The two were family friends who had dated as teenagers before they began an on-again, off-again relationship as adults. They hadnt spoken since she broke things off, blowing right through Valentines Day without even a text message. 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. From the inside out, with guilt and suspicion and shame and resentment. Danielle and Richard both had children from previous relationships. Before long, they told Richards daughter, Angela, that her father wasnt coming home. Details: Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone were last seen leaving a. Photographs of the truck and license plate are posted with this case summary. Sometimes, his son asks random questions about her. Danielle Imbo was 34 years old when . As reported by the Philadelphia Daily News: Danielle's estranged husband, Joe Imbo, says he believes he'll see her again. In the fall of 2021 they took on 36 missing persons cases and actually found 11 missing people. [1] Petrone, age 35, resided in Philadelphia and worked at his family's bakery. [2] The couple had been involved in what family and friends describe as an "on again, off again" romantic relationship. Through her best friend, Christine, she reconnected with her high school crush, Christine's older brother, thirty-five year old, single father Richard Petrone. Shouldnt this be solved by now? But whats also brought him to the table is the chance, he says, to reminisce to contribute to a story that will recall Danielle as a person., The good times cause a torrent of happy memories: their first meeting at the car dealership, a first date that went on all night and meandered all over Philly and New Jersey. 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. Like Richards father, he still speeds up to get a closer view of any black truck. Danielle was stymied. This case is both interesting and unusual becausepolice have found almost no evidence of what happened to them. No way.. Were in so much pain, she says, that we could kill ourselves tomorrow. "We haven't found anything to indicate foul play, but all of our options remain open," said Capt. They simply vanished. Did he cruise the streets outside Richards frequent hangout until he located the vehicle? Chimneys all over the city belch hot gasses into the frigid indigo sky. The disappearance of Richard and Danielle actually has several reward funds, including one administered by the Petrone family that has grown to more than $100,000. Adventures With Purpose - COLD CASE: 2005 Disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone Jr. (Part 3). Facebook, 2 March 2022, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=972861123603259. At dawn, they returned home, exhausted. You come out here, Lovers Lane, you know late at night and then you accidentally put it into drive instead of reverse you know, theres a lot of possibilities as to what could happen out here. But hes getting older, and I dont know how long that can last., VITO ROSELLI, THE FBI AGENT charged with ending all of this, doesnt try to hide his feelings. He reached his sister, Christine, and found her enjoying a ladies night out with their mother, Marge, and two longtime friends, Felice Ottobre and her daughter. Richard Jr. had just scored Springsteen tickets and was going to take his dad. But what will stay with me is something he said about his son. 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. 856-225-5470. Maybe theres a totally different explanation for the disappearance; an alternate chain of events that we havent even considered. Joe Imbo, on the surface, seemed to be saying the right things, though. The couple knew each other in high school and began dating ten months before their disappearances after they separated from their respective partners. She has worked as a loan mortgage processor. Couple's disappearance leaves families in turmoil. Philadelphia Daily News, 05 03 2005, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102488322/couples-disappearance-leaves-families-i/. And if so, who and why? The couple, who had known each other since High School, had only recently started dating after Danielle's split with her estranged Husband. The FBI has questioned Imbo's estranged husband, Joe Imbo, many times. "You have to know how to get rid of two bodies and a truck quickly, and it would be hard for one person to do that.. Unfortunately, in this case, we cant do that because nobody has any idea where Richard was parked. Thirty-four year old Danielle Imbo was going through a divorce and raising her eighteen month old son. 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. But again, coming back to 2005, how much fencing was up here? [9][10][7], In 2021, the disappearance continued to be investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Mount Laurel Police Department, and the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, with the FBI reporting that "an extensive investigation to date has generated some promising leads; however, neither they nor the vehicle have ever been located. Shed begun dating Richard during a long separation from her husband a separation she was intending to punctuate with a divorce. Petrone channels his pain into writing, posting poetry, prose and song lyrics, liberally referencing Springsteen, on the memorial website Richardpetrone.com: Nothing to sayEven less to feelTheres no more leftFor this sorrow to steal. And when she sang Me and Bobby McGee, all that smoke erupted; she could slay any room with her Janis Joplin wail. Petrone's friends, Anthony Valentino and his wifeMichelle McLaughlin, joined Imbo and Petrone at the restaurant. Danielle's estranged husband has been questionedbut never considered a suspect. We were sitting by the bar, and when they left we just hugged and said goodbye. Unfortunately, as is so common with cold cases, the flow of information in Danielle and Richards disappearance has dwindled to a trickle. Imbo had a 2-year-old son and Petrone had a teenage daughter. Imbo, age 34, was a resident of Mt. Im not a mastermind. He doesnt cry like the Petrones passionately and unstoppably. How the FBI thinks the truck was disposed of (28:10). Is that how it went down? After host Andy Cohen mentioned a Deux Moi report that claimed a . I know this might sound strange, he says, but justice isnt the important thing to me. Danielle Olivera appeared on Monday night's episode of Watch What Happens Live, where she confirmed Oliver Gray cheated on Mya Allen. Nobody could say. But she put the invitation to Danielle. Joe Imbo has dealt with a lot of pressure in the past nine years. What if Richard slipped up while parking or made a mistake? gold label distribution bud man. Even four months later, at a concert to benefit Danielles son, John told reporters the family still hoped she would turn up alive. She fronted a rock band around New Jersey and boasted a singers outgoing personality, and after the trouble shed had with her estranged husband, shed responded to Richards gentler approach. Danielle was going through a divorce from Joe Imbo in 2005, her husband of 3 years, and had returned to using her maiden name, Ottobre. The best detectives will tell you, they consider all options. Thirty-four year old Danielle Imbo was going through a divorce and raising her eighteen month old son. He didnt know why Danielle wasnt there, but he didnt want to give her soon-to-be ex-husband anything he could later use against her. On The Night They Vanished, Imbo Met Up With Petrone To Watch Live Music At A Bar Your sister, she told him, is being held in the boxcar of a train in Philadelphia. Petrone and Imbo have one child each; Imbo has a toddler son and Petrone has a teenage daughter. In the case of Danielle and Richard, their names didnt show up in the local media for about a week. When his son lived upstairs, he would hear slow footsteps before Richard Jr. came down to start his own workday. Richards camp pointed to Danielles estranged husband, Joe Imbo, and their rough divorce. It never goes away, Marge Petrone said. Less-than-perfect families are sometimes shamed by investigators or regarded with skepticism in a way that causes them to stop communicating helpfully. Friends and volunteers canvassed neighborhoods for 100 miles in every direction, distributing pictures of Petrone's truck. Not a fingerprint or a hair, not a sighting on a. A desperate search for answers. Philadelphia Daily News, 06 06 2005, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102529560/a-desperate-search-for-answers/. Friends also swarmed into the picture. Danielle Imbo is known for Vanished with Beth Holloway (2011), The Vanished Podcast (2016) and Crime Junkie (2017). Petrone was going to drive Imbo to her condo in Mount Laurel, NJ, and then return to his own home. Police: dredging isn't search for missing couple. Philadelphia Inquirer, 29 08 2005, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102493641/police-dredging-isnt-search-for-missin/. "Tips throughout time have indicated logically that this is not a kidnapping case. A murder-for-hire scenario also remains in play. Through her best friend, Christine, she reconnected with her high school crush, Christine's older brother, thirty-five year old, single father Richard Petrone. As for the Ottobres, Felice wakes up, and before she gets out of bed, she cries, her grief bubbling up in wracking sobs. That there was foul play. He also believes multiple people know. 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. Again, the killer is involving other people in the plot when there is a simpler way to accomplish his evil deeds. It only causes more problems.. Still, there were whispers that the suicide note he left behind after hanging himself with a shoelace contained a confession. I wait till hes nearly finished, just moving bits of egg around with his fork, before I ask, flat out: You had nothing to do with the disappearance of your wife? It could be, but most agree its unlikely. Laurel, New Jersey, and was separated from her husband at the time of her disappearance. They were single parents: Danielle had her 18-month-old son; Petrone, a 14-year-old daughter. The FBI had last released information on the case in 2008 and there had been no movement. The FBI has questioned Imbo's estranged husband, Joe Imbo, many times. Dani's ex-husband, Joe Imbo, was due to drop off their son at Dani's house at 5:00 pm, and it looked like she wasn't going to be there to meet him. "I can't look into my son's eyes and think she's not coming back," he [said]. However, panic didn't truly set in until 3 pm, when her husband Joseph arrived at her condo to drop off their son, "little Joe," and Imbowas absent. "Each day is the same. The most we can say is that they were alive on the sidewalk as they left the bar. Danielle Imbo, 34, worked from home for a mortgage company andwas the lead singer ofa New Jersey rock band. Its awful. [3] [4] [5] Its not hard to imagine South Street in February of 2005. Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). As is often the case in a missing person investigation, police have considered Imbo's estranged husband as a suspect, and the FBI has questioned Joe Imbo many times. Marge, the talker, keeps going, her eyes always wet with tears that roll slowly down her cheeks, like blood pumping from a wound. "Not a lipstick, not a bag, not a shoe, not a car, not an eyewitness, not a tip," said Imbo's brother, John Ottobre. There was no sign of Danielle, Richard, or Richards truck. Richard said hed drive Danielle home to Mount Laurel before returning to his place in South Philly. Danielle, five-foot-five, trim and pretty, looked like the real thing. Is it just me or is that alibi almost too perfect? Accessed 24 May 2022. A detective embarks on a missing-persons case with every possible end in sight. At about 11:45 pm, Imboand Petroneleft Abilene's. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. And he seems to understand the predicament he faces: Danielle and Richard came together that night by chance, and a motive could be attributed to him for the disappearance of either. By early-March, a reward fund had already grown to $12,000 for information on the whereabouts of Danielle and Richard. On February 26th, 2005, the Camden Courier-Post ran a story with the headline Mt. Two years after that, their son, little Joe, grounded her. That was the last time I saw them.. And obviously, firing any kind of weapon would make far too much noise. The sun set hours ago. He lost a wonderful person in his life.. THE DEATH OF A SIBLING or child felled short of a natural lifespan is always tragic. I also have not ruled him out.. When Richard Sr., the writer, tries to talk about his son, he breaks down, sobbing, hiding his face behind his hands until he can regain his composure. At the time of their 2005 disappearance, Richard Petrone, 35, was living in Pennsylvania and working at his parents' bakery. Much of the speculation centers around the possibility that a hit was ordered on Danielle. Listen to "Danielle Imbo & Richard Petrone Jr." on Spreaker. Through her best friend, Christine, she reconnected with her high school crush, Christine's older brother, thirty-five year old, single father Richard Petrone. The Ottobres and Petrones occupy a rarer hell: Their loved ones vanished without a trace. In a disappearance like Danielle and Richards, we have nothing. I ask him: The affair with the girl he met on the plane to New Orleans? Or both. He was with his dad, Joe Imbo. Angela now works in the bakery. Founder Jared Leisek explains a search of one an area in the Delaware River, where a witness reported a broken gate at a launch ramp two days after the couple went missing: So, these are like the old piers that are down here. There are the obvious reasons, things weve seen before. At last report, Danielles family had a strained relationship with Joe, but they do occasionally get to see little Joe. Not even the best-funded investigation can run down every thread of every possibility. Today, John Ottobre refuses to guess at a culprit, in hopes the families might reconcile. Ominously, the couple's cell phones had not been used in the last two weeks, and there had been no activity on their credit cards or in their bank accounts, the families said. Their case was also recapped on the podcast "Obsessed With Disappeared" in August 2022 in an episode titled "A Bridge Too Far: The Disappearance of Danielle Imbo & Richard Petrone". The pair crossed and recrossed the Walt Whitman, Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross bridges. The killer or killers might have been watching as Danielle and Richard approached the truck. Their friends stated that both of them behaved normally and seemed happy that evening. He detours through parking lots when he spots one from the road. But he told his parents how he felt. Not likely. Danielle has a tattoo on her lower back of "flowers." dr patel plastic surgeon oak brook. No bloodstains. They kissed. [12], In 2016, their case was profiled on the podcast The Vanished.[13]. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) Danielle Imbo, Self: Vanished with Beth Holloway. 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 preferred his Crown Royal straight, his beer Yuengling, and his clothes casual sweatpants and t-shirts. The two were dating. When asked for comment, the authorities said they dont comment on lie detector tests but that nobody had been cleared in the investigation. But that is the legacy of this case: We have yet to learn why Richard Petrone will never see his grandson, or why Danielle Imbo isnt alive to care for her son. If you call in the tip and it leads to a resolution, youre gonna get paid. Accessed 24 May 2022. Richard said he understood; hed raised a daughter on his own. It was, perhaps, a lost opportunity for the family to, at the very least, get a gauge for Joe Imbos body language. RICHARD PETRONE. FBI.gov, https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/richard-petrone. Mt. They were looking for vehicles, they just didnt want people to think they were looking for Richard and Danielle specifically. FBI Agent Vito Roselli has worked the case since day one, and he told ABC 7 in an interview Im confident that it was a murder. What access did you have? She and Richard Sr. had long-since grieved their son. Richard Sr., in the passenger seat, peered out into the dark, searching for his sons truck. Today would be [Richard] Petrone's 36th birthday, according to a family website. But Leisek searched all the obvious areas in that particular stretch of the river and didnt find the car in the search in March of 2022. Sitting across from Imbo, I find myself wishing that hed suddenly sprout horns, or a halo, and clear the picture. If we can find the truck, well find Richard and Danielle. No matter in what direction he looks, he only sees more snow, pure and undisturbed. Their moms enjoyed a friendship of their own. About six weeks in, one got hold of John. Petrone's vehicle, a 2001 black over silver Dodge Dakota pickup truck with Pennsylvania license plates YFH 2319, is also missing. You could dump the vehicle in the wilderness somewhere, pour gas all over it and set it on fire. With no answers, you can imagine their families were tortured. In fact, investigators have never named a formal suspect in the case. They carried pictures of Petrones black Dodge Dakota truck, knew its license plate YFH-2319 and the image of its NASCAR decal by heart. the undercover economist chapter summary. 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. He falls silent for a second, whispers, I apologize, reaches for a napkin to wipe away the single tear that escapes down his cheek. He even learned how to do her hair. We dont say anything about her being missing. The piece relates the known facts of the case and gives a physical description of Danielle: She is described as a fair-skinned white woman, about 5 foot 5 and 120 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair. Imbo at the time was in the process of separating from her husband, who according to reports is not considered a person of interest. I feel 99.867 percent that they are not within this area.. This would be the last time anyone saw them. The evening went fine, and friends watched the couple walk towards Richard's truck. Imbo's purse and wallet have not been located. "You feel like you're trapped," [said] Petrone's father, Richard. THE LOST DOG CAFE sits on a side road amidst a grove of palm trees on Folly Beach, a little resort town (population 2,600) near Charleston, South Carolina. She lived on Dunbarton Road in Mount Laurel in southern New Jersey in 2005; Petrone lived in South Philadelphia. I dont have evidence to arrest Joe is all he says. That sounds like a perfectly innocent statement to some, a nasty insinuation to others that Danielle was the target, through some unspoken fault of her own, and she got Richard killed, too. Original music created by Micheal Whelan through Amper Music, Theme music created and composed by Ailsa Traves. Disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone Jr. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Danielle_Imbo_and_Richard_Petrone_Jr. But since their separation, Danielle Imbo had discovered a new confidence as a single mom. John immediately called Mount Laurel detective Ed Pincus, who was still working on the case. She'd begun dating Richard during a long separation from her husband a separation she was intending to. To find out what happened, and to see justice done.. Thirty-four year old Danielle Imbo was going through a divorce and raising her eighteen month old son. But inside, he hurt. In 2010, Robert Carey, the alleged leader of a Kensington-area prescription pill ring, killed himself in prison; rumors abounded for years that he had been the hit man. "He said "I got, like . According to Petrone Sr., his son told him prior to his disappearance that he received several threatening phone calls from Joe. But I think youre involved in some way. Roselli, he adds, even called an old roommate of his, maybe a year ago, to try and arrange an interview. It could also be a car accident that ended in the same way, at the bottom of the river, with Richard and Danielle trapped inside. I learn this from John Ottobre, who finds talking about his sisters disappearance so painful that he often neglects to return my calls. Laurel, New Jersey, and was separated from her husband at the time of her disappearance. The person who suffers the most is my son. Last updated February 14, 2008; details of disappearance updated. The Cherry Hill High School grad wrote her own songs and performed in a rock band in her 20s and 30s, her. But the night no doubt meant something special to him, because she was there. Their disappearances are being investigated as a double homicide, possibly a murder-for-hire. But the different outlooks between the two families the Ottobres pressing hope, the Petrones, acceptance confused the girl, and tensions arose.