They were looking for vehicles, they just didnt want people to think they were looking for Richard and Danielle specifically. Unfortunately, in this case, we cant do that because nobody has any idea where Richard was parked. He reportedly didnt date much until he reconnected with Danielle. Less-than-perfect families are sometimes shamed by investigators or regarded with skepticism in a way that causes them to stop communicating helpfully. Danielle was estranged from her husband, Joseph Imbo, who has a solid alibi for the night of the couple's disappearance. Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). She and Richard Sr. had long-since grieved their son. 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. This is how murder and disappearances destroy families. Her husband proved less enamored of their new life. Summer House's Danielle Olivera Confirms Mya's Ex-Boyfriend Oliver Cheated as Mya Talks "Red Flags" and Accuses Him of "Faking It". Police often wait as long as 48 hours to consider adults missing. She had a son when she vanished, who is now eleven. It didnt appear to him that she had been home the previous night. It is clear that this is a murder, right? But the night no doubt meant something special to him, because she was there. Richard Petrones best friend, Rick Bellezzi, would tell a reporter They left the club happy at about 11:45.. The pair crossed and recrossed the Walt Whitman, Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross bridges. By early-March, a reward fund had already grown to $12,000 for information on the whereabouts of Danielle and Richard. 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. 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. Ottobre drove to the scene, and as the police scoured the train, moving from car to car, he felt flush first with the adrenaline of the moment, then with embarrassment. Thirty-four year old Danielle Imbo was going through a divorce and raising her eighteen month old son. On the night they vanished, Danielle and Richard had met some Friends at a bar named Abilene's on the 400 Block of South Street in Philadelphia. To find out what happened, and to see justice done.. At 23, he had a daughter out of wedlock, raising her in an apartment above his parents pastry shop. Your sister, she told him, is being held in the boxcar of a train in Philadelphia. [6][7], Imbo, Petrone, and their vehicle were not seen again after the night of February 19, 2005. Petrone was going to drive Imbo to her condo in Mount Laurel, NJ, and then return to his own home. If that person has the piece of information that would break the case but never shares it, shame wins, and the case goes cold. Like maybe it was even up to me to find my sister., The family received lots of calls from psychics. Their relationship was going well when Danielle's ex-husband began attempting to rekindle their romance . Friends, family search for missing couple. Allentown Morning Call, 09 04 2005, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102491020/friends-family-search-for-missing-coupl/. He still saw her several days a week, still served as her chief chauffeur. Not even the best-funded investigation can run down every thread of every possibility. All of those things considered, the million dollar question then becomes is it foul play? Richard and Danielle six months before they vanished. She was wearing a black jacket, a cream-colored sweater, blue jeans and carrying a two-handle black purse. Their cellular phones have stayed turned off. If youre an amateur sleuth like me, you immediately wanna pull up Google Earth and plot the location of the truck on South Street, the path Danielle and Richard walked from Abilene to get to the truck, the driving route they would take to get to Danielles Mt. 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. And neither wanted to hear that their dearest had been the target. We exchanged words, he says implying that when he called Richard at the bakery, the heat definitely went both ways. But it could be. John would later tell ABC7 Joe Imbo seemed surprised to find a bunch of Danielles family at her place, but she wasnt there. At about 11:45 pm, Imboand Petroneleft Abilene's. In fact, some 20 minutes after we part, he will call me. The evening went fine, and friends watched the couple walk towards Richard's truck. What if Richard and Danielle decided to go park down on the piers and make out a bit? Imbo took a lie-detector test, but Roselli won't discuss the results. I dont blame people for not wanting to be around us, says Marge. 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 and Richard had been dating, but they were on a break. Danielles brother, John Ottobre, had a key to Danielles house. It was a normal kind of night, Valentino said. She has worked as a loan mortgage processor. Nothing. Before long, they told Richards daughter, Angela, that her father wasnt coming home. Still, there were whispers that the suicide note he left behind after hanging himself with a shoelace contained a confession. When he asks about his mom, we tell him she is an angel in heaven, says John. 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. Thats a theory that has been recently investigated more thoroughly, but well get to that later. "He said "I got, like . After she broke things off, that Valentines Day without her was hard. What if Richard slipped up while parking or made a mistake? Their loved ones believe foul play was involved in their cases, and both families have accused members of the other family of causing their disappearances. But there is no magic here. Accessed 24 May 2022. Imbo, age 34, was a resident of Mt. On the 15th anniversary, in 2020, the FBI again pleaded for information from the public: The FBI, Philadelphia Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Mount Laurel Police Department, and Burlington County Prosecutors Office are seeking the publics assistance as we continue to investigate the disappearance, 15 years ago today, of Danielle (Ottobre) Imbo and Richard Petrone, Jr. Just days before he vanished, Petrone told his father he had angry words with Joe Imbo over the phone. They simply vanished. And of the victims who knew their offenders, 62% were wives, common-law wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends of the offenders. They were last seen walking on South Street toward Petrone's parked vehicle, a 2001 Dodge pick-up truck. 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 has told little Joe that his mother disappeared. Then he drives on to the bakery and registers the silence. When his son lived upstairs, he would hear slow footsteps before Richard Jr. came down to start his own workday. The authorities have since come out and expressed suspicion of their own. Oct 10, 2014 - On the night of February 19, 2005, Danielle Imbo, 34, and Richard Petrone, 35, vanished. Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Hes dressed in jeans, a button-down shirt and a black baseball cap. [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. But Ottobre was already driving toward the city. At 23, she has moved past the fear, which dogged her as a teenager, that whatever evil took her dad will come back for his family. 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. At around 11:45 p.m., they got up to leave. Or an investigation is bungled so badly from the start its nearly impossible to recover (Im lookin at you, Boulder PD), and the case goes cold. 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. 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. Nevertheless, their search got results. "They vanished," John Ottobre [told the Philadelphia Daily News.] 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. He put on dad weight, clocking in at five-foot-nine and 200 pounds. We were sitting by the bar, and when they left we just hugged and said goodbye. Joe Imbo has dealt with a lot of pressure in the past nine years. 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. They had drinks with friends at the establishment before leaving between 11:30 and 11:45 p.m.; they stated they were going to Imbo's home in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. People who got hammered and had a lost weekend at a club. Danielle's estranged husband has been questionedbut never considered a suspect. Sitting across from Imbo, I find myself wishing that hed suddenly sprout horns, or a halo, and clear the picture. The FBI has questioned Imbo's estranged husband, Joe Imbo, many times. It was brutally cold that night. She wanted time to focus on the transition from married woman to single mother. But the gulf left by Richards passing sits between them and the rest of the world, enormous and untraversable. Nobody could say. 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 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. Nobody could imagine a scenario in which they would abandon their kids willingly. Then he called his sister, who was with Danielle. In Philly, they give it a while, to see how it shakes out. "It was somewhat of a surprise," Petrone Sr. said. But the truth is, we dont know what happened.. Danielle Imbo loved Chinese food, her moms meatballs, and a particular Wawa coffee she called Christmas in a cup. She loved one pair of pajamas in her favorite color, baby blue, covered in penguins. Nothing has ever been found to guide us. The fear among these families is that the mystery draws so much attention that Danielle and Richard get lost as people. The two clicked instantly. There are the obvious reasons, things weve seen before. 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. But the bereaved confronted by a more conventional death, even a homicide, can mourn beside a grave, a crypt, an urn. That means everybody, even people who saw something or heard something unusual but didn't understand how important it was. And thats what keeps me going now. RICHARD PETRONE. FBI.gov, https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/richard-petrone. 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. Imbo had a 2-year-old son and Petrone had a teenage daughter. Every detective, every agent, has their case, the one that haunts them, he says. The statement reiterated the facts of the case, then mentioned a reward. Marge Petrone had actually been on record since 2005, about 6 months after the disappearance, that she believed Richard was dead. Its easy to see why the couple might have been a good match. The Cherry Hill High School grad wrote her own songs and performed in a rock band in her 20s and 30s, her. It would be a simple matter from there to slide right into the truck with the two of them and force them to drive to wherever they met their end. Police seek help finding couple last seen at bar. Philadelphia Inquirer, 03 03 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102466236/police-seek-help-finding-couple-last-see/. Its like were standing at the center of a circle, John Ottobre says, creating a picture of a vast, snowy field. John immediately called Mount Laurel detective Ed Pincus, who was still working on the case. Is it? If, as the FBI maintained, this was a murder-for-hire, the person who hired the hitman likely furnished him with a description of Richards Dakota. Again, the killer is involving other people in the plot when there is a simpler way to accomplish his evil deeds. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. Later, the two moved their festivities to the bar and restaurant where they were last seen. But John Ottobre continues to hope, even if his hopes are the smallest. I dont talk about this a lot, he says. By Tuesday, he, too, was sure his son was dead. Their relationship was going well when Danielle's ex-husband began attempting to rekindle their romance. Not likely. The murder-for-hire scenario, he admits, was only one possibility among many. It was, perhaps, a lost opportunity for the family to, at the very least, get a gauge for Joe Imbos body language. She wasnt all that serious about him, but he treated her well. He last spoke to Joe Imbo a few months after his sister vanished. This would be the last time anyone saw them. Neither of them have been heard from again. She was wearing a jacket, cream colored sweater, blue jeans and carrying a black purse. In the absence of any discovery by Adventures with Purpose, would you consider it more likely the disappearance of Danielle and Richard was foul play? Now. However, one of the least-appreciated and often overlooked reasons a case goes cold is simply perspective. Did the transfer take place on someone elses property? Really naive. On the night of Saturday,February 19, 2005, Imbo and Petrone met with friends at Abilene's, a South Philadelphia Tex-Mex restaurant that has since closed. From every perspective. Accessed 24 May 2022. Just days before he vanished, Petrone told his father he had angry words with Joe Imbo over the phone. And two hours later, the reunited couple looked happy together. Authorities have questioned associates of both people. He watches the games alone. 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. Mt. So, maybe this case is cold because the police have been investigating murder-for-hire since 2008 and overlooking other explanations. I also have not ruled him out.. The most we can say is that they were alive on the sidewalk as they left the bar. A desperate search for answers. Philadelphia Daily News, 06 06 2005, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102529560/a-desperate-search-for-answers/. Laurel home looking for her. 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. It felt like something was about to happen, but nothing did. 856-234-1414, Philadelphia Police Department "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.. On February 19th, 2005, Danielle agreed to go out for a night of music in Philadelphia. No way.. 215-686-3013, Mount Laurel Township Police Department There was no doubt that there had been some tension between Joe Imbo and Richard Petrone, though. He learned how to dress a little girl. The Petrones, [Danielles] family and one dogged FBI special agent continue to hope for a break, something that can lift the fog and let them ultimately know where the road took the two. 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. She wouldnt have missed that, John says now. A few weeks earlier, Danielle Imbo had ended their on-again, off-again relationship. John answered Joe Imbo with a spontaneous white lie and said Danielle had just run to get something at the store and would be back soon. He walked into a dealership and saw a pretty girl sleek, sporting a bob haircut that accented her high cheekbones and deep dimples from the financial department. 856-225-5470. Couple's disappearance leaves families in turmoil. Philadelphia Daily News, 05 03 2005, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102488322/couples-disappearance-leaves-families-i/. 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. You may have been wondering earlier, where was Danielles son while she was out Saturday night? 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. Danielle Finlay Jones, 31, was found dead in December Pair had just started dating after meeting on the app, Bumble Court hears neighbours heard 'loud, violent sex' We dont say anything about her being missing. How the FBI thinks the truck was disposed of (28:10). We' re aggressively pursuing a scenario that's based on leads and tips we've received.". Police usually wait 48 hours to begin amissing person search, but the families started immediately. Danielle, five-foot-five, trim and pretty, looked like the real thing. After the Petrones reached out to him, Roselli consulted with Richard Walter, a renowned criminal profiler and member of the Vidocq Society, a group of retired criminal investigators who gather in private in Philadelphia once a month to review cold cases. Sometimes, his son asks random questions about her. 215-686-3013, Camden County Sheriff's Office NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN FOUND not a bolt, not a screw, not a purse or a hair, no clue at all to explain what happened that night more than nine years ago. Leisek has vowed to continue searching, and well just have to eagerly await developments. Danielle Imbo is known for Vanished with Beth Holloway (2011), The Vanished Podcast (2016) and Crime Junkie (2017). They carried pictures of Petrones black Dodge Dakota truck, knew its license plate YFH-2319 and the image of its NASCAR decal by heart. She was the daughter of John Ottobre, a Philly lounge singer who went by Johnny October and gained national fame in the 50s doo-wop group The Four Dates. 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/. Its possible a perpetrator could just get lucky, Roselli says today, but its more likely just what it looks like: Someone behind this knew what they were doing., JOHN OTTOBRES FATHER, John Sr., a former boxer and doo-wop singer, died in 1999, at age 62. Statistics show, for the year 2013, fifteen times as many women were murdered by a male they knew than were killed by male strangers. Petrone's vehicle, a 2001 black over silver Dodge Dakota pickup truck with Pennsylvania license plates YFH 2319, is also missing. [4][8], Since 2008, the FBI has been investigating the disappearance as a possible murder for hire, but has not named any suspects. Everyone loves their sister, he says, but we went out together on Saturday nights, and she was close with my wife.. The reward is being administered by the Philadelphia Citizens Crime Commission. 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? I learn this from John Ottobre, who finds talking about his sisters disappearance so painful that he often neglects to return my calls. That said, Roselli hasnt closed the book on Careys involvement, positing a scenario of some sort of beat-down that escalated into a double homicide, or a robbery gone haywire. If I was them, I wouldnt want to be around me either.. Because it was nice to remember the good times.. But Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone didnt fit the profile. Cmon, he told me over the phone before I arrived, its been nine years. That first Sunday Richard Jr. went missing, Marge Petrone felt her sons death lodge, as a certainty, in her gut, even as Richard Sr. sat down and called every hospital and police station in the region. There are a million Hollywood reasons like that. Danielle Lloyd has revealed that she considered taking her own life during the height of her modelling career.. Thirty-four year old Danielle Imbo was going through a divorce and raising her eighteen month old son. Only reports and accounts and theories. About six weeks in, one got hold of John. So when Danielle disappeared, I felt like I was the man of the family, the younger Ottobre says. They were single parents: Danielle had her 18-month-old son; Petrone, a 14-year-old daughter. Maybe theres a totally different explanation for the disappearance; an alternate chain of events that we havent even considered. 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. I am a bitter, bitter man, he says. And I catch myself not only trying to observe Imbo, but to look through him. But Richard suddenly found himself with vast amounts of free time. Richard said he understood; hed raised a daughter on his own. In the fall of 2021 they took on 36 missing persons cases and actually found 11 missing people. They were rivals. Imbo was employed as a loan processor for a mortgage company at the time of her disappearance, working out of her home. But two people who read the note told me that rumor is false. She worked in car sales, and then the financial industry, supervising mortgages. Not a fingerprint or a hair, not a sighting on a. Is it either of those things? They saw each other sporadically. The Ottobres and Petrones occupy a rarer hell: Their loved ones vanished without a trace. Shed started dating another man, Richard Petrone. 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. He went in and found the place dark, still and undisturbed. Is it just me or is that alibi almost too perfect? Danielle and Richard both had children from previous relationships. My murder meter swings proportionally with a situations resemblance to an episode of Jerry Springer. Danielle and Richard met with friends and watched a live band, then said their goodbyes at about 11:45 PM. Now, lets be honest. His mom had called and said Danielle missed her hair appointment at 11 am. You cant imagine outliving your child.. He appears worn down the dark good looks he bore when he met Danielle beginning to whiten and wrinkle. Laurel Woman, 34, missing since Feb. 19. Camden Courier-Post, 26 02 2005, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102465632/. The couple knew each other in high school and began dating ten months before their disappearances after they separated from their respective partners.

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