"Tips throughout time have indicated logically that this is not a kidnapping case. But today, the wind off the beach bears a frosty little snap, and the place is mostly empty when Joe Imbo enters, a few minutes early for our 10 a.m. breakfast. Her boy, Timothy, the grandson Richard never knew, means everything to the Petrones, whose lives have been mostly blown apart. But he has a different view. Leisek has vowed to continue searching, and well just have to eagerly await developments. Imbo was employed as a loan processor for a mortgage company at the time of her disappearance, working out of her home. 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 spent a lot of time in bars, performing or listening to bands, but wasnt a big drinker. 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. Petrone was going to drive Imbo to her condo in Mount Laurel, NJ, and then return to his own home. Laurel, New Jersey home, all in the hope of shedding some light on the situation through a visual representation. The authorities have since come out and expressed suspicion of their own. The case remains unsolved. Once, the footsteps came very fast, almost tumbling down the stairs. 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 grand jury convened at least 6 years ago, interviewing people close to Joe, but took no action. "They walked out of Abilene and from the minute they got out the door, no one knows if they turned left or right. Your sister, she told him, is being held in the boxcar of a train in Philadelphia. 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. 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. Their relationship was going well when Danielle's ex-husband began attempting to rekindle their romance. But the gulf left by Richards passing sits between them and the rest of the world, enormous and untraversable. And when she sang Me and Bobby McGee, all that smoke erupted; she could slay any room with her Janis Joplin wail. "I don't have evidence to arrest Joe" is all he says. Not even the best-funded investigation can run down every thread of every possibility. 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. He says Roselli once told him, I dont think you did this. Danielle Imbo, 34, of Mount Laurel, and her friend Richard Petrone, Jr., 35, of Philadelphia, were last seen on Feb. 19, 2005 leaving a bar near 5th and South streets. It never goes away, Marge Petrone said. And if so, who and why? It was good to hear them say that on the record, so there really can't be any confusion about what's happened.". 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? Agent Roselli had not backed down from the Bureaus position that the disappearance had been an organized hit. So, if it is, how did they do it? Danielle and Richard both had children from previous relationships. Petrone's black Dodge Dakota pickup truck, the vehicle he was driving that night, also has never been found. She had a son when she vanished, who is now eleven. They were even overheard making plans for the next day. The easiest way to hide a vehicle with the lowest effort is a body of water. 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. You could dump the vehicle in the wilderness somewhere, pour gas all over it and set it on fire. And then the next day she does it all over again. In the case of Danielle and Richard, their names didnt show up in the local media for about a week. Nobody could imagine a scenario in which they would abandon their kids willingly. In the fall of 2021 they took on 36 missing persons cases and actually found 11 missing people. They compared notes on what their ensuing Sundays entailed: Danielle had a hair appointment at 11 a.m.; her ex-husband was scheduled to return their son after that. Ill admit, that part makes me a little nervous. A murder-for-hire scenario also remains in play. Richard Petrone was described as 59 and about 150 pounds. And obviously, firing any kind of weapon would make far too much noise. But the evidence, or lack of it, suggested a very particular kind of crime. What is known about Anthony Rodesky, a convicted murderer who has not been ruled out in this case (24:50). Richard, a single-dad, worked primarily for his parents at Viking Pastries and had become a masterful wedding cake designer. He slides into the drivers seat of the family car and with a flick of his wrist flips the engine over and the radio on. At the time of their 2005 disappearance, Richard Petrone, 35, was living in Pennsylvania and working at his parents' bakery. Since their disappearance, there has been no activity on Imbo's or Petrone's cell phones or personal finances. Like, maybe an accidental trip to the bottom of the Delaware River. Its awful. Ottobre stopped paying attention to the psychics. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Rodesky was convicted of murdering two men in the course of separate robberies, and Roselli marshaled federal resources to search his house, dig up his basement, even pore through his septic tank. Friends also swarmed into the picture. In June, Danielles brother John expressed frustration at a lack of clues. Sure, there are other ways to dispose of a vehicle. 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. 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 appears worn down the dark good looks he bore when he met Danielle beginning to whiten and wrinkle. Less-than-perfect families are sometimes shamed by investigators or regarded with skepticism in a way that causes them to stop communicating helpfully. It didnt appear to him that she had been home the previous night. Youve gone crazy!. Then, a couple of weeks later, shortly after Valentines Day, she received that impromptu invitation from Richard: Come out for a drink? Imbo's purse and wallet have not been located. You know, he says, theres only one person in the world that knows I didnt do it, and its me.. He lost a wonderful person in his life.. 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. The couple knew each other in high school and began dating ten months before their disappearances after they separated from their respective partners. She'd begun dating Richard during a long separation from her husband a separation she was intending to. Petrone and Imbo have one child each; Imbo has a toddler son and Petrone has a teenage daughter. He falls silent for a second, whispers, I apologize, reaches for a napkin to wipe away the single tear that escapes down his cheek. It felt like something was about to happen, but nothing did. Never much for dressing up, Richard Petrone wore a gray hoodie, jeans and sneakers. There was no sign of Danielle, Richard, or Richards truck. Were in so much pain, she says, that we could kill ourselves tomorrow. The FBI continued to investigate the case and has actively been looking for tips. When a song his son loved floods the vehicle, his loss arrives with every line. It was Joes weekend for visitation and he was scheduled to bring the boy back on Sunday morning. Three to five remained in the murky water after the search was stalled by bad weather, but police said none was known to be a Dodge Dakota. You always feel it. But John Ottobre continues to hope, even if his hopes are the smallest. Danielle Imbo was 34 years old when . the undercover economist chapter summary. He watches the games alone. 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. When asked for comment, the authorities said they dont comment on lie detector tests but that nobody had been cleared in the investigation. 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. Laurel Woman, 34, missing since Feb. 19. Camden Courier-Post, 26 02 2005, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102465632/. Danielle Lloyd has revealed that she considered taking her own life during the height of her modelling career.. Pincus, fearing a second tragedy, ordered a search. But two people who read the note told me that rumor is false. 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. Based on everything Ive read, no. Marge and Richard Petrone Sr. have, at times, thrown what some would call thinly-veiled shade at Danielle and the Ottobres. They get on the phone with old friends from time to time. Accessed 24 May 2022. Still, there were whispers that the suicide note he left behind after hanging himself with a shoelace contained a confession. 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.