. "I can't look into my son's eyes and think she's not coming back," he [said]. He went to his parents for dinner once a week for his favorite meal, chicken cutlets, which his mother breaded and fried, wrapping extras in foil for him to take home. Imbo, circa 2005; Petrone's truck; Petrone's truck's license plate. What it was like to speak to John Ottobre, Danielle's brother (29:30). He confirms that a grand jury convened at least five years ago, interviewing people close to him, but took no action. The authorities have since come out and expressed suspicion of their own. Joe kept pressing, into the winter of 2005, when he came over; they argued. Danielle was estranged from her husband, Joseph Imbo, who has a solid alibi for the night of the couple's disappearance. Hes dressed in jeans, a button-down shirt and a black baseball cap. Worried, he rushed over and looked around her condo. "The FBI decided to come out with something that we've felt has been the case from day one, that it was a murder. But people who knew him say he was more of a bruiser, lumping enemies up rather than killing them. Today would be [Richard] Petrone's 36th birthday, according to a family website. It also doesnt escape my attention that if this is a murder-for-hire plot, Joe Imbos alibi does not exclude him from suspicion. It's like you're in this awful dream, and you're caught in quicksand.". The people who love them remain stuck inside that vast circle of snow, looking in every direction for a trace, track or footprint they will never find. However, one of the least-appreciated and often overlooked reasons a case goes cold is simply perspective. Danielle Imbo And Richard Petrone Both Disappeared Without A Trace - Heres What We Know. Now, lets be honest. He moved out, relocating to Georgia, but the new relationship didnt last; months later, in the middle of their divorce proceedings, Joe asked Danielle for another chance. Its awful. The place was called Abilene at 429 South Street a skinny little single-lane one-way street; historic, pedestrian-friendly, and lined with souvenir shops and places to grab a bite and a brew. A murder-for-hire scenario also remains in play. Danielle and Richard had been dating, but they were on a break. Or your sister will be gone forever.. Believe me, we looked, says Roselli, and we continue to look, but nothing has emerged that there was anything in his background that would suggest him as a target for murder.. In 2015, the Philadelphia Daily News recognized the 10 year anniversary of the disappearance of Danielle and Richard with an interview of the Petrones, who still felt the weight of the mystery. Five years ago, at the relatively young age of 37, he suffered a heart attack. Originally published in the April 2014 issue of Philadelphia magazine. He is married, the father of 11-year-old twin boys, and describes himself as bitter. Before she went missing, during football season he and Danielle would watch the Eagles, and if the team needed a score, hed hide his face until his sister gave my head a squeeze so Id know it was safe to look. Now, Sunday is just Sunday. Danielle Lloyd has revealed that she considered taking her own life during the height of her modelling career.. Ill admit, that part makes me a little nervous. Depending on where the truck was parked, an attacker would risk losing control of the situation or being witnessed by a reveler on South Street if he attacked at that moment. As John Ottobre tells it, Joe left Danielle with a sick infant and a cold of her own to attend the 2004 Super Bowl, only to return and announce that hed met someone else on the plane to New Orleans. It was a crowded spot, though. A police marine unit was searching the river at Cumberland because it was a "known dumping point" for stolen vehicles and cars involved in insurance fraud, a police spokesman said. In a video that can still be found online via the Daily Voice, Adventures with Purpose chronicled their search of the river in March 2022. There was no doubt that there had been some tension between Joe Imbo and Richard Petrone, though. And neither wanted to hear that their dearest had been the target. Petrone and Imbo have one child each; Imbo has a toddler son and Petrone has a teenage daughter. The authorities have since come out and expressed suspicion of their own. Its like were standing at the center of a circle, John Ottobre says, creating a picture of a vast, snowy field. Laurel, New Jersey home, all in the hope of shedding some light on the situation through a visual representation. Summer House's Danielle Olivera Confirms Mya's Ex-Boyfriend Oliver Cheated as Mya Talks "Red Flags" and Accuses Him of "Faking It". That night, John and Richard Petrone Sr. set out on a nightlong drive, John behind the wheel, rolling slowly along darkened city streets, tracing and retracing every major highway route and side road leading from Philly to Mount Laurel. Then he called his sister, who was with Danielle. Both New Jersey and Pennsylvania authorities are investigating their disappearances, which remain unsolved. Police usually wait 48 hours to begin amissing person search, but the families started immediately. Her boy, Timothy, the grandson Richard never knew, means everything to the Petrones, whose lives have been mostly blown apart. That night, Ottobre and Petrone's father, Richard Petrone Sr., begansearching for the missing couple and combed the streets of Philadelphia until the next morning. Then, as she put her marriage to Joe Imbo in her rearview mirror and sparked a new beginning, she rekindled an on-again-off-again romance with Richard Petrone, a childhood friend from the neighborhood. Entering this subject, the story of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone, is like entering a field of misery, a pall so unrelenting that the only thing that might counterbalance all this pain is something unworldly, some kind of magic. The couple knew each other in high school and began dating ten months before their disappearances after they separated from their respective partners. Missing Memories. Philadelphia Daily News, 10 02 2015, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102526697/missing-memories/. Richard said hed drive Danielle home to Mount Laurel before returning to his place in South Philly. They were rivals. Danielle Imbos loved ones wondered about Richard Petrone, claiming he was rough around the edges and suggesting he perhaps bore some gambling debt or Mob tie that could have gotten him and Danielle killed. But behind the scenes, his mother insisted he stay on message: Until some evidence directly indicated that Danielle and Richard were dead, there was no reason to think they werent alive. She was wearing a jacket, cream colored sweater, blue jeans and carrying a black purse. In 2008, the FBI would issue a press release to this effect, suggesting that Imbo and Petrone were victims of a murder for hire scheme. At this point in time, he says, if you havent ruled me out, then youre not good at your job. And thats why were out here scanning and searching each one of these, to make sure that we clear the entire area, to make sure theres no vehicles underwater that we need to clear. But then I wouldnt know what happened to my son. Petrone and Imbo's estranged husband had allegedly exchanged threats with one another over the telephone and Imbo had made multiple failed attempts to reconcile with her husband, who was involved with another woman. Nobody could imagine a scenario in which they would abandon their kids willingly. It was, perhaps, a lost opportunity for the family to, at the very least, get a gauge for Joe Imbos body language. As reported by the Philadelphia Daily News: Danielle's estranged husband, Joe Imbo, says he believes he'll see her again. Richard loved music, and never missed a Springsteen show. Once, the footsteps came very fast, almost tumbling down the stairs. Sometimes a family witness might be less-than-forthcoming with information in a criminal case due to a feeling of shame. But the bereaved confronted by a more conventional death, even a homicide, can mourn beside a grave, a crypt, an urn. Nine vehicles were pulled out of the river yesterday, police said. His hair was once coal-black, but hes 42 now, and big patches of gray sprout at the sides of his head. Ottobre stopped paying attention to the psychics. This search result is here to prevent scraping, Hop Sing Laundromat Charging $75 for Bar Reservations, Exciting I-95 Capping Project Finally Begins In Philadelphia, Those Gummies May Not Have Contained Fentanyl After All, Why I'm Boycotting the Roots Picnic This Year. Since their disappearance, there has been no activity on Imbo's or Petrone's cell phones or personal finances. Marge Petrone had actually been on record since 2005, about 6 months after the disappearance, that she believed Richard was dead. Janel Miller 3/23/2022 ALONG THE DELAWARE RIVER A search and recovery team based in Oregon has joined the search for Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone, the Mount Laurel Township woman and. We used to be fun, and now were always sad. In August, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story on a police dredging operation that generated some buzz and prompted a denial from the authorities: Police denied reports yesterday that a crew was dredging the Delaware River in search of a vehicle belonging to Richard Petrone Jr., who with his girlfriend disappeared from the vicinity of a Philadelphia bar six months ago. I feel 99.867 percent that they are not within this area.. You always feel it. And thats what keeps me going now. Danielle and Richard both had children from previous relationships. In the spring of 2022, a privately-funded dive research team from Oregon, Adventures with Purpose, announced they were taking an interest in the case and they were riding high with a surprising success rate considering the cold case nature of the disappearances theyd recently investigated. Unfortunately, in this case, we cant do that because nobody has any idea where Richard was parked. Both were single parents - Richard's daughter was 14 at the time, and Danielle's son was oneyear old. Both the families and investigators now believe that Imbo and Petrone are deceased. Until you or someone like you comes forward with the tip that brings this case to a close, the disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone Jr. will remain Unresolved. He lost a wonderful person in his life.. Through her best friend, Christine, she reconnected with her high school crush, Christine's older brother, thirty-five year old, single father Richard Petrone. Still no leads in couple's mysterious disappearance 5 yrs ago. Philadelphia Daily News, 19 02 2010, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102534940/still-no-leads-in-couples-mysterious-di/. He put on dad weight, clocking in at five-foot-nine and 200 pounds. No evidence. Through her best friend, Christine, she reconnected w. The pair crossed and recrossed the Walt Whitman, Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross bridges. It was good to hear them say that on the record, so there really can't be any confusion about what's happened.". A lot of time had passed but the police were finally making a good show of it. Danielles family were worried, yes, but they were not expecting the worst. She lives her entire day with a sick feeling in her stomach, like something is wrong. After Danielle disappeared, police informed her family that Joe had his wifes cell-phone passcode, and that hed listened to her voicemail. Accessed 24 May 2022. No way.. Youd have to make sure the fire completely erased anything identifiable about the truck the distinctive black over silver paint scheme for example and youd have to clip the VIN number from the dash, take the license plates, and even those measures would only buy time. According to Petrone Sr., his son told him prior to his disappearance that he received several threatening phone calls from Joe. Cmon, he told me over the phone before I arrived, its been nine years. If theres any hope of finding answers in a case like this, we have to narrow the scope of the investigation. In the fall of 2021 they took on 36 missing persons cases and actually found 11 missing people. Richard Petrones best friend, Rick Bellezzi, would tell a reporter They left the club happy at about 11:45.. Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). At present, total reward money is well over six figures for information that leads to Danielle and Richard Petrone or the person or persons responsible for their disappearance. Danielle (Ottobre) Imbo and Richard A. Petrone Jr. are an American couple who disappeared together on February 19, 2005, after visiting a bar on Philadelphia's South Street. Their cellular phones have stayed turned off. The disappearance of Danielle and Richard will be a case 20-years cold soon and I think this is a good place to ruminate on unresolved cases like this. With the decision to investigate the case as a potential murder-for-hire came a change of scenery. John would later tell ABC7 Joe Imbo seemed surprised to find a bunch of Danielles family at her place, but she wasnt there. She had a son when she vanished, who is now eleven. But since their separation, Danielle Imbo had discovered a new confidence as a single mom. Thecomplete lack of evidence has even led the FBI to speculate that they may have been targets of a professional hit. Imbo and her boyfriend,Richard Petrone, were last seen at Abilene's (sometime's spelled "Abeline's" or "Abiline's"), a bar and restaurant in the 400 block of South Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 19, 2005. And two hours later, the reunited couple looked happy together. I cant help but feel the answer is the truck. I have a conscience. Is it either of those things? A grand jury convened at least 6 years ago, interviewing people close to Joe, but took no action. That is our setting, because thats where Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone disappeared. Marge and Richard Petrone Sr. have, at times, thrown what some would call thinly-veiled shade at Danielle and the Ottobres. Friends and volunteers canvassed neighborhoods for 100 miles in every direction, distributing pictures of Petrone's truck. FBI Seeks Information on Disappearance, 15 Years Ago Today, of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone, Jr. FBI. FBI, 19 February 2020, https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/philadelphia/news/press-releases/fbi-seeks-information-on-disappearance-15-years-ago-today-of-danielle-imbo-and-richard-petrone-jr. Accessed 24 May 2022. But the truth is, we dont know what happened.. Investigators stated that very little evidence is available to indicate what happened to Petrone and Imbo, but they have ruled out kidnapping and think a random act of violence is also unlikely. Danielle and Richard met with friends and watched a live band, then said their goodbyes at about 11:45 PM. In the days after their disappearance, Richards then 14-year-old daughter Angela gave an absolutely heart wrenching public plea for the return of her dad that is very hard to watch. Danielle's ex-husband, Joe Imbo, had a rock-solid alibi for February 19th, one that placed him 50 miles away at a kids' party with his stepfather, an ex-NYPD officer, and multiple active police. He last spoke to Joe Imbo a few months after his sister vanished. It felt like something was about to happen, but nothing did. With ten years gone, the team had been whittled down, but refused to give up, the story said. Mt. Then he drives on to the bakery and registers the silence. [3][4][5], On the evening of Saturday, February 19, 2005, Imbo and Petrone joined another couple for drinks at Abeline's bar and restaurant located at 429 South Street in Philadelphia. Many people have been suspicious of Danielle's soon-to-be ex-husband Joe Imbo but he appeared to have a solid alibi. The FBI had last released information on the case in 2008 and there had been no movement. To find out what happened, and to see justice done.. He takes detours, sometimes, on the drive from Cherry Hill to Ardmore, still looking for Richards truck. Weve all seen Philadelphia depicted on the screen a thousand times; the steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art so famous from the Rocky movies, Independence Hall where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed, and more commonplace but equally character-defining rowhouses shoulder-to-shoulder in working class (and some would say gentrified) neighborhoods. Danielle was stymied. Danielle was last seen traveling with Richard Petrone in his vehicle, a 2001 black Dodge pickup truck bearing PA registration #YFH2319 on February 19, 2005. Joe Imbo - Danielle's former husband John Ottobre - Danielle's brother Robert Carey - arrested in pill ring investigation in Kensington; hanged himself in prison Anthony Rodesky -. Hundreds of cars and trucks were parked up and down the street. And so, on a night when the temperature was about 27 degrees and the crowd at 4th and South was probably a little thinner than usual, Danielle and Richard walked out of Abilenes toward Richards truck. The truck must be in a body of water somewhere. Leisek has vowed to continue searching, and well just have to eagerly await developments. Were in so much pain, she says, that we could kill ourselves tomorrow. "He said "I got, like . He still saw her several days a week, still served as her chief chauffeur. They later told investigators that Imbo and Petrone appeared to be having a good time - they weresitting close together, smiling, and kissing throughout the evening. It leaves us with only one explanation that makes sense. But panic didnt really set in until 3 p.m., when Danielles son, little Joe, was due to be dropped back home by his father. Tipsters can remain anonymous. Hangin with cops at the time of the disappearance? Danielle, like her late father John "Johnny October" Ottobre, had a passion for music. "Not a lipstick, not a bag, not a shoe, not a car, not an eyewitness, not a tip," said Imbo's brother, John Ottobre. [12], In 2016, their case was profiled on the podcast The Vanished.[13]. He even learned how to do her hair. If the person driving the truck was consumed with homicidal and suicidal intent, he or she could have easily driven the truck into the icy February waters of the Delaware River in a spot where we havent found it yet. Their friends stated that both of them behaved normally and seemed happy that evening. Joe Imbo has never been declared a suspect in the case. By Tuesday, he, too, was sure his son was dead. Danielle and Richards names appeared in the local print media a little less frequently as time went by, but even when it did, you and I both know it didnt amount to much, because Richard and Danielle are still missing. Richard Jr. had just scored Springsteen tickets and was going to take his dad. She wanted time to focus on the transition from married woman to single mother. Still, there were whispers that the suicide note he left behind after hanging himself with a shoelace contained a confession. At that point I didnt think there had been any type of foul play I was just trying to cover up for her, he said. DANIELLE IMBO. FBI.gov, https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/danielle-imbo. Petrone's vehicle is also missing: it's a black and silver four-door 2001 Dodge Dakota or Dodge Ram pickup truck with the Pennsylvania license plate number YFH2319 and possibly a NASCAR #99 sticker in the rear window. Statistics show, for the year 2013, fifteen times as many women were murdered by a male they knew than were killed by male strangers. A single dad, he moved from Jersey to North and then South Carolina, and also from car to condo sales. Nevertheless, their search got results. Danielle and Richard were not the type to abandon their kids, and nobody had any reason to suspect either of them were depressed or considering suicide in any way. ABC 6 said Joe Imbo, the estranged husband, shared angry words with Petrone over the phone only days prior to his disappearance. His life only shifted in 2004, when Angela, then 13 and developing a womans interests, decided she wanted to live with her mother.