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. It might not give us the identity of those responsible, but at least the families could finally grieve and rest. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone. Listen to the FBI: Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to call the Citizens Crime Commission tip line at 215-546-TIPS (215-546-8477). But then I wouldnt know what happened to my son. But since their separation, Danielle Imbo had discovered a new confidence as a single mom. Their cellular phones have stayed turned off. I want to thank you, he will say. Afterward, John Ottobre changed Danielles locks and held a sit-down with Joe. I am. Joseph Imbo as well as relatives of Petrone and friends of Danielle Imbo all said that she told both men she did not want to spend her life with either of them not long before she and Petrone disappeared. Their friends stated that both of them behaved normally and seemed happy that evening. Accessed 24 May 2022. 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. 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. A murder-for-hire scenario also remains in play. He looks me straight in the eye. Based on everything Ive read, no. But the evidence, or lack of it, suggested a very particular kind of crime. 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. Nine vehicles were pulled out of the river yesterday, police said. Youve got to stop this, Pincus warned him. Shortly before she disappeared, Imbo told her husband and Petrone that she wanted "space" from both of them; she was reportedly considering ending her relationship with Petrone altogether. 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. Unfortunately, in this case, we cant do that because nobody has any idea where Richard was parked. In June, Danielles brother John expressed frustration at a lack of clues. I wish I had more to say, says Roselli. Joe kept pressing, into the winter of 2005, when he came over; they argued. He still saw her several days a week, still served as her chief chauffeur. My experience in a cold climate tells me Richard and Danielle were likely hand-in-hand, or perhaps arm-in-arm on a slippery sidewalk, as they hurried toward the truck. But several days later, he pulled a gray hoodie on against sub-freezing temperatures, walked the two blocks from his apartment to the South Philly Tap Room, and ate dinner alone. Danielle Imbo, Self: Vanished with Beth Holloway. What if Richard slipped up while parking or made a mistake? On the night of February 19, 2005, on-again, off-again couple Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone left a South Philadelphia bar and were never seen again. But there is no magic here. At 23, he had a daughter out of wedlock, raising her in an apartment above his parents pastry shop. But Richard suddenly found himself with vast amounts of free time. I have a conscience. Its easy to see why the couple might have been a good match. It never goes away, Marge Petrone said. In the early hours and days after Richard Petrone and Danielle Imbo disappeared, their families banded together, frantically phoning each other the next morning when Danielle didnt turn up for her hair appointment and both her cell phone and Richards kicked straight to voicemail. Not a fingerprint or a hair, not a sighting on a. Ottobre stopped paying attention to the psychics. "He said "I got, like . Thetwo were family friends who had dated as teenagers before they began an on-again, off-again relationship as adults. Imbo was employed as a loan processor for a mortgage company at the time of her disappearance, working out of her home. 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 was also featured on the podcast Women & Crime in December 2021. Thats a theory that has been recently investigated more thoroughly, but well get to that later. If you call in the tip and it leads to a resolution, youre gonna get paid. Mt. 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. There is a saying in law enforcement circles: Its always the ex-husband. So sitting down with Imbo is portentous a journey to the one man who might possibly hold an answer. Christian Zajac, the FBI agent in charge, said, "We feel this was an orchestrated act. Likewise, Richards family was worried. 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. The restaurant is popular among locals, who have jammed the walls with pictures of their dogs. Five years ago, at the relatively young age of 37, he suffered a heart attack. Richard, a single-dad, worked primarily for his parents at Viking Pastries and had become a masterful wedding cake designer. 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. The couple knew each other in high school and began dating ten months before their disappearances after they separated from their respective partners. 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. 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. You always feel it. Their case remains unsolved. Did someone follow him in another vehicle? There was no doubt that there had been some tension between Joe Imbo and Richard Petrone, though. The message was that he needed to be civil, says Ottobre. Marge Petrone has said if it was murder-for-hire, she does not believe Richard was the target of the hit. 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. 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. Richard Sr., in the passenger seat, peered out into the dark, searching for his sons truck. She was wearing a jacket, cream colored sweater, blue jeans and carrying a black purse. Danielles 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 readily acknowledges that people looked at him like a monster in the wake of his wifes disappearance. 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". When a song his son loved floods the vehicle, his loss arrives with every line. His life only shifted in 2004, when Angela, then 13 and developing a womans interests, decided she wanted to live with her mother. But the different outlooks between the two families the Ottobres pressing hope, the Petrones, acceptance confused the girl, and tensions arose. by Anna Orso February 17, 2015 When Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone left a South Street bar 10 years ago Thursday, they left no trace. They carried pictures of Petrones black Dodge Dakota truck, knew its license plate YFH-2319 and the image of its NASCAR decal by heart. After Danielle disappeared, police informed her family that Joe had his wifes cell-phone passcode, and that hed listened to her voicemail. Shed met her husband, Joe, when he needed a new car, after his clunker broke down. RICHARD PETRONE. FBI.gov, https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/richard-petrone. On February 6th, 2008, nearly 3 years after the vanishing, the FBI announced they were investigating the disappearance of Danielle and Richard as a hit. She and Richard Sr. had long-since grieved their son. Disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone Jr. "Petrone Family Seeks Closure in 2005 Cold case", "FBI Seeks Information On 2005 Disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone", "Adventures With Purpose Confirms They're Working On Richard Petrone, Danielle Imbo Case From 2005", "EPISODE 4: RICHARD PETRONE & DANIELLE IMBO", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Disappearance_of_Danielle_Imbo_and_Richard_Petrone_Jr.&oldid=1128688649, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 21 December 2022, at 12:27. She had a son when she vanished, who is now eleven. The next morning members of both families were making phone calls, looking for Danielle and Richard. "I don't have evidence to arrest Joe" is all he says. He realizes now that performing was a big part of her. Imbo, age 34, was a resident of Mt. Danielle later told family members that Joe had bounced the babys high chair off the wall, though Joe has said he doesnt think that ever happened. By early-March, a reward fund had already grown to $12,000 for information on the whereabouts of Danielle and Richard. Is it either of those things? Shes my sister, he says. Imbo, 34, of Mount Laurel, and Petrone, 35, of Philadelphia, disappeared without a trace after leaving the Abilene bar on South Street on Feb. 19, 2005. By early 2005, shed told both Joe and Richard that she wasnt interested in seeing either of them anymore. We used to be fun, and now were always sad. There are only a couple of ways to get rid of that truck. As reported by the Philadelphia Daily News: Danielle's estranged husband, Joe Imbo, says he believes he'll see her again. 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 while talking about Richard and Danielle seems to cast a great weight on their families, Imbo, as we wrap up our conversation, looks lighter. 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. And its because of this., At this, he gestures toward the audio recorder sitting on the table between us the whole mystery surrounding the vanishing of his estranged wife. In April, police said publicly they did not believe the couple simply ran away, which eliminated one possibility. But Ottobre was already driving toward the city. I dont have evidence to arrest Joe is all he says. Imbo, circa 2005; Petrone's truck; Petrone's truck's license plate. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Everyones gut says pretty much the same thing. Will he blame his father for the breakup, see it as the first step in the causal chain that led to his mothers disappearance? The person who suffers the most is my son. The visits, he says, are both amazing and awful, because the boy sings like his mother, and his face is so much like hers that he seems to project her like a hologram back out into the world. Imbo also said he tried to win his estranged wife back. "The FBI decided to come out with something that we've felt has been the case from day one, that it was a murder. Or both. The feds, he says, put out that release to shake the tree. They got nothing. With no bodies to bury and no agreed-upon story to frame and help them understand their loss, they can only stare into empty space, sentenced to always wonder what happened. The easiest way to hide a vehicle with the lowest effort is a body of water.