Betrayal - Introducing — There and Gone: South Street Ep 1

Episode Date: July 19, 2024

Introducing There and Gone: South Street, the latest podcast from the team that brought you Betrayal. Please enjoy a special “AD FREE” presentation of Episode 1 of There and Gone: South Street. Ashley Lytton from Season 2 of Betrayal shares her feelings about the new hit true crime podcast from Glass Podcasts and iHeartPodcasts. Please take a moment to listen.  And if you enjoy the show, episodes are launching NOW, so please subscribe to There and Gone: South Street by clicking here. You will find There and Gone: South Street on the iHeartApp, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you want to listen to episodes one week early and ad-free, you can sign up for iHeartTrueCrime+, exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Thank you for listening! There and Gone: Ep 1 — Ghosts  How do two adults and a pickup truck disappear from a busy Philadelphia street? That’s the question that’s baffled law enforcement and the families of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone for almost 20 years. The FBI called the crime “personal”. But who would want to harm Danielle or Richard? And why?   To find more episodes of There and Gone: South Street, click here.  Please subscribe to the show, leave a review and rate 5 stars! If you would like to reach out to the There and Gone Team, please email us at [e-mail].   If you have any tips on the disappearance of Richard Petrone and Danielle Imbo, please contact the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS (8477).  Jerri Williams hosts the podcast “FBI Retired Case File Review”.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Owen Wilson stars in Tom Slick Mystery Hunter, an action packed thrill ride based on the mostly true tale of explorer, scientific legend and alleged spy Tom Slick. No one has been able to find the Yeti. It's a mystery that does not want to be solved. That's why I'm here. Listen to my show, Tom Slick Mystery Hunter on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your most thrilling adventure stories. Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, your one-stop shop for the biggest

stories in women's sports. Every day I'm bringing you the stakes, stars, stats, and stories to keep you up to date. If you're new to women's sports, welcome. And if you've been around, let's make things nice and comfy for our new friends. Good Game is where we go to celebrate, debate, and dissect the teamwork, competition, and rivalries that we love to watch.

Join us, let's have some fun. Listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ever get the feeling someone's watching you? We know they're looking for us. Well, in 1971, a group of anti-war activists had that feeling.

I was in the heart of the dragon and it was my job to stop the fire. So they decided to do something insane, break in to the FBI and expose J. Edgar Hoover's dirty secrets. We had some idea that this was pretty J. Edgar Hoover's dirty secrets. We had some idea that this was pretty explosive. I'm Ed Helms. Listen to season two of Snafu on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. Hi, it's Andrea, host of Betrayal, and I want to share my new podcast called There and Gone South Street. I spent the last three years investigating the disappearance of two adults who vanished without a trace on one of the busiest streets in Philadelphia, the city I grew up in." It's been almost 20 years since Richard Patrone and Danielle Imbo went missing. It's become a Philadelphia urban legend, a story that haunts the city to this day.

There are no suspects, no evidence, and no justice for the families of the missing. Every story we produce is personal, but this one feels even more so because it happened in my backyard. I was in high school when they disappeared, and for years I drove by a billboard on I-95 South with photos of Richard and Danielle smiling, full of life, with a message asking for tips. And here's the thing, according to law enforcement, there are still people out there who know what happened to them. That's why I decided to take this on three years ago.

Through our own investigation, we've turned over every lead, spoken with the families, and worked with the FBI in there and gone South Street. And we've been hearing from people in Philadelphia. I have to share, I was really touched when Betrayals Ashley Litton called me to tell me she was listening to the new series. Dre, you know that I'm a huge crime podcast buff. That's how we met. And of course I wouldn't miss any of your projects that you've been working on.

I was in my car on like a break listening and I was crying. And it was so hot outside. I was like, it is so hot and I have the fucking chills. So what part gave you the chills? What resonated? It did resonate with me, Richard and Danielle. They have children, they have established lives, they have loving families. But another thing that like really hit me was that it's been 19 years because there has to be somebody that

knows something. Like somebody has heard something or somebody slipped when they'd been drinking or, you know, friends of a friend or you know what I mean? Somebody knows something. Why isn't anybody coming forward? I love this city deeply and anyone from Philadelphia, there's just this love that runs so deep and the pride that we have. But I've learned to also at the same time, fear the city in a way. I didn't realize just how pervasive and how dark and how scary this city could be.

Wow. I think those that have listened and really heard my story on Betrayal Season 2 will be compelled to listen to There and Gone, South Street because of what you do, Dre. I see how much of you you put into your work because I know it's so genuine and authentic. You don't just work this, you live it. I really appreciate your words, Ash, thank you. I want nothing more than for our work to bring those who harmed Richard and Danielle to justice.

So listeners, I wanna share with you a special ad-free presentation of episode one of There and Gone South Street. Please take a moment to listen. And if you're enjoying the show, just know new episodes drop every Monday on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you want to listen to episodes one week early and ad-free, you can sign up for iHeart True Crime Plus, exclusively on Apple Podcasts.

So here is episode one of There and Gone South Street. Throughout this entire time, Danielle's been missing. Trying to find her literally consumed me. Some psychic called my mother-in-law and said Danielle was dying in a box car. So in the middle of the night, I went down in the Philadelphia and searched the train tracks under the bridge with a flashlight. Here I am scaling this fence midnight with a flashlight looking in boxcars. I got in trouble for that one. The Mount Laurel police detective called me up screaming telling me that they had to stop all of commerce in Pennsylvania to get me out of the railroad because I was looking

in railroad cars. I just can't stop. It just consumed me. That's John Ottobre. His sister Danielle went missing in February of 2005, but she wasn't alone. Danielle and her friend Richard left a bar and simply vanished.

19 years later, they still have yet to be found. She was my sister. She was my friend. She was my blood. I would do anything for her. Throughout all these years, speaking with the FBI, I know my sister died that night. But to this day, I still don't know. I can't stop my mind from wandering to the darker things. She alone, was she scared?

Was she calling out for someone? For all I know, they have all this information, the FBI. So what does the FBI say? We have several working theories. We've done a number of searches in different areas. We have a lot of folks that we've talked to. We have statements, phone records. I probably have the silver bullet and all of that stuff.

I need somebody to tie it together. This needs to get solved. I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Theron Gone, South Street. Episode 1, Ghosts. As I see you in my dreams, reach out and talk For you've been lost to me, I'll never give up No matter how long, I open my eyes To find that you're gone. A note that the views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the individuals participating.

This podcast contains subject matter, which may not be suitable for everyone. Discretion is advised. which may not be suitable for everyone. Discretion is advised. For 15 years, Danielle and Richard were strangers to me, ghosts that loomed over I-95 South. It's the stretch of highway that connects Philadelphia to New York City. Each side is lined with billboards.

Most are ads for ambulance chasers or beer. But one shows two smiling faces next to the word missing. It's Danielle Imbo and Richard Patrone. And it's been there for almost 20 years. Imbo and Patrone were last seen leaving a South Street bar in the late evening of February 19th, 2005. I knew their faces. I knew their names. Investigators have turned up a few promising leads, but have not found the couple or the car. South Street is one of the busiest and most popular places for nightlife in Philadelphia. At least it was in 2005. Think Bourbon Street, but without the balconies and beads.

It's not exactly the same, but you get the idea. No shortage of places to grab a drink and have a good time. It's not a place where two people just vanish. And it's certainly a spot where you'd have plenty of eyewitnesses. They had left a bar at Fourth and South, headed to his pickup truck, and simply vanished. Not a trace. Two adults in their mid-30s walk out of a bar and into oblivion. How is that even possible?

I live within walking distance to South Street. I've been to those bars and I've walked those same streets. I know how busy they are. So this has often haunted me. streets. I know how busy they are. So this has often haunted me. The story of Richard Patrone and Daniel Imbo became an anecdote, a Philadelphia urban legend. If my team was ever going to produce a Missing Persons podcast, this was the one. And as I'll explain in a bit, it turns out, we are way more connected to the story than I originally thought. When I begin working on a story, I usually reach out to law enforcement. From the initial research, it was clear the FBI was involved. So I decided to start there.

This case was different because it was two people, they were adults that were just out having fun and now they disappear with no information about where they could be. That's Jerry Williams. She was an FBI agent and the spokesperson for the Philadelphia Bureau when Danielle and Richard went missing. I don't think anybody had heard of a case like this ever before. Vito would come into my office and keep

me updated. Vito, special agent Vito Rosselli. He has been working on this case since the very beginning. I could tell that it was more than just another investigation for him. Agent Rosselli had spent almost two decades tracking down every lead in this case, but came up short. There are so many times over the past few years that I thought Vito was close in solving this. And then nothing.

I needed to talk to Vito. Hey, Andrea. I really appreciate your effort on this huge help. Special agent Vito Rosselli looks and sounds like someone in a TV show who's playing an FBI agent. He's a stocky guy, muscular, with dark skin, and seems like someone you'd want to grab a beer with. My dad was an old Hoover guy.

He was an old FBI agent. So I grew up around that. I got in Philly in February of 97, and I've been in Philly pretty much my whole career. Vito is a warm and welcoming guy, but I could tell that he carries pieces of this investigation around with him, and that clearly rests heavily on his heart.

I don't know how else to explain it, but there's a heaviness to that. It wasn't just an accident and driving off a bridge. A truck and two people just don't disappear. What I do know is that the people who are involved had to have the means to get rid of two bodies and they trucked in a very quick amount of time. That means that they did it before or they had access to those circles. So I don't have the truck and I don't have the bodies.

Just think about that. Not only are Danielle and Richard missing, but so is the Dodge Dakota pickup truck they were driving. And after 19 years of searching, Fido still has no physical evidence to work with. He's been trying to figure out who wanted to kill either Danielle and Richard without a fingerprint, a tire mark, or a single drop of blood. But maybe what's stranger than any of that is the why. Because on paper, neither of these two seem to have a target

on their back. What I did uncover is that both were good people. A lot of people cared for him. Danielle was very close to her mom and her brother, and Rich was very close to both his parents and all his siblings, and had a child that he was raising. Both families are still extremely distraught. It's very emotional for him. As emotional today as it was when I first met them. Vito has a lot riding on this investigation. Obviously he felt for

Danielle and Richard's families. It's been on his plate since 2005. And all investigators will tell you they always feel like they're racing against time. But Vito had a different clock. You see, in the FBI, there's a mandatory retirement age of 57. And Vito's 57th birthday was fast approaching. Every investigator, every detective has that white whale that hangs over their head. And in this particular case where you don't get an answer, that just crushes people's souls and it's tough. So the case is very much open and hopefully we make an arrest.

I've met with Vito a few times now. After those conversations, it's become clear what Vito is missing. Testimony. Someone who heard something or saw something or remembers anything. anything about what happened on the night of February 19th, 2005. He just needs someone to come forward. Everybody that's working on this case, everybody that has worked on this case,

wants this to get out in the public and wants people to call in. And that's why I'm very thankful for you guys. This case was a big deal in Philadelphia. And to be fair, it did get national attention. But that interest lasted for like two months. Because in May of 2005, an American teenager went missing in Aruba. Natalie Holloway. And the nation turned their attention to her.

Slowly, Danielle and Richard faded from public consciousness. But Philadelphia hasn't forgotten. For a big metropolitan city, there is a small town feel here, and it's that close-knit community that keeps their memory alive. See, everybody knows everybody here, or at least knows someone who knows your sister or your cousin or used to work with that guy that you used to work with. All of that is relevant here. The city, its people. It's all important to this story. Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love, and often, love extends to loyalty. Vows of silence when it comes to nefarious behavior. The FBI undoubtedly believes that there are people

who know what happened to Richard and Danielle, but have remained silent. So why now? I once heard this theory from law enforcement that when it comes to these types of cases, there are usually three windows of time to solve them. The first few weeks, the first year, and then the next best is the 20th anniversary. I've gotten confessions from folks because it was chewing them up on the inside.

Not all folks that do illegal activity are evil folks. A lot of them have consciences and kids and families of their own. Eventually, it wears on them. By the time this podcast launches, we'll approach the opening of that final window. Maybe after two decades, perhaps someone's own mortality will change their view and come forward with information. I approached my team about taking this on and knew my producing partner Ben would be interested because like me, he grew up in Philadelphia too. He knew this story as well as I did. But there was something I didn't expect. When discussing it with my colleague,

Carrie, she went white. She looked at me and said, you know my brother grew up with Richard Patrone and was good friends with him, right? I had no idea. So she put me in touch with her brother, Jimmy. He was so likable. He just had such a huge heart. Jimmy Hartman grew up across the street from Richard and the two immediately became fast friends. We'd like to play hockey, we would get the guys together and we became friends from there. And I knew Danielle also because I graduated high school with her. Like I said, everybody knows everybody. She was always nice, I just never got to know her that well, but I knew her and she knew me. So Jimmy not only knew Danielle and Richard,

but was even close with Richard's parents, Richard Sr. and Marge Petrone. You couldn't go to the house without eating. Just so typical Italian family. And there's just pasta and food and bread and wine and everything everywhere. Jimmy said it's been tough to watch the Patron suffer all these years. You can see the pain, especially in Marge's eyes.

You could just see how much it hurts her, you know, and when you have somebody taken from you like this, it's just really hard to say goodbye. At first, he said the Patrons were dreading that phone call from police, the call that would confirm that Richard was dead. But now, any information would be welcomed information. I would hate for either one of them to leave the earth without having closure. I mean, they have not let up on trying to get this mystery solved. We had the FBI on our side, but we understood that to move forward, we would need both families

to participate. It's a painful process, but also an opportunity. The more you talk about a missing person, the more likely it is that someone who knows something will say something. But approaching these families, I knew I would be asking them to relive so much. It's tough. Since Jimmy knew the Patrons from childhood, he made an introduction. So we started there. Marge Patrone greeted me and my colleague Ben at her front door.

It was a bright Sunday afternoon, nearly 19 years after her son Richard and his friend Danielle Imbo vanished. We needed to learn who Richard and Danielle were and understand everything they left behind on February 19, 2005. We had been told that both families were done speaking to the press. Think about it. The closest people to Richard and Danielle had to answer the same questions about their disappearance for over 19 years now. Yet here I was with my partner Ben, standing

at the threshold of the Patron's family home, to again pick at that scab. It took an introduction from Richard's childhood friend, many conversations, and Vito expressing the importance of participating. Ultimately, the Patrons agreed. You want to sit somewhere comfortable? And much to my surprise and relief, Marge welcomed us with a warm, friendly smile. And just like I was told, she immediately wanted to feed us. Want something to eat? Want a piece of cake or something?

Marge is a grandmother as well as a mother of three. So hosting us seemed like old hat for Marge. Like we'd been over for dinner many times before, even though this was a first for all of us. And that day, Marge invited us for Sunday dinner. And no, this isn't just a meal that happens to fall on Sunday. It's actually a long-running tradition for the Patrons. That's when their family comes together for a big Italian meal. So we felt honored to be invited. It was just before Christmas and every inch of our house was decorated, including the

kitchen. That's where we all gathered around a charcuterie board filled with sliced deli meats and cheeses, while a huge pot of red gravy bubbled on the stove behind us. Marge's freezer door was lined with several baby pictures and a ton of magnets. She pointed to the Chicago Bears magnet and said it was Richard's favorite football team. And then there was this. I have a Susan Lucci doll. You might remember Susan Lucci from the long-running daytime TV show All My Children. You know it's funny because I love soap operas and all that. Marge

explained that she always watched All My Children and how one year for Christmas Richard surprised her with this Susan Lucci doll. For a guy, he was the best gift giver and just very thoughtful and did it all himself. Like he didn't just go to the mall and buy anything. He knew what you were into. I could tell Richard is Marge's firstborn. She lights up at every mention of his name, like how he played hockey from the time he was seven

until the day he went missing, and how she still holds on to Richard's Bobby Clark jersey. That's when her voice trailed off. And as the firstborn, you could say, Richard got special treatment. When Richard had a sore throat, I would run him to the doctors and Christine always would say, if I said I had a sore throat, you'd say, spray your throat, you're all right. So... Christine and Alisa are Marta's daughters. Christine was also best friends with Danielle Limbo. She was supposed to join us for dinner, but Christine backed out at the last minute.

Her sister Alisa gave us a clue as to why. I think this whole thing was really hard for Christine because it's her best friend and her brother. Richard and Christine were only a year difference and she doesn't really say anything too much about that night. Alisa is well into her 30s now, but was just a teenager when her brother Richard disappeared. We have no idea what happened to them or how this happened and we just live with that. And it's an awful feeling. There was a row of stockings in the living room that hung across their mantle just above the fireplace. I couldn't help but wonder if Richard's stocking was one of them.

We all moved to the kitchen table as Marge arrived with a giant bowl of stuffed manakati and homemade meatballs. It was enough to feed a small army. Everything to me is happy and sad. Marge pointed to where Richard sat for 35 years, and then to the empty chair where her husband used to sit. For 40 years Marge and her husband Richard Sr. owned and operated a Swedish bakery called Viking Pastries in the suburbs of Philly. That's where Richard and his

father worked side by side. The two were very close. Richard Sr. suffered multiple strokes and hasn't been home for a while now. He's just never been here since Richard disappeared. Let's face it, he's never been the same. No. No. No. Never.

He's the shell of the person he used to be. He's not at all who he was. You know, I don't want to say that life hasn't gone on for the Patron since Richard disappeared because it has. But I got the feeling that Marge in particular has been sort of treading water ever since that day. The void Richard left was on full display that Sunday. I had to keep going, which I still am doing even though it's like yesterday for me. Back on February 20th 2005, Richard didn't make it home for

Sunday dinner. I remember Christine calling me. She said, 2005, Richard didn't make it home for Sunday dinner. I remember Christine calling me. She said, Mom, Richard's missing. I said, missing? What do you mean? He's home. There's NASCAR today. He would never leave the house. He's home. Marge said she was out running errands with her husband that afternoon. And she was certain Richard was home. It was the day of the Daytona 500, and Richard had been looking forward to it all week. She's not home, Mom.

Christine called Marge from the salon where she worked. She was concerned about Danielle. Yeah, the same Danielle who was with Richard the night before. And she said, Danielle didn't show up for an appointment today. She never does that. And he's not home. He's missing. Marge and her son Richard were close. They usually talked multiple times a day. But that Sunday, she hadn't heard from him.

And so I called his phone a million times and it just went right to voicemail. He would never not answer his phone to me, never. One thing to keep in mind, back in early 2005, most of us had flip phones and texting wasn't common yet. So when our phones rang, we'd actually answer them. The fact that Richard wasn't answering his phone

immediately concerned Marge. Christine said the same thing with Danielle, it's just going right to voicemail. Now I call my sister and I said to her, you gotta go in his apartment. Marge's sister lived down the street from Richard, so she had a spare key and headed over to the apartment. She didn't see Richard's truck parked out front,

so she unlocked the door and went inside. She said, no, nobody came back here, and the dog's barking. Richard's dog Bismarck was in distress and needed to go out. His food bowl was empty and it was clear Richard had not been home for hours. From everything I've learned today, Richard was a reliable guy, not one to be out of touch. Leaving his family in the dark like this, it was out of character. He would never go anywhere without telling me. I knew immediately.

Immediately. And I said, oh my God, this could not be happening, but I lost my son today. Oh my God. Christine said, we're never going to see them again, are we, Mom? I said, no, we're not. No, we're not. Christine and Marge feared the worst, but Richard's father wasn't about to jump to conclusions. Richard Sr. was a strong Italian father. He's as much brawn as he is brains. And what his wife was telling him, it wasn't registering. He said, what are you saying? I'm saying that something terrible happened to your son.

While the fear was hitting the Patron family, John and Tobre, Danielle's brother, was also realizing Danielle didn't make it home that night. I woke up Sunday morning early and I took a ride to her house to fix the curtain. I saw her car out front. I knock on the door, she's not answering. I call her cell phone, it goes right to voicemail. So I called my mother and I said, Mom, I'm outside of Danielle's. I see her car here, but she's not answering. I call her cell phone, it goes right to voicemail. So I called my mother and I said, mom, I'm outside at Danielle's. I see her car here, but she's not answering.

I have her key. I don't want to just walk in with, she's in the shower or something. I don't want her to get scared. And she said, maybe she slept at Richard's. At the time, John had been trying to support Danielle as much as possible. See, in the last 12 months, Danielle's life had gotten complicated. Danielle had recently separated from her husband, Joe Imbo. To make matters more challenging, Danielle and Joe welcomed their son together just two years prior.

In February of 2005, Danielle was in uncharted waters. She was a single parent navigating custody of their 20-month-old child and deep in the throes of dissolving her marriage with Joe. Anything John could do to help his sister, he would, whether it be helping out around the condo or looking after the baby. It was a typical ugly separation.

You know, it was headed towards divorce. So I didn't think anything of it. I hung the curtains up and I left. It was obvious no one was home. So John packed up his tools and went about his day like he would any other. That was until... I got a phone call around 3 o'clock. It was my mother. And she said, Danielle never came home last night.

I'm at her condo now. I need you to come here And my mother is in full-blown panic She said Joe's getting ready to drop the baby off in the next hour and she's not here and no one can get in touch with either one of them I Knew right there something was wrong. I just knew it. The divorce was nasty. Danielle's mom knew how bad it would look for her daughter if Joe dropped off her son only to find out Danielle never came home that night and was currently MIA.

You see, over the past few months, Danielle had been dating Richard Patrone, and Joe knew that. She didn't want to give her soon-to-be-ex son-in-law any ammunition. My mother said, don't tell him what's going on. I don't want him to know because I don't want him to say, well, I'll keep the baby until she comes home. I said, Mom, don't worry about it. It was three o'clock that afternoon when Joe arrived to drop off their son.

That was the agreed upon time for Joe to end his weekend with the baby. And he kind of walked in, he looked confused and he said, we're at Danielle. And my mother said, oh, she went to dinner with Christine. And then he said something like he mumbled under his breath. I guess telling a lie is better than telling the truth. Then he left. Like saying what we were saying was bullshit. It was always our intention to start our own investigation, but we had to ask ourselves, our intention to start our own investigation, but we had to ask ourselves where do you start on a case when two people go missing? We started by retracing their last steps. We wanted to understand exactly where Richard Patron

and Danielle Imbo were the night of February 19th, 2005. We were all out together that night. Went to Chicken Pete's. Marge and her two daughters, Christine and Alisa, had dinner with Danielle Imbo and Danielle's mother at Chicken Pete's, which is a popular Philadelphia restaurant. Think chicken sandwiches, cheese steaks, crab fries, and beer. It's a sports bar with games on TVs everywhere. A good place to blow off steam after a long week. Here's Alisa, Richard's sister.

It was just a girl's night out. I wanted to tag along anywhere my sister and my mom were going, so I was there. Toward the end of dinner, Richard called Danielle to see if she wanted to join him for the evening. Initially, Danielle wasn't sure, but eventually agreed. She was open to making the most of her child-free Saturday night. And then my sister drove Danielle to meet Richard. Christine agreed to drop her off since Danielle's car was back at her condo in Jersey. That was a really like a spur of the moment thing. I don't think he even knew that she was going to actually go with him. And that's an important detail from March, and something to remember.

This was a spontaneous meetup between Danielle and Richard. Richard was at another taproom having dinner and told Christine to drop her off. She would go with Richard that night. As for Danielle, her brother John got the story of what happened from his mother. She said, well, last night Danielle and I and Marge and Christine went to Chicken and Peets. And Richard called and said,

hey, I'm at this bar, Ibellines on South Street. Why don't you come? Danielle said, she'll meet you as long as you can get her home at a reasonable time. Danielle had an appointment at a salon the next morning. It was the same salon that Christine Patrone worked at. So it's our understanding that from Chickie and Pete's, Christine drives Danielle to meet up with Richard. And Richard and Danielle drive to Abilene's on South Street together.

South Street had this huge strip of bars. Abilene's one of them. Journalist Steve Voak covered the story for Philadelphia Magazine and explains what happened next. I remember that they were having a good time. That they were enjoying themselves, they sat close together, they shared a kiss at some point, they were laughing a lot. You know, they had a nice evening together.

We heard Danielle and Richard spend a couple hours at the bar that Saturday night listening to a band. They leave before midnight. He was going to drive her back to her home in Mount Laurel. And that's where the trail ends. home in Mount Laurel. And that's where the trail ends. No one has seen Danielle or Richard since. Not just them, but a truck disappeared into the ether from one of the most frequented spots in the whole city. It was stunning. I just wish that the families could have an answer and whatever the answer was to sort through it and deal with it. I'm a father, I'm a brother, I'm a husband, I'm a son. It's very hard not to see the human side, the human impact on the two families.

It keeps me motivated. For Vito Risselli, he lives with the impact of that reality every day. And one of the major factors that has stopped him from solving this case is the evidence or lack thereof. This happened in 2005, when even basic equipment like security cameras were using outdated technology. Back then, everybody was still on VCRs that they were taping over after two weeks or 30

days. Street light cameras, none of that existed back then. The iPhones weren't a thing. So it was a little different animal. Today, we can track our friends. Everyone essentially has a GPS in their pocket. Plus, there's no shortage of documenting with people recording their life for the whole world to see.

But in 2005, people had flip phones and MySpace. Even YouTube didn't come out until February of 2005. We have a lot more tools available to us now than we did back then. Today, when something happens, you know, there's cell phone video and there's video on buildings and people are going on social media and talking about it. We didn't have any of that back then. That's former FBI agent Jerry Williams. In my years of doing media relations for the FBI,

I've never heard of a case like this ever before. I mean, people are concerned, if this happened to this couple, what could happen to me and my kids if I let them go on South Street? The community was concerned, and law enforcement didn't have much to work with. After those initial days of the investigation, the FBI got tapped in. And the lack of evidence actually started to tell a story to Vito. Nobody checks into a hospital. Neither one of them would have left their children. They

wouldn't just have run away. The idea of Richard and Danielle getting hurt or skipping town got rolled out pretty quickly. There was no activity on their credit cards or on their phones. The people who did it made two people in a truck disappear. That's a clean crime. And it could have been cleaned by accident, it could have been cleaned by luck, or it could have been cleaned by design. So it was clear that something bad happened,

pretty much off the start. Vito and Jerry were adamant about one thing. After 19 years of dead ends, they were out of options. When you have a case like this, you have to figure out how to keep it in the news. Each year at the anniversary, we put something out, and without fail, we always get tips, call-ins, and more over the past few years, I've been pretty consistent.

So it's good. It keeps it out in the public's eye. Today marks 10 years since a local couple vanished without a trace, and despite a decade since their disappearance, today their relatives made an emotional plea for new information. Every February 20th, without fail, the city of Philadelphia is reminded of Danielle and Richard. It has been 11 years to the day since Daniel Imbo. Believe it or not, today marks 12 years since Danielle Imbo and Richard Patrone Jr. first went missing.

They have not been seen in 13 years, despite an ongoing investigation. And for 19 years now, these segments go out. Tips come in, rinse and repeat. ...the family, but the FBI says they have not given up on this case. Having lived here my whole life, I've watched the segment each February with the rest of Philadelphia. Now I have more of a context as to why.

Just like that billboard I mentioned in the beginning, it's a lifeline thrown out for Richard and Danielle and their families. Anything to keep hope for justice alive. I think putting it out there to the public on a true crime podcast is a brilliant step to add to what has been done so far. It's crazy for me to say this, but I think the FBI needs our help and your help. So do Danielle and Richard. The two left a crowded bar in a popular area of Philadelphia on a

Saturday night two decades ago. And in those 20 years we still don't know who wanted to harm them and why. One of the important directions that law enforcement had to take was to determine the history between Danielle and Richard. When you look deep into anybody's background, you gotta be digging up stuff. And we found some angles that were of interest to us. That's when it started to look like this may have been a very personal crime. That's next time on There and Gone. I'll never give up, no matter how long I open my eyes, to find that you're gone Each corner I turn, There's another puzzle piece

We follow the clues Looking for the key I'll never give up No matter how lost I open my eyes to find that you're gone? If you have any information about the disappearance of Daniel Imbo and Richard Patrone, please call the Citizens Crime Commission tip line at 215-546-8477. Or you can reach out to the show and our team by email

at thereandgonepod at gmail.com. That's thereandgonepod at gmail.com. Thank you so much for listening. One way for you to show support is by subscribing to our show on Apple podcasts. Don't forget to rate and review because five star reviews go a long way. A big thank you to all of our listeners.

There and Gone is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass, Ben Fetterman, and me, Andrea Gunning. It's hosted and written by me, Andrea Gunning, with additional reporting and writing by me, Andrea Gunning, with additional reporting and writing by Ben Fenterman. The series is also written and produced by Todd Gans. Our

associate producer is Kristin Malkyrie. Research by Mason Klinder, Anna Hamilton, and Bella Rieke. Our I Heart team is Ali Perry and Jessica Kreincheck. Audio editing and mixing by Matt Dalvecchio. Additional editing support by Nico Aruca. Darren Gahn's theme and original compositions were composed by Oliver Baines and Dari McCauley of Noiser. Music library provided by My Music. Special thanks to both the Patron and Intobre families. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Owen Wilson stars in Tom Slick, Mystery Hunter, an action-packed thrill ride based on the mostly true tale

of explorer, scientific legend, and alleged spy Tom Slick. No one has been able to find the biggest stories in women's sports. Every day I'm bringing you the stakes, stars, stats, and stories to keep you up to date. If you're new to women's sports, welcome. And if you've been around, let's make things nice and comfy for our new friends. Good Game is where we go to celebrate, debate, and dissect the teamwork, competition, and rivalries that we love to watch. Join us.

Let's have some fun. Listen to Good Game with Sarah Spayne on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ever get the feeling someone's watching you? Well, in 1971, a group of anti-war activists had that feeling. I was in the heart of the dragon and it was my job to stop the fire. So they decided to do something insane. Break in to the FBI and expose J. Edgar Hoover's dirty secrets.

We had some idea that this was pretty explosive. I'm Ed Helms. Listen to season two of Snafu on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.