0:02

What is going on true crime

0:04

fans? I'm your host T and

0:07

I'm your host Daphne and you're

0:18

listening to going West. Hello everybody.

0:21

Hope you're having a good week. Big thank

0:24

you to Whitney for recommending this

0:26

case today. This week, just before

0:28

the episode drops actually is the

0:30

19th anniversary of when this baffling

0:33

story occurred. So big thanks

0:35

to Whitney for bringing it to us and let's

0:37

all do our part by getting this one out

0:39

there to more and more eyes and ears. Yes,

0:42

please make sure that you share this story.

0:44

And if you want to see photos from

0:46

this case, go on over to our socials.

0:48

We're on Instagram at going West podcast. We're

0:51

also on Twitter at going West pod. And

0:53

we have a Facebook discussion group where you

0:56

can talk about today's case. Yes,

0:58

we love them. We can get the conversation going.

1:00

So without further ado, let's

1:02

talk about this one. Alright

1:04

guys, this is episode 383 of going West. So let's

1:06

get into it. Welcome

1:27

to your 2023 work recap. This

1:29

year you've been to 127 sync meetings. You spent

1:34

56 minutes searching for files and almost

1:36

missed eight deadlines. Yikes. 2024

1:38

can and should

1:40

sound different. With monday.com you can

1:42

work together easily, collaborate and share

1:44

data files and updates. So all work

1:47

happens in one place and everyone's

1:49

on the same page. Go to

1:51

monday.com or tap the banner to learn

1:53

more. ABC's

2:00

head series, Will Dredd is back.

2:02

You read that crime scene like it was a book. Tonight

2:05

it is a new time, 8-7 central.

2:07

I bet I can solve this tonight.

2:09

The critics are calling it an entertaining,

2:11

powerful, heart-wrestling drama. There's a bomb in

2:13

this building! There's a firework! Dredd

2:16

is doing the list of greatest TV detectives. You

2:18

can voice it and we can charge you a

2:20

hug! Will Dredd, the premiere

2:23

tonight, 8-7 central on ABC. And

2:25

straight on Hulu. In

2:41

February of 2005, a couple

2:44

went for drinks with friends at

2:46

a bar in Philadelphia heading

2:48

out just before midnight. But

2:51

during their drive home, they

2:53

vanished, seemingly into thin

2:55

air. And neither they

2:58

nor their car has been seen

3:00

since. This

3:04

is the story of Danielle

3:07

Emboy and Richard Petriemas.

3:20

Danielle Otobre was born on August

3:22

7, 1970 in Pennsylvania

3:24

to parents Felice and John

3:27

Otobre, joining an older brother

3:29

also named John. Danielle

3:32

was from a very tight-knit Italian family

3:34

and was especially close with her brother.

3:37

John Jr. remembers her as

3:40

the light of the household, saying, quote,

3:43

She was just a really kind, sweet woman,

3:45

and for the life of me, I can't

3:47

understand how there can be such evil out

3:49

there to want to destroy

3:52

something so beautiful. Danielle's

3:54

father, John Sr., was a singer

3:57

who enjoyed moderate success under the

3:59

name Johnny Octobre. because Otobre

4:01

is Italian for October and

4:04

he was the lead singer of the Four Dates

4:06

who once even opened for

4:08

Frankie Avalon and despite him

4:10

being on the road sometimes the family

4:12

was super close and they saw each

4:14

other frequently and gathered weekly for

4:16

family dinners even when John

4:19

and Danielle were adults. Her

4:21

family fondly recalls Danielle's love of

4:24

both Chinese food and her

4:26

mother's homemade meatballs but in

4:28

1999 about six years before today's

4:30

story takes place they sadly

4:33

lost their patriarch Danielle's father John

4:35

to cancer at the age of

4:37

just 62. He passed

4:39

down his love of music and performance

4:42

to his daughter though who

4:44

was also a gifted singer and

4:46

actually her brother compared her rasp

4:48

and powerful range to Janis Joplin's

4:51

and she relished singing in a

4:53

local cover band. She

4:55

was a born performer and loved

4:57

the spotlight but in addition to

4:59

her musical endeavors Danielle worked in

5:02

the finance department of a car

5:04

dealership and it was there

5:06

that she met her eventual husband

5:08

Joe Imbo. Joe came

5:10

in one day wanting to replace his

5:13

car and said he was unable to

5:15

ignore Daniel's striking features her infectious

5:17

smile dark hair and dimples

5:20

so he asked her out on the spot

5:22

and the two began dating tying the knot

5:24

two years later in 2002. About two

5:27

years after that they welcomed a son

5:31

that they named Joseph Jr. or

5:33

little Joe. According to

5:35

an interview with her brother John he visited

5:37

her in the hospital after giving birth and

5:39

she told him through tears quote now

5:41

I know what it means to truly be in love

5:44

with someone and

5:46

that's when things started to change for

5:48

Danielle. So after

5:50

the wedding Joe insisted that she quit

5:52

the band that she sang in to

5:55

focus on their family which John

5:57

found controlling and very unfair knowing

6:00

just how much Danielle loved being in the band

6:02

and performing and singing. But

6:04

it seemed that Joe could do whatever

6:06

the hell he wanted, because that same

6:08

year in February of 2004, Joe

6:11

managed to score tickets to the Super Bowl

6:13

in Houston, Texas, and left little Joe, who

6:15

was just an infant at the time, home

6:17

alone with Danielle when they were both sick

6:19

with colds. And

6:22

then, on top of this, on the way there,

6:24

he met a woman on the plane, and became

6:26

enamored with her. And with this,

6:28

upon his return back home to Danielle and

6:30

little Joe just weeks after his son was

6:33

born, and two years into he and Danielle's

6:35

marriage, he asked Danielle for

6:37

a separation and moved down to Georgia

6:39

to be with his new girlfriend. So

6:43

after a brief and very tumultuous marriage,

6:45

he and Danielle filed for divorce

6:47

and began co-parenting their son. Stunned

6:51

at the shocking turn of events and suddenly forced

6:53

to adjust to life as both a new mom

6:55

and a single mother, Danielle really

6:57

reeled from this breakup. John

7:00

remembers this as a very dark time in her

7:02

life. She began smoking a

7:04

pack of cigarettes a day, and her

7:06

weight plummeted. But she

7:08

soon settled into a condo by herself

7:10

in the Philadelphia suburb of Mount Laurel,

7:13

New Jersey, where she worked from home

7:15

as a mortgage loan processor, just trying

7:17

to make things work for her and

7:19

little Joe. But then

7:21

months later, when his new relationship didn't

7:23

pan out, Joe returned to

7:26

ask Danielle to give him another chance.

7:29

But by then, Danielle had begun seeing someone

7:31

new. It was at

7:33

this time in the midst of one of the

7:35

worst setbacks of her personal life that she reconnected

7:37

with an old family friend that she had known

7:39

since childhood, a man named

7:42

Richard Petrone. Richard

7:45

Petrone was born on August 29, 1969 to parents Marge and

7:47

Richard Sr. and grew up

7:52

alongside two sisters named Christine and

7:54

Alisa. His mom Marge

7:56

remembers him fondly as a true South

7:59

Philadelphia boy. Like Danielle,

8:01

he was also from a loving Italian

8:03

family and was very close with his

8:05

parents and particularly his mother. He

8:08

was a huge fan of sports,

8:11

especially the Chicago Bears and live

8:13

music, especially Bruce Springsteen.

8:16

Also like Danielle, his family had

8:18

standing weekly dinners where he would

8:20

always request his mom's famous chicken

8:23

cutlets. Hard working and

8:25

down to earth, Richard started

8:27

helping out at the Petrone family

8:29

business, which was Viking Pastries in

8:32

Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He

8:34

was very devoted to their labor of

8:36

love, even attending school to be a

8:39

pastry chef. Marge remembered

8:41

fondly that he was a gifted

8:43

baker and decorator and that his

8:45

specialty was wedding cake. When

8:48

Richard was around 21 years old, he

8:50

and his then girlfriend Julie got pregnant

8:52

with a baby girl, and although they

8:54

eventually split up, they shared custody of

8:56

their baby daughter, whom they named Angela.

9:00

When she was about three, Julie started

9:02

working longer hours during the week, so

9:04

the couple decided that Angela would live

9:06

with Richard from Monday through Friday and

9:09

then stay with her mom on the weekends. So

9:12

he rented an apartment above the

9:14

charming, brick-building bakery in Ardmore for

9:16

himself and Angela, and the pair

9:18

settled into their new routine. Richard

9:22

is remembered by everyone who knew

9:24

him, including his daughter, as

9:26

a loving and doting father who

9:28

spoiled Angela and loved being a

9:30

girl dad, even teaching himself how

9:33

to style her hair. Angela

9:36

has fond memories of growing up in

9:38

the bakery and helping her dad decorate,

9:40

and she later recalled, quote, I

9:43

would actually help him make the icing. He would let

9:45

me add the sprinkles to the top of cupcakes when

9:47

I was little. He would throw a whole

9:49

bunch of ingredients in front of me and tell me to

9:51

go nuts. Most of the things

9:53

I made were inedible. It's

9:56

a very endearing story that he just seemed

9:58

to be such a great leader in. father

10:01

and you know even let his little girl kind

10:03

of you know make these monstrosities

10:05

in the bakery but obviously he didn't

10:08

care. And that's what makes this

10:10

story even crazier is that he just

10:12

had this wonderful little life with his

10:14

family and everybody was so close and

10:17

then this horrible thing happens. But

10:19

before he disappeared Richard

10:21

was there to help Angela with her

10:23

homework and he was always present at

10:26

every game in practice. Fostering

10:28

their shared love of music he brought

10:30

her to a Bruce Springsteen concert which

10:32

was a night that Angela will never

10:35

forget. Angela said of

10:37

her dad quote his main priorities in

10:39

life were his mother and me. We

10:42

were his everything. Shortly

10:45

before his disappearance Angela

10:47

moved in with her mom Julie aiming

10:49

to spend more time with her after

10:51

spending the last decade living basically primarily

10:53

with her wonderful father. So

10:56

Richard moved to South Philadelphia to be closer

10:58

to where Angela lived with Julie so that

11:00

he could see her more easily. And

11:03

it was then that Richard reconnected

11:05

with Danielle. Richard's

11:07

sister Christine was Danielle's best friend from

11:09

childhood and had known Danielle since she

11:12

was 15. And

11:14

those three had grown up together. Danielle

11:16

and Richard had never been romantically involved

11:19

but now at 34 and

11:21

35 respectively and both

11:23

single parents the timing just seemed

11:25

completely ideal. Unlike

11:28

Joe Richard was gentle and

11:30

soft spoken and the two

11:32

enjoyed exploring their relationship together. But

11:35

when Joe came back into the

11:37

picture and attempted to win Danielle

11:39

back he was enraged at

11:41

the idea that she had moved on with

11:43

somebody else. Even though that's

11:45

exactly what he did prior. In

11:48

one incident Danielle relayed to her brother John

11:50

that Joe had come over one day in

11:52

early 2005 in a bid

11:55

to get back together and he had

11:57

become so angry with her that he threw

11:59

little Joe. Joe's high chair at the wall. Now

12:02

Joe obviously later denied this, but concern

12:05

for her well-being, John had

12:07

Danielle's locks changed and met with Joe

12:09

as a warning saying, quote, the

12:11

message was that he needed to be civil.

12:15

Based on interviews with Richard's friends and family

12:17

as well as his own phone records, Richard

12:20

and Joe had multiple conversations over

12:22

the phone in which Joe threatened

12:24

Richard, trying to scare him out

12:26

of pursuing Danielle. But this did

12:29

not work, but it was alarming to know

12:31

that this had taken place just

12:33

before Danielle and Richard had gone missing.

12:35

Yeah, and to know that Joe

12:38

knew who Richard was, aware of

12:40

him enough to threaten him over

12:42

the phone. Yeah, and this just seems a

12:44

little bit crazy. Like you moved

12:46

on with somebody else a long time ago, you

12:49

gave up your shot with her, so

12:51

you can't expect her to just be waiting

12:53

around for your relationship to fail so you

12:56

can come back to her. Well, that's that

12:58

controlling element, just like how he insisted, like

13:00

you said, that she quit

13:02

the ban that she was in so that she could

13:04

focus on the family, but then he goes off to

13:06

the Super Bowl and does

13:09

the exact opposite and leaves the

13:11

family for somebody else. Right, yeah. Yeah,

13:13

it's just kind of hard to

13:15

forget that he does have this

13:17

very controlling nature. So when the

13:19

pair reconnected, and by pair, I mean

13:21

Danielle and Richard, both families seemed to

13:24

be happy about it. They knew

13:26

each other well, you know, the mothers,

13:28

Marge and Felice, and then the daughters,

13:30

Danielle and Christine, were all close friends

13:32

who shared a mutual passion for music.

13:36

Richard was far more gentle and kind than

13:38

Joe had been toward the end, which was

13:40

such a breath of fresh air for Danielle.

13:43

The couple slowly started dating and

13:46

enjoyed growing closer over the course

13:48

of their six-month relationship, but

13:50

six months in, nearing Valentine's Day

13:53

2005, as well as the official

13:55

end of Danielle's marriage, she kind

13:57

of pulled away from Richard a little

13:59

bit. just struggling with the fact

14:01

that she and her son's father didn't

14:03

work out and needing space and time to

14:06

process all of this. Richard,

14:08

though disappointed, granted her the space

14:11

that she needed because he was

14:13

a very understanding guy and about

14:15

a month later a frigid Saturday

14:17

night in Philadelphia came along, the

14:20

weather hovering around 25 degrees

14:22

Fahrenheit or negative 3 degrees

14:24

Celsius. On February

14:28

19th 2005 which was President's

14:30

Day weekend, Danielle went to

14:32

dinner with Christine and their mothers Felice

14:34

and Marge and during the dinner

14:36

she and Richard were chatting via

14:38

text and he told her that he was

14:41

at a pub enjoying dinner and a beer

14:43

by himself. He was

14:45

planning on seeing live music with a couple friends

14:47

at a nearby bar later on and asked if

14:49

Danielle would like to come and meet him. So

14:52

Danielle accepted and the two headed

14:54

to Abilene's located at 429

14:57

South Street in the Society Hill

15:00

neighborhood of Philadelphia. Now South

15:02

Street is a very popular street for

15:05

tourists and locals and it features a

15:07

lot of dining and drinking options and

15:09

we'll post the street views so you

15:11

guys can see this is a super

15:13

super populated area. So Richard's

15:15

friends Michelle and Anthony noted that

15:17

the two seemed happy upon their

15:20

reunion. They were laughing and kissing

15:22

and looked really comfortable together. As

15:25

the live band wound down and the

15:27

time neared midnight Danielle and Richard bid

15:29

good night to Michelle and Anthony. During

15:32

the evening Richard had bragged to the group

15:34

about what a great parking spot he'd snagged

15:37

close to the bar which was a great

15:39

thing for such a cold night and it

15:41

gave the friends an idea of how almost

15:43

non-existent he and Danielle's walk would have been

15:45

when they look back on this night. So

15:48

Richard offered to give Danielle a ride at the

15:50

end of the evening and the

15:52

two headed for his black 2001

15:55

Dodge Dakota pickup truck outside

15:58

on the street. Now,

16:01

the following day, which was a chilly

16:03

Sunday morning, Danielle's brother John

16:05

arrived at Danielle's apartment at 9am to

16:07

fix a curtain rod that her son

16:09

had pulled down. When

16:12

she didn't answer the door, he entered

16:14

with a key, but he found it

16:16

eerily empty and quiet. He

16:19

phoned their mom, but Felice cheekily implied that

16:21

Danielle may have spent the night at Richard's

16:23

place since she didn't have to come

16:26

home to little Joe that night because he was

16:28

with his father, and that she just

16:30

really wasn't concerned by this. So

16:32

Joe fixed the curtain rod and then left.

16:36

But two hours later, Danielle was due

16:38

for a hair appointment, which was scheduled

16:40

at 11am at the salon where Christine

16:42

was a stylist. Christine

16:45

also assumed that the pair were likely

16:48

still together, maybe nursing some hangovers, but

16:50

still, it was unlike Danielle to miss

16:52

a scheduled appointment. So

16:55

she called them both, but neither

16:57

answered, and Richard's mother Marge hadn't

16:59

been able to reach Richard either. Now

17:02

the Petrones were growing concerned. When

17:05

the family spoke to each other and realized that no

17:07

one had talked to either of them, their

17:09

suspicions that something was wrong began

17:12

to grow. Christine

17:15

later said cryptically, quote, I

17:17

knew by that night, I thought I'm never

17:19

going to see them again. Just

17:21

because I, that's what I thought. No

17:23

out of character, and yeah, I'm not going to

17:25

say why I thought it, but I kind of

17:27

knew. So

17:30

Marge stopped by Richard's house, knowing that

17:32

he had been planning on watching a

17:34

NASCAR race that day and hosting a

17:36

few friends. But

17:38

like Danielle's place, Marge

17:40

found the apartment dark and

17:42

untouched. It didn't seem like

17:44

he had ever made it home the night before.

17:48

But the final alarming detail was

17:50

that Joe arrived early that

17:52

evening to drop off their son, little

17:54

Joe, and Danielle still had not

17:56

made it home. Not

17:59

sure of how dire the situation would become, John

18:01

covered for his sister, saying that she was

18:03

out with a friend and that she would

18:05

be home soon. But

18:07

John knew at that moment that his

18:10

sister was in trouble, saying, quote, She

18:12

wouldn't have missed that. No

18:15

way. My

18:30

absolute favorite app is Audible because

18:32

not only do they have thousands

18:34

of incredible podcasts, including ours, but

18:36

they also have an incredible selection

18:39

of audio books across every genre,

18:41

like from mysteries and thrillers to

18:43

motivation to business to wellness. And

18:45

especially because it's the beginning of

18:47

the year, I know a lot

18:49

of us are very interested in

18:51

wellness and just improving our lives.

18:53

So I am getting super inspired

18:55

by Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

18:58

That audio book on Audible is

19:00

amazing. And listening to Elizabeth

19:02

narrate this audio book makes

19:04

it inspire my creativity that

19:06

much more. There

19:08

are many wellness categories for

19:10

you to choose titles on

19:13

Audible, such as physical, mental,

19:15

spiritual, social, motivational, occupational, and

19:17

even financial wellness. You'll find

19:19

voices that motivate you to take action and

19:21

hear stories that inspire you to dream big

19:24

again. To try Audible free

19:26

for 30 days, visit audible.com/going West

19:28

or text going West to

19:30

500 500

19:32

that's audible.com/going West or text going West

19:35

to 500 500 to try Audible free

19:38

for 30 days. Looking

19:42

to save on delivery? DashPass is your

19:44

door to $0 delivery

19:46

fees and more on DoorDash.

19:49

And right now, using code GOINGWEST24, you can get

19:51

50% off up to $10 value. $12

19:57

or more after signing up for dash pass. subject

20:00

to change, terms apply. Daphne and

20:02

I use DoorDash constantly to order lunch

20:04

or dinner or even groceries. And that's

20:07

why we love using our DashPass, because

20:09

it's the most affordable way to get

20:11

anything in your area delivered right to

20:14

your door. I mean, come

20:16

on, DashPass pays for itself in

20:18

two orders on average, making delivery

20:20

even more worth it. And that's

20:22

why we use it so often.

20:25

Daphne also gives you special access

20:27

to exclusive promotions and member-only menu

20:29

items. Get

20:32

more from delivery Sign

20:35

up for DashPass today only on DoorDash. Use

20:37

code GOINGWEST24 to get 50% off up to

20:39

a $10 value when

20:42

you spend $12 or more after

20:44

signing up for DashPass. Subject to

20:46

change terms apply. I

20:51

don't know about you guys, but I

20:53

love to treat myself, like when I

20:55

get a pedicure, I always opt for

20:57

the extra 10-minute foot massage or extra

20:59

legroom on a plane. So if you're

21:01

like me and you treat yourself to

21:03

the top options with everything in life,

21:06

why settle when finding a doctor? It

21:08

is your health after all. Enter

21:11

ZocDoc, the place where you can

21:13

find and book tens of thousands

21:15

of top-tier doctors, all

21:17

with verified patient reviews. ZocDoc

21:19

is a free app and website

21:22

where you can search and compare

21:24

highly rated, in-network doctors near you,

21:27

and instantly book appointments with them

21:29

online. You can filter specifically

21:32

for ones who take your insurance,

21:34

are located near you, and treat

21:36

basically any condition you're searching for.

21:39

I am truly so grateful that I found

21:41

ZocDoc because it made finding a new dentist

21:43

so much easier than it usually is.

21:46

Go to zocdoc.com/Going West and

21:48

download the ZocDoc app for

21:50

free. Then find and book

21:53

a top-rated doctor today. That's

21:56

zocdoc.com/Going West.

22:00

zocdoc.com/Going West.

22:30

Subscription required. Visit max.com.

22:47

As the day wore on and dark

22:49

crept in, the families claimed that

22:51

they were all simultaneously hit with

22:53

the sinking feeling that something had

22:55

gone terribly wrong. They

22:59

reported the two missing and John and

23:01

Richard Sr. hopped in John's truck and

23:03

began combing the streets of the city

23:05

looking for the two of them. The

23:08

journey between Abilene's on South Street in

23:10

Philadelphia to Danielle's apartment, which is where

23:13

they were believed to be headed, should

23:15

have taken them about 30 minutes

23:17

by car. That route

23:19

spans about 17 miles or 27 kilometers

23:22

northeast from the bar to the suburb

23:25

where she lived. However,

23:27

there are multiple routes that they

23:29

could have taken and there are

23:31

multiple bridges connecting the Delaware River

23:34

to take drivers from Philadelphia into

23:36

New Jersey, which remember is where

23:38

Danielle lived. Now, based

23:41

on the direction that they needed to head

23:43

to reach Danielle's apartment, authorities

23:45

believe that their most likely route

23:47

had either been the Benjamin Franklin

23:50

Bridge or the Betsy Ross Bridge.

23:53

So Richard and John were out

23:55

all night circling each of

23:57

the bridges as well as South Street

23:59

and Chateau. checking in with every member

24:01

of law enforcement they came across,

24:03

not returning until 7am Monday

24:06

morning. So even though it

24:08

was now a day and a half after they

24:10

were last seen, there was no sign

24:13

of them. The

24:15

family spent the week talking to

24:18

law enforcement in both Philadelphia and

24:20

New Jersey, as well as conducting

24:22

their own exhaustive grassroots searches. Luckily,

24:25

law enforcement issued an APB on

24:27

the truck, but it hadn't been

24:29

spotted anywhere, nor had

24:31

the license plate been captured on

24:33

any security camera footage. None

24:36

of the couple's cards or bank

24:39

accounts had been touched, and their

24:41

phones hadn't been used. We

24:43

are also going to post a Google Map view

24:46

of this area just so you guys

24:48

can get an understanding of the Benjamin

24:50

Franklin Bridge versus the Betsy Ross Bridge.

24:53

So basically from where this bar

24:55

is, it's only like three blocks

24:57

from the highway. Well,

24:59

I guess if you went that way, maybe this way is

25:01

easier. I'm looking at the map while I'm saying this. So

25:04

it's about nine minutes-ish by car,

25:06

just under two miles from where the

25:08

bar is to the Benjamin

25:10

Franklin Bridge, if that's the one that

25:12

they took. And the entire way to

25:15

that bridge is through the city.

25:17

So it's not like there's any kind of

25:19

scenic routes here or kind of back roads.

25:21

It's like you're driving through the city, and

25:24

then if they got on the bridge, they

25:26

would have been caught on the cameras, but

25:28

they weren't. And then even if you

25:30

see Heath here, if they would have taken the highway

25:33

up here to get onto the Betsy

25:35

Ross Bridge, it's the same

25:37

thing. It's like you're either in the city or on

25:40

a major highway that is

25:42

parallel to the river. So it

25:44

doesn't make sense to me how

25:47

anything could have happened to them at all if they

25:50

were indeed going to cross one of

25:52

these bridges to go to Danielle's apartment. It

25:55

doesn't make sense how they wouldn't have

25:57

been seen. Yeah, absolutely. I mean,

25:59

you would imagine. And I mean, literally they're

26:01

driving, like you said, through the city or

26:03

on a major highway to get to the

26:05

bridge. But none of the cameras

26:08

picked up their car. And

26:10

you see this, this is the Delaware

26:12

expressway. And like

26:14

this is a highway that when you look

26:16

over the edge of it is the city

26:18

down below. So like if anything happened here,

26:21

there would have been so many people to

26:23

see it. Like this is so bizarre. And

26:25

I guess what makes it more bizarre, which we

26:27

haven't touched on yet, is the fact that that

26:30

truck was never fucking found.

26:33

And that's the weirdest part about this story,

26:36

is how this truck could

26:38

have disappeared in such a

26:40

populated city and populated area

26:42

and just never found. Yeah,

26:44

like a big Dodge Dakota truck.

26:47

Well, the FBI was brought in

26:49

almost immediately considering that there were

26:52

two different states involved in this

26:54

case, in this situation. So

26:56

harnessing the professional effort here, the

26:59

families teamed up to hang missing

27:01

persons posters and interview locals fanning

27:04

out from Abilene's. Now,

27:06

almost 20 years later, the couple

27:08

surely would have been captured via

27:10

security cameras somewhere on the street

27:12

as they walked or as they

27:14

drove away. But with

27:17

the small amount of security cameras on South

27:19

Street at the time, they were

27:21

never captured. Law

27:23

enforcement also checked the bridges and toll

27:25

roads, but there were no cameras in

27:27

the direction that they were heading. The

27:29

only cameras that existed were on the

27:32

inbound side, which makes this a lot

27:34

more difficult not knowing whether or not

27:36

they actually did cross either of

27:38

the bridges, because that would

27:40

help know what direction they went in, what

27:42

state they were in when they went missing.

27:45

Because now, as we know, obviously, there are so

27:48

many cameras over bridges to catch if you don't

27:50

pay the toll and all that kind of junk.

27:52

So this wasn't as much of a thing

27:54

back in 2005. Hence why

27:56

there wasn't cameras on both sides, which

27:59

is so unfortunate. Yeah, very unfortunate. And

28:01

the other thing that makes this very strange is

28:03

that no one at Abilene's that

28:05

night including their friends, Michelle and Anthony, saw

28:08

or heard anything of threat or

28:10

altercation taking place that would have

28:12

endangered the couple. So what

28:15

happened here? Anthony was

28:17

interrogated by the police as the last person

28:19

known to have seen them, but couldn't

28:21

recall anything out of the ordinary about their night.

28:25

Two weeks after their disappearance, through

28:27

connections with the local police department,

28:30

John was able to hire a

28:32

private helicopter to do searches of

28:34

the area between Abilene's and Danielle's

28:36

apartment. They scanned

28:38

the ground looking for aberrations, Richard's

28:40

truck, or just anything

28:42

out of the ordinary. They

28:45

also scoured the area above the

28:47

Delaware River, but still they found

28:49

nothing. And this

28:51

case was so crazy at the time that

28:54

it actually made national headlines for its disturbing

28:56

nature. Billboards lined what would

28:58

have been the couple's route home. Frustrated,

29:01

the parents and siblings made tearful

29:03

pleas on the news, asking

29:05

anyone to come forward with information.

29:08

They even interviewed Angela, who was just 14

29:10

years old at the time. And

29:13

she said through sobs, quote, if anyone

29:15

has any information about my dad, please,

29:18

I just need him back. The

29:22

family spoke to each other every day,

29:24

offering support and leaning on each other.

29:26

With no evidence to support

29:29

an actual outcome, theories emerged

29:31

from every direction, like had

29:33

they chosen to disappear themselves.

29:36

But the families didn't entertain that thought

29:38

for even a second. Angela

29:40

said staunchly later, quote, I have

29:43

never questioned that for a day.

29:46

He would have never, ever,

29:48

ever left me. At

29:51

the time, Philadelphia had a very

29:53

booming car theft industry because that

29:55

year alone, 775 cars were stolen.

30:00

But how could a truck just

30:02

have disappeared with two people in

30:04

it? Police

30:06

theorize that Danielle and Richard may have

30:09

been pulled over and discarded, serving as

30:12

collateral damage, and perhaps the car

30:14

was stripped for parts or sent into a

30:16

crusher before the two were

30:18

even reported missing. Vito

30:21

Roselli, who is one of the FBI

30:24

agents assigned to investigate the disappearances, used

30:26

to quote, could just be random, but

30:28

to be random and to get rid of

30:31

two bodies in a truck, it's pretty hard

30:33

to do. Not impossible,

30:35

but pretty hard to do. Law

30:38

enforcement still maintains all these years

30:41

later that this is an entirely

30:43

plausible theory and that the car

30:45

may have been incinerated or compacted,

30:47

and maybe even while it still

30:49

contained the bodies of Danielle and

30:52

Richard inside. Given

30:54

that they vanished near a large body of water,

30:56

again the Delaware River, an accident

30:59

is also possible. A

31:01

few weeks after the incident, a tipster

31:04

pointed out that there was a section

31:06

above the Delaware River where the fence

31:08

was broken, and it appeared as if

31:11

it had been driven through. So

31:14

divers searched the area below

31:16

this break and did recover

31:18

other discarded vehicles, but

31:20

not Richard's truck. A

31:23

month into the search for the couple, as

31:25

is common with cases of such an extremely

31:28

sensitive nature, the tensions between

31:30

the families began to rise, and

31:33

accusations began to fly. Each

31:37

family wondered if the other

31:39

was to blame, but John was

31:41

the first to point fingers. He

31:44

and the families began wondering if one

31:46

or even both had owed someone money,

31:48

or had been living a double life,

31:51

but both parties were investigated

31:53

thoroughly and found to be

31:55

squeaky clean. Neither of

31:57

them were involved in something unsavory. This

32:00

just wasn't that kind of situation, and it

32:02

felt very clear. Thus,

32:05

in turn, Richard's family wondered if

32:07

it in fact was Danielle's connection

32:09

to her estranged husband,

32:12

Joe Imbo, that led

32:14

to the couple's disappearance and likely demise.

32:18

Joe was thoroughly investigated as a

32:20

suspect, but eliminated almost immediately due

32:22

to his alibi, because

32:24

that day he had been attending a

32:27

family gathering in Tom's River, New Jersey,

32:29

which is 70 miles or 112 kilometers

32:32

away from where Danielle and Richard

32:34

were last seen that very night.

32:37

However, critics of Joe's are quick to

32:39

point out that Joe's stepfather, who was

32:41

also with him in Tom's River that

32:44

night, is a retired officer of the

32:46

NYPD, and multiple other officers

32:48

were in attendance for this family gathering

32:50

as well. But

32:54

over the years, this led many to

32:56

believe that Joe and his family were

32:58

responsible for putting a hit out on

33:00

Danielle and possibly Richard due to

33:03

Joe being very angry that she had moved on. Now,

33:06

Joe did submit a polygraph examination,

33:08

but the results have not been

33:10

released. Vito Roselli

33:12

explained, quote, I don't have evidence

33:14

to arrest Joe. I also have

33:17

not ruled him out. Joe

33:20

claims that Vito once told him, quote, I

33:22

don't think you did this, but I

33:24

think you're involved in some way. If

33:28

it had been a sophisticated hit orchestrated

33:30

by Joe, however, how would he

33:32

have known that they would be together on the night of

33:34

February 19th? Well, it didn't even

33:36

seem like she knew that was going to happen

33:38

because Danielle was just at dinner with her mom

33:40

and Richard's mom, and then they were just texting

33:42

and he said, hey, I'm having dinner by myself.

33:44

Want to come to the show later with me

33:46

and my friends? Like it wasn't a

33:49

plan. So that is a really weird part of

33:51

this story as well. This was like

33:53

a spur of the moment thing. Unless

33:55

right. Unless if Joe did have somebody,

33:57

you know, put a hit on Danielle.

34:00

And Richard, if you had somebody like

34:02

watching them or watching their moves that night, but

34:04

I don't know, you know? Yeah, that

34:06

would be the only way that this would make

34:08

sense, but... Ah, it's tough.

34:10

So in addition to the mounting suspicions

34:13

against Joe, tips came in

34:15

from all kinds of sources. Some

34:17

reliable and some not, but the

34:19

family, law enforcement, and the

34:21

FBI chased down every single one of

34:24

them. About five

34:26

weeks after their disappearances, a tipster

34:28

called in claiming that they knew where

34:30

Danielle was, and that she

34:33

was still alive. According

34:35

to the caller, she was being held

34:37

captive in a box car on railroad

34:39

tracks near the Walt Whitman Bridge, one

34:41

of the bridges that leads from Philadelphia

34:44

into New Jersey. And that is a

34:46

bridge that is also fairly close to the bar,

34:48

but it was further away from her apartment, so

34:50

it wouldn't have likely been one that they used,

34:52

but it was very close by. Yeah, there

34:54

was like three in that area. There was the

34:56

Benjamin Franklin, the Betsy Ross, and then the Walt

34:58

Whitman Bridge, all kind of in the same area.

35:01

So John himself actually went out searching that night

35:03

in the dark with a flashlight, just trying to

35:06

find any sign of his sister. But

35:08

sadly, he found nothing, not

35:11

even an indication that she had been there

35:13

at any point. So the

35:15

families both continued to conduct their

35:17

own searches, but now did

35:19

so separately. That

35:22

summer, Richard's family held a vigil

35:24

for him outside Abilene's, hoping to

35:26

jog someone's memory. And later that

35:28

year, police retrieved a similar truck,

35:31

a black Dodge Dakota, from the

35:33

bottom of the Delaware River. But

35:35

neither the VIN nor the license

35:37

plate matched Richard's car, and there

35:40

was no one found inside. And

35:43

police surmised that the truck had likely

35:45

been dumped there as part of an insurance

35:47

scam ring, and nothing to

35:49

do with Danielle or Richard. It's kind

35:51

of crazy thinking about how many cars

35:54

are probably in the Delaware River. Because

35:56

this is just multiple rivers. Yeah, and

35:58

multiple rivers just. across the US because

36:01

this is just one portion of the Delaware River

36:03

that they searched and they found at least a

36:05

few cars So it's like I don't know what

36:07

these people are doing out there just dumping cars

36:10

into a fucking river Yeah, it's really

36:12

crazy and obviously that is a big part

36:14

of this case too is oh did they

36:16

accidentally drive off into the Delaware River? But

36:18

it does seem like there were so many

36:20

searches done another one which we're gonna talk

36:22

about in a minute here But

36:24

a lot of the locals just feel like this

36:26

is not possible and I want to explain why

36:29

I was reading on a forum about people who

36:31

live in this area weighing in on this case

36:33

and They said that it's

36:35

just not really possible that the

36:37

truck went into the water. Obviously there were trucks

36:41

in the water in this area

36:43

from other instances but

36:45

like we were talking about before it's

36:47

pretty much just straight-up highways from Philly

36:51

to Mount Laurel, New Jersey and There's

36:54

like there's no scenic route like I

36:56

said There's just not a clear way

36:58

to go into the water without people

37:01

seeing this happen because there were other

37:03

cars in there But it's not surmised

37:05

that this happened by those cars going

37:07

off of the freaking highway But

37:10

being put in there in a different way like

37:12

I said for situations like an insurance scam

37:15

or something like that because People

37:17

were not found in the cars, right? I

37:19

think they were just pushed into the

37:21

Delaware River and not driven into the

37:23

right off of the freaking highway But

37:26

anyway, so very few suspects have

37:28

been considered in this case but

37:30

in the years following the disappearances

37:32

a handful of people were investigated

37:35

a New Jersey

37:37

man named Anthony road esky was

37:40

arrested shortly after the disappearances for

37:42

two murders on March

37:45

22nd 2005 Anthony

37:48

attempted to rob a motel and

37:50

when the owner screamed Anthony shot

37:52

and killed him a Week

37:54

later while robbing a retail store. He shot

37:57

in an employee of the store, but didn't

37:59

kill him And when Anthony's 17

38:02

year old stepson joined him, fearful

38:04

after hearing the gunshots, Anthony

38:07

held the gun to his head and forced

38:10

his stepson to stab the

38:12

employee to death. So

38:14

based on the gruesome nature of

38:16

these killings, Anthony was briefly suspected

38:19

of involvement in the disappearances, but

38:21

he maintained that he had no

38:23

connection to them and was

38:25

quickly cleared of involvement. Then

38:29

a few years later in 2010, a

38:31

prescription drug ring bust led to

38:33

the arrest of a man named

38:35

Robert Carey in Pennsylvania. The

38:38

following day, he was found dead of

38:40

an apparent suicide in his cell. And

38:43

as the news spread, he was

38:45

also linked to the disappearances. Somehow

38:48

a rumor began to churn that

38:50

Robert had left a suicide note

38:52

claiming he was involved in

38:54

Danielle and Richard's case. But

38:57

Vito Roselli confirmed that this was not

38:59

true. There had been a note

39:01

left behind, but it did not mention the

39:03

couple. In 2008,

39:06

the FBI released a bombshell update,

39:08

hoping that it would encourage someone

39:10

to come forward with information. They

39:14

believed that the disappearances were a

39:16

murder for hire plot. They

39:18

remained quiet on the details, not wanting

39:21

to compromise the investigation and have yet

39:23

to announce what brought them to this

39:25

conclusion. But even this

39:27

couldn't convince anyone to come forward.

39:30

So the case is still being

39:32

actively investigated. In

39:35

March of 2022, Adventures with Purpose,

39:37

who are a search and recovery

39:39

dive team that's based in Oregon,

39:42

that we have discussed on the show many times, announced

39:44

that they were taking on the case and

39:47

that they have searched multiple bodies of water

39:49

so far. Diver

39:51

Doug Bishop told a local news station, quote,

39:54

we know that when it comes to searching

39:56

underwater, we hold the key to

39:58

that. You know, we're very good at what we

40:00

do. Sadly in

40:02

their multiple searches, they did not

40:05

recover any link to Danielle, Richard,

40:08

or their missing vehicle. Which

40:10

police in the family believe puts even more weight on

40:13

the murder for hire plot and

40:15

the idea that someone, somehow, stopped

40:17

them during their drive and disposed

40:19

of them and the vehicle. Ten

40:23

years after the pair vanished, Richard's

40:25

mom Marge spoke of the toll it

40:27

had taken on her and her family,

40:29

saying, quote, I don't blame people for

40:31

not wanting to be around us. We

40:34

used to be fun, and now we're always

40:36

sad. If I was them, I wouldn't

40:38

want to be around me either. That

40:41

is like one of the most heartbreaking quotes I think

40:43

I've ever read on this show. For

40:46

years, Richard Sr. penned updates

40:48

on his son's website, leaving

40:51

messages for him, wishing him happy

40:53

birthday and jotting down song lyrics

40:55

that he loved. Members

40:57

of both families claim that they continue to scan

40:59

the streets looking for the couple in Richard's

41:02

truck everywhere they go, still

41:04

hoping to happen upon them and get

41:07

answers. Both families also

41:09

admit that they believe the couple are

41:11

deceased and that they likely died the

41:13

night of the disappearance, but

41:15

neither will be able to rest until answers

41:17

are determined. John

41:20

confirmed, quote, she's my sister. I don't

41:22

think I'll stop till she's found. Now

41:25

exactly 19 years after

41:28

they vanished, it seems we're no

41:30

closer to knowing what happened on

41:32

that freezing February night. In

41:35

the aftermath of Daniel's disappearance, little

41:37

Joe and his father moved to

41:39

North Carolina and then later South

41:41

Carolina. Thankfully, he did

41:43

keep in touch with Daniel's side of the

41:46

family, which kind of surprises me in general.

41:49

But John said fondly that little Joe

41:51

reminded him so much of Danielle and

41:53

that he's very smart and musical.

41:57

In an interview with Joe Embo back in 2000.

42:00

In 2014, Joe pleaded his

42:02

case and explained what a negative

42:04

effect this had on all of

42:06

them, his former in-laws, his son,

42:08

and himself. He

42:10

said tightly, quote, I am a bitter,

42:13

bitter man. I am. And it's because

42:15

of this. He

42:19

recalled being seen as a monster in

42:21

his community. When asked if

42:23

he had anything to do with Danielle's disappearance,

42:25

he said, quote, absolutely not.

42:28

He also added that he wanted this case

42:31

solved just as much as anyone else, that

42:33

this was the mother of his child. He

42:36

added, quote, Come on, it's been nine

42:39

years. Shouldn't this be solved by

42:41

now? Joe himself

42:43

is shocked that he is still being

42:45

considered a suspect, saying very matter of

42:47

factly, quote, at this point in time,

42:49

if you haven't ruled me out, then

42:51

you're not good at your job. You're

42:53

just not good at your job. I'm

42:55

not a mastermind. I have a conscience.

42:57

I wouldn't be able to live with

42:59

myself this long after such a heinous

43:02

thing or look my son in

43:04

the eye. He also

43:06

reflects on the guilt and regrets that

43:08

he's had since Danielle vanished. One

43:11

regret, he said, is asking her to

43:13

quit her beloved cover band. He

43:15

recalled, quote, right before we were

43:17

getting married, I kind of said, you've got to

43:20

quit the band. But he claims

43:22

that he simply wanted to spend more time

43:24

with her. He remembered

43:26

her beautiful singing voice and then added

43:28

through tears, quote, I don't talk

43:31

about this a lot. It's awful. The

43:33

person who suffers the most is my son.

43:36

He lost a wonderful person in his

43:38

life. Of the

43:41

woman that he left Danielle for, he simply

43:43

said, quote, I fucked up. And

43:45

when asked about Richard, he said, quote, we

43:48

exchanged words. I was just

43:50

being jealous. Danielle

43:53

got married, had children and took over her

43:55

father's role at the bakery in 2018. pastries

44:00

shuddered permanently after more

44:02

than 60 years in

44:05

operation. At Angela's

44:07

wedding, a locket with her father's picture

44:09

hung from her bouquet. Though

44:12

his absence was especially challenging on that

44:14

day, she tried to be

44:16

present in the celebrations, and

44:18

her grandparents filled in where her father could

44:21

not. Marge said

44:23

of her granddaughter's wedding, quote, I

44:25

just wanted it to be a happy day for her. That's

44:28

what he would have wanted. A locket,

44:30

we sewed it into the bouquet with his

44:32

picture. That's how she walked down

44:35

the aisle. But

44:37

Marge maintains that she still loses

44:39

her composure on a daily basis

44:41

over the loss of her son. She

44:44

reflected sadly, quote, I raised him like

44:46

a piece of crystal. Now

44:48

he is a piece of trash somewhere.

44:52

Though the families are no longer really in touch,

44:54

both have mentioned wanting to find justice for the

44:56

other. In an interview

44:58

last year with adventures with purpose, Marge

45:01

told the local news, quote, I

45:03

need closure and I need justice

45:05

for my son and Danielle. The

45:09

families aren't the only ones haunted by this case.

45:12

Vito Rizzelli claims that it will stay with him

45:14

until he sees it to its end, saying,

45:17

quote, every detective, every

45:19

agent has their case, the

45:22

one that haunts them. And this one is

45:24

mine. Danielle

45:26

Embo had dark brown hair and

45:28

hazel eyes. She stood at

45:31

five feet, five inches tall and weighed about 117

45:33

pounds. She

45:35

had a tattoo of flowers on her lower back. She

45:39

was last seen wearing a cream colored sweater,

45:42

jeans, a black purse and a

45:44

dark jacket. She

45:46

wore three silver rings. Richard

45:49

had blue eyes and brown hair. She

45:52

stood at about five feet, nine inches tall

45:54

and weighed about 200 pounds. He

45:58

had a tattoo of clowns on his right arm. and

46:00

his daughter's name on his left arm. He

46:03

was last seen wearing jeans, a

46:05

gray hooded sweatshirt, and tennis shoes.

46:08

If you have any information about

46:10

the disappearances of Danielle Imbo and

46:12

Richard Petrone, please call

46:15

the Philadelphia Citizens Crime Commission at

46:17

215-546-8477. Thank

46:33

you so much everybody for listening to

46:35

this episode of Going West. Yes, thank

46:37

you guys so much for listening to this episode, and

46:39

on Friday we'll have an all new case for you

46:41

guys to dive into. What a tough case,

46:43

because it is hard for me to

46:46

believe in a way that Joe is

46:48

involved, even though he had so many

46:50

connections to the police department, and

46:53

he obviously would have had some

46:55

type of motive here, but it's

46:57

just hard to really believe that

46:59

this could have been orchestrated, but I

47:01

guess it's really hard to believe anything. Like,

47:03

not knowing whether or not they made it

47:05

over the bridge and out of Pennsylvania and

47:08

into New Jersey, not knowing where the hell

47:10

they went at all, it

47:12

makes it so hard to speculate what

47:14

could have happened, not knowing what exact

47:16

route they were on, what they passed,

47:18

what they could have stumbled upon. It's

47:21

just weird. Yeah, without any physical

47:23

evidence at all in this case, basically

47:26

the only thing that we

47:28

have is speculation on what

47:30

could have happened, but

47:32

hopefully more updates will come to this case.

47:34

I know that they are still actively investigating

47:36

it as of 2024, so

47:39

hopefully answers will come,

47:42

so please share this episode. Yes, absolutely, and

47:44

a big thank you again to Whitney for

47:46

recommending it. If you guys have a case

47:48

you want covered on the show, email

47:50

it in to

47:53

goingwestpodcastatgmail.com. Alright

47:55

guys, so for everybody out there in the

47:57

world... Don't be a stranger! the

48:38

the chief president day sales event is going on now

48:40

her in your local chief dealer for great offers now

48:42

well qualified lessee's below mileage lease on the twenty twenty

48:44

four g grand chair keeler a door x four by

48:46

four four four thirty nine a month for thirty nine

48:48

months three thousand nine and i do it here

48:53

call one eighty eight million two forty three contribution

48:56

in lease still financial extra charge miles

48:58

over thirty two thousand five hundred not

49:00

all customers will qualify residency restrictions of

49:02

the take delivery by two twenty nine

49:05

twenty-four chief is a registered trademark