Going West: True Crime - Danielle Imbo & Richard Petrone // 383

Episode Date: February 21, 2024

In February of 2005, a couple went out for drinks with friends at a bar in Philadelphia, heading out just before midnight. But during their drive home, they vanished, seemingly into thin air, and neither they, nor their car, has been seen since. This is the story of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone. BONUS EPISODES Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398 Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast CASE SOURCES 1. FBI: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/danielle-imbo 2. FBI: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/richard-petrone 3. 6ABC Philadelphia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlgRUb5-IjA&t=28s 4. Philly Mag: https://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/04/01/without-a-trace-imbo-petrone/ 5. Tampa Bay Times: https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/05/11/johnny-october-was-lead-date/ 6. NBC Philadelphia: https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/imbo-richard-petrone-marge-angela-missing-persons-anniversary/116309/ 7. Disappeared: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7398826/ 8. RichardPetrone.com: https://richardpetrone.com/ 9. Main Line Times & Suburban: https://www.mainlinemedianews.com/2018/08/15/viking-pastries-in-ardmore-closes-after-more-than-60-years/ 10. South Jersey Magazine: https://www.southjersey.com/article/13029/Camden-County-Man-Pleads-Guilty 11. NBC 10 Philadelphia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BOyUvxvxNY 12. NBC 10 Philadelphia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrC04qoCBqQ 13. Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMysteries/comments/178g3eb/the_strange_disappearance_of_danielle_imbo_and/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on true crime fans? I'm your host Heath and I'm your host Daphne and you're listening to Going West. Hello everybody hope you're having a good week. Big thank you to Whitney for recommending this case today. This week, just before the episode drops, actually, is the 19th anniversary of when this baffling story occurred. So big thanks to Whitney for bringing it to us. And let's all do our part by getting this one out there to more and more eyes and ears. Yes, please make sure that you share this story. And if you want to see photos from this case, go on over to our socials. We're on Instagram at Going West Podcast. We're also on Twitter at Going West Pod. And we have a Facebook discussion group where you can talk

about today's case. Yes, we love when we can get the conversation going. So without further ado, let's talk about this one. All right, guys, this is episode 383 of Going West. So let's get into it. Hi, I'm Una Chaplin, and I'm the host of a new podcast called Hollywood Exiles. It tells the story of how my grandfather, Charlie Chaplin, and many others were caught up in a campaign to root out communism in Hollywood. It's a story of glamour and scandal and political intrigue and a battle for the soul of the nation. Hollywood Exiles from CBC Podcasts and the BBC World Service, available now on Spotify. Forget the pressure to be crushing your workout on day one. Just start moving with the Peloton Bike, Bike Plus, Tread, Row, Guide, or App. There are thousands of classes and over 50 Peloton instructors ready to support you from the beginning.

Remember, doing something is everything. Rent the Peloton Bike or Bike Plus today at onepeloton.ca slash bike slash rentals. All access memberships separate. Terms apply. In February of 2005, a couple went for drinks with friends at a bar in Philadelphia, heading out just before midnight. But during their drive home, they vanished, seemingly into thin air. And neither they nor their car has been seen since.

This is the story of Danielle Embo and Richard Patron. Danielle Ottobre was born on August 7th, 1970 in Pennsylvania to parents Felice and John Ottobre, joining an older brother also named John. Danielle was from a very tight-knit Italian family and was especially close with her brother. John Jr. remembers her as the light of the household, saying, quote, She was just a really kind, sweet woman. light of the household, saying, quote, she was just a really kind, sweet woman. And for the life of me, I can't understand how there can be such evil out there to want to destroy something so beautiful. Daniel's father, John Sr., was a singer who enjoyed moderate success under the name Johnny

October, because Ottobre is Italian for October. And he was the lead singer of the Four Dates, who once even opened for Frankie Avalon. And despite him being on the road sometimes, the family was super close and they saw each other frequently and gathered weekly for family dinners, even when John and Danielle were adults. Her family fondly recalls Danielle's love of both Chinese food and her mother's homemade meatballs. But in 1999, about six years before today's story takes place, they sadly lost their

patriarch, Danielle's father John, to cancer at the age of just 62. He passed down his love of music and performance to his daughter, though, who was also a gifted singer. And actually, her brother compared her rasp and powerful range to Janis Joplin's, and she relished singing in a local cover band. She was a born performer and loved the spotlight, but in addition to her musical endeavors, Danielle worked in the finance department of a car dealership, and it was there that she met her eventual husband, Joe Imbo. Joe came in one day wanting to replace his car and said he was unable to ignore Danielle's striking features, her infectious smile, dark hair, and dimples. So he asked her out on the spot, and the two began dating, tying the knot two years later in 2002.

About two years after that, they welcomed a son that they named Joseph Jr. or Little Joe. According to an interview with her brother John, he visited her in the hospital after giving birth and she told him through tears, quote, Now I know what it means to truly be in love with someone. And that's when things started to change for Danielle. So after the wedding, Joe insisted that she quit the band that she sang in to focus on their family, which John found controlling and very unfair, knowing just how much Danielle loved being in the band and performing and singing. But it seemed that Joe could do whatever the hell he wanted,

because that same year in February of 2004, Joe managed to score tickets to the Super Bowl in Houston, Texas, and left little Joe, who was just an infant at the time, home alone with Danielle when they were both sick with colds. And then on top of this, on the way there, he met a woman on the plane and became enamored with her. So get this, upon his return back home to Danielle and little Joe, just weeks after his son was born and two years into he and Danielle's marriage, he asked Danielle for a separation

and moved down to Georgia to be with his new girlfriend. So after a brief and very tumultuous marriage, he and Danielle filed for divorce and began co-parenting their son. Stunned at the shocking turn of events and suddenly forced to adjust to life as both a new mom and a single mother, Danielle really reeled from this breakup. John remembers this as a very dark time in her life. She began smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, and her weight plummeted. But she soon settled into a condo by herself in the Philadelphia suburb of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, where she worked from home as a mortgage loan processor, just trying to make things work for her and little Joe. But then, months later, when his new relationship didn't pan out,

Joe returned to ask Danielle to give him another chance. But by then, Danielle had begun seeing someone new. It was at this time, in the midst of one of the worst setbacks of her personal life, that she reconnected with an old family friend that she had known since childhood, a man named Richard Patron. childhood, a man named Richard Patron. Richard Patron was born on August 29, 1969 to parents Marge and Richard Sr. and grew up alongside two sisters named Christine and Elisa. His mom Marge remembers him fondly as a true South Philadelphia boy. Like Danielle, he was also from a loving Italian family and was very close with his parents and particularly his mother.

He was a huge fan of sports, especially the Chicago Bears, and live music, especially Bruce Springsteen. Also like Danielle, his family had standing weekly dinners where he would always request his mom's famous chicken cutlets. Hard-working and down-to-earth, Richard started helping out at the Patron family business, which was Viking Pastries in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He was very devoted to their labor of love, even attending school to be a pastry chef. Marge remembered fondly that he was a gifted baker and decorator,

and that his specialty was wedding cakes. When Richard was around 21 years old, he and his then-girlfriend Julie got pregnant with a baby girl, and although they eventually split up, they shared custody of their baby daughter, whom they named Angela. When she was about three, Julie started working longer hours during the week, so the couple decided that Angela would live with Richard from Monday through Friday and then stay with her mom on the weekends. So he rented an apartment above the charming brick building bakery in Ardmore for himself and Angela, and the pair settled into their new routine. Richard is remembered by everyone who knew him, including his daughter, as a loving and doting father who spoiled Angela and loved being a girl dad, even teaching himself how to style her hair. Angela has fond memories of growing up in the bakery and helping her dad decorate,

and she later recalled, quote, I would actually help him make the icing. He would let me add the sprinkles to the top of cupcakes when I was little. He would throw a whole bunch of ingredients in front of me and tell me to go nuts. Most of the things I made were inedible. It's a very endearing story that he just seemed to be such a great father and, you know, even let his little girl kind of, you know, make these monstrosities in the bakery, but obviously he didn't care. And that's what makes this story even crazier is that he just had this wonderful little life with his family and everybody was so close and then this horrible thing happens. But before he disappeared, Richard was there to help Angela with her homework

and he was always present at every game and practice. Fostering their shared love of music, he brought her to a Bruce Springsteen concert, which was a night that Angela will never forget. Angela said of her dad, quote, His main priorities in life were his mother and me. We were his everything. Shortly before his disappearance, Angela moved in with her mom, Julie, aiming to spend more time with her after spending the last decade living basically primarily with her wonderful father. So Richard moved to South Philadelphia to be closer to where Angela lived with Julie so that he could see her more easily.

And it was then that Richard reconnected with Danielle. Richard's sister Christine was Danielle's best friend from childhood and had known Danielle since she was 15. And though the three had grown up together, Danielle and Richard had never been romantically involved, but now at 34 and 35 respectively, and both single parents, the timing just seemed completely ideal. Unlike Joe, Richard was gentle and soft-spoken, and the two enjoyed exploring their relationship together.

But when Joe came back into the picture and attempted to win Danielle back, he was enraged at the idea that she had moved on with somebody else, even though that's exactly what he did prior. In one incident, Danielle relayed to her brother, John, that Joe had come over one day in early 2005 in a bid to get back together, and he had become so angry with her that he threw little Joe's high chair at the wall. Now, Joe obviously later denied this, but concerned for her well-being, John had Danielle's locks changed and met with Joe as a warning, saying, quote, the message was that he needed to be civil. Based on interviews with Richard's friends and family,

as well as his own phone records, Richard and Joe had multiple conversations over the phone, in which Joe threatened Richard, trying to scare him out of pursuing Danielle. But this did not work. But it was alarming to know that this had taken place just before Danielle and Richard had gone missing. Yeah, and to know that Joe knew who Richard was, aware of him enough to threaten him over the phone. Yeah, and this just seems a little bit crazy. Like, you moved on with somebody else a long time ago.

You gave up your shot with her. So you can't expect her to just be waiting around for your relationship to fail so you can come back to her. Well, that's that controlling element, just like how he insisted, like you said, that she quit the band that she was in so that she could focus on the family. But then he goes off to the Super Bowl and does the exact opposite and leaves the family for somebody else.

Right. Yeah. Yeah. It's just kind of hard to forget that he does have this very controlling nature. So when the pair reconnected and by pair, I mean, Danielle and Richard, both families seemed to be happy about it. They knew each other well, you know, the mothers, Marge and Felice, and then the daughters, Danielle and Christine, were all close friends who shared a mutual passion for music. Richard was far more gentle and kind than Joe had been toward the end, which was such a breath of fresh air for Danielle. The couple slowly started dating and enjoyed growing closer

over the course of their six-month relationship. But six months in, nearing Valentine's Day 2005, as well as the official end of Danielle's marriage, she kind of pulled away from Richard a little bit, just struggling with the fact that she and her son's father didn't work out and needing space and time to process all of this. Richard, though disappointed, granted her the space that she needed because he was a very understanding guy.

And about a month later, a frigid Saturday night in Philadelphia came along, the weather hovering around 25 degrees Fahrenheit or negative 3 degrees Celsius. the weather hovering around 25 degrees Fahrenheit or negative 3 degrees Celsius. On February 19, 2005, which was President's Day weekend, Danielle went to dinner with Christine and their mothers, Felice and Marge. And during the dinner, she and Richard were chatting via text, and he told her that he was at a pub enjoying dinner and a beer by himself. He was planning on seeing live music with a couple friends at a nearby bar later on and asked if Danielle would like to come

and meet him. So Danielle accepted and the two headed to Abilene's located at 429 South Street in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. Now South Street is a very popular street for tourists and locals and it features a lot of dining and drinking options. And we'll post the street view so you guys can see this is a super super populated area. So Richard's friends Michelle and Anthony noted that the two seemed happy upon their reunion. They were laughing and kissing and looked really comfortable together. As the live band wound down and the time neared midnight, Danielle and Richard bid goodnight to Michelle and Anthony. During the evening, Richard had bragged to the group about what a great parking spot he'd snagged

close to the bar, which was a great thing for such a cold night, and it gave the friends an idea of how almost non-existent he and Danielle's walk would have been when they look back on this night. So Richard offered to give Danielle a ride at the end of the evening and the two headed for his black 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck outside on the street. Now the following day which was a chilly Sunday morning, Danielle's brother John arrived at Danielle's apartment at 9 a.m. to fix a curtain rod that her son had pulled down. When she didn't answer the door, he entered with a key, but he found it eerily empty and quiet. but Felice cheekily implied that Danielle may have spent the night at Richard's place since she didn't have to come home to little Joe that night because he was with his father and that she just really wasn't concerned by this.

So Joe fixed the curtain rod and then left. But two hours later, Danielle was due for a hair appointment, which was scheduled at 11 a.m. at the salon where Christine was a stylist. Christine also assumed that the pair were likely still together, maybe, you know, nursing some hangovers, but still, it was unlike Danielle to miss a scheduled appointment. So, she called them both, but neither answered. And Richard's mother, Marge, hadn't been able to reach Richard either.

Now, the Patrons were growing concerned. When the family spoke to each other and realized that no one had talked to either of them, their suspicions that something was wrong began to grow. Christine later said cryptically, quote, I knew by that night I thought I'm never gonna see them again just because I that's what I thought. So out of character, and yeah, I'm not going to say why I thought it, but I kinda knew. So Marge stopped by Richard's house, knowing that he had been planning on watching a NASCAR race that day and hosting a few friends. But like Danielle's place, Marge found the apartment dark and untouched. It didn't seem like he had ever made it home the night before.

But the final alarming detail was that Joe arrived early that evening to drop off their son, little Joe, and Danielle still had not made it home. Not sure of how dire the situation would become, John covered for his sister, saying that she was out with a friend and that she would be home soon. But John knew at that moment that his sister was in trouble, saying, quote, she wouldn't have missed that. No way. Hey, I just got us a new Coca-Cola spice. Nice. What's it taste like? It's like barefoot water skiing while dolphins click with glee.

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As the day wore on and dark crept in, the families claimed that they were all simultaneously hit with the sinking feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. They reported the two missing, and John and Richard Sr. hopped in John's truck and began combing the streets of the city looking for the two of them. The journey between Abilene's on South Street in Philadelphia to Danielle's apartment, which is where they were believed to be headed, should have taken them about 30 minutes by car. That route spans about 17 miles or 27 kilometers northeast from the bar to the suburb where she lived. However, there are multiple routes that they could have taken and there are multiple bridges connecting the Delaware River to take drivers from Philadelphia into New Jersey, which remember is where Danielle lived. Now, based on the direction that they needed to head

to reach Danielle's apartment, authorities believe that their most likely route had either been the Benjamin Franklin Bridge or the Betsy Ross Bridge. So Richard and John were out all night circling each of the bridges as well as South Street and checking in with every member of law enforcement they came across, not returning until 7 a.m. Monday morning. So even though it was now a day and a half after they were last seen, there was no sign of them. The family spent the week talking to law enforcement in both Philadelphia and New Jersey, as well as conducting their own exhaustive grassroots searches. Luckily, law enforcement issued an APB on the truck, but it hadn't been spotted anywhere, nor had the license plate been captured on any security camera footage. None of the couple's cards or bank

accounts had been touched, and their phones hadn't been used. We are also going to post a Google map view of this area, just so you guys can get an understanding of the Benjamin Franklin bridge versus the Betsy Ross bridge. So basically from where this bar is, it's only like three blocks from the highway. Well, I guess if you went that way, maybe this way is easier. I'm looking at the map while I'm saying this. So it's about nine minutes ish by car, just under two miles from where the bar is to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, if that's the one that they took. And the entire way to that bridge is through the city. So it's not like there's any kind of scenic routes here or kind of back roads. It's like you're driving through the city. And then if they got on the bridge, they would have been caught on the cameras,

but they weren't. And then even if you see Heath here, if they would have taken the highway up here to get onto the Betsy Ross bridge, it's the same thing. It's like you're either in the city or on a major highway that is like parallel to the river. So it doesn't make sense to me how anything could have happened to them at all if they were indeed going to cross one of these bridges to go to Danielle's apartment. It just, it doesn't make sense how they wouldn't have been seen. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you would imagine, I mean, literally they're driving, like you said, through the city or on a major highway to get to the bridge, but none of the cameras picked up their car. And you see this? This is the Delaware Expressway.

And this is a highway that when you look over the edge of it is the city down below. So if anything happened here, there would have been so many people to see it. This is so bizarre. And I guess what makes it more bizarre, which we haven't touched on yet, is the fact that that truck was never fucking found

and that's the weirdest part about this story is how this truck could have disappeared in such a populated city and populated area and just never found yeah like a big dodge dakota truck well the fbi was brought in almost immediately considering that there were two different states involved in this case, in this situation. So, harnessing the professional effort here, the families teamed up to hang missing persons posters and interview locals, fanning out from Abilene's. Now, almost 20 years later, the couple surely would have been captured via security cameras somewhere on the street as they walked or as they drove away. But with the small amount of security cameras on South Street at the time, they were never captured. Law enforcement also checked the bridges and toll roads, but there were no cameras in the direction that they were heading. The only cameras that existed were on the inbound side.

Which makes this a lot more difficult, not knowing whether or not they actually did cross either of the bridges, because that would help know what direction they went in, what state they were in when they went missing. Because now, as we know, obviously, there are so many cameras over bridges to catch if you don't pay the toll and all that kind of junk. So this wasn't as much of a thing back in 2005, hence why there wasn't cameras on both sides, which is so unfortunate. Yeah, very unfortunate.

And the other thing that makes this very strange is that no one at Abilene's that night, including their friends Michelle and Anthony, saw or heard anything of threat or altercation taking place that would have endangered the couple, so what happened here? Anthony was interrogated by the police as the last person known to have seen them, but couldn't recall anything out of the ordinary about their night. Two weeks after their disappearance, through connections with the local police department, John was able to hire a private helicopter to do searches of the area between Abilene's and Danielle's apartment. They scanned the ground looking for aberrations, Richard's truck, or just anything out of the ordinary. They also scoured the area above the Delaware River, but still, they found nothing. area above the Delaware River, but still, they found nothing. And this case was so crazy at the time that it actually made national headlines for its disturbing nature. Billboards lined what would

have been the couple's route home. Frustrated, the parents and siblings made tearful pleas on the news, asking anyone to come forward with information. They even interviewed Angela, who was just 14 years old at the time. And she said through sobs, quote, if anyone has any information about my dad, please, I just need him back. The family spoke to each other every day, offering support and leaning on each other. With no evidence to support an actual outcome, theories emerged from every direction, like had they chosen to disappear themselves? But the families didn't entertain that thought for even a second. Angela said staunchly later, quote, I have never questioned that for a day. He would have never, ever, ever left me.

He would have never, ever, ever left me. At the time, Philadelphia had a very booming car theft industry because that year alone, 775 cars were stolen. But how could a truck just have disappeared with two people in it? Police theorized that Danielle and Richard may have been pulled over and discarded, serving as collateral damage, and perhaps the car was stripped for parts or sent into a crusher before the two were even reported missing. Vito Roselli, who is one of the FBI agents assigned to investigate the disappearances, mused, quote, Law enforcement still maintains all these years later that this is an entirely plausible theory and that the car may have been incinerated or compacted and maybe even while it still contained the bodies of Danielle and Richard inside.

Given that they vanished near a large body of water, again the Delaware River, an accident is also possible. A few weeks after the incident, a tipster pointed out that there was a section above the Delaware River where the fence was broken, and it appeared as if it had been driven through. So divers searched the area below this break and did recover other discarded vehicles but not Richard's truck. A month into the search for the couple, as is common with cases of such an extremely sensitive nature, the tensions between the families began to rise and accusations began to fly.

Each family wondered if the other was to blame, but John was the first to point fingers. He and the families began wondering if one or even both had owed someone money or had been living a double life, but both parties were investigated thoroughly and found to be squeaky clean. Neither of them were involved in something unsavory. This just wasn't that kind of situation and it felt very clear.

Thus, in turn, Richard's family wondered if it in fact was Danielle's connection to her estranged husband, Joe Embo, that led to the couple's disappearance and likely demise. Joe was thoroughly investigated as a suspect, but eliminated almost immediately due to his alibi. Because that day, he had been attending a family gathering in Toms River, New Jersey, which is 70 miles or 112 kilometers away from where Danielle and Richard were last seen that very night. However, critics of Joe's are quick to point out that Joe's stepfather, who was also with him in Toms River that night, is a retired officer of the NYPD, and multiple other officers were in attendance for this family gathering as well, so a little suspicious I guess. But over the years, this led many to believe that Joe and

his family were responsible for putting a hit out on Danielle, and possibly Richard, due to Joe being very angry that she had moved on. Now, Joe did submit a polygraph examination, but the results have not been released. Vito Roselli explained, quote, I don't have evidence to arrest Joe. I also have not ruled him out. Joe claims that Vito once told him, quote, I don't think you did this, but I think you're involved in some way. If it had been a sophisticated hit orchestrated by Joe, however, how would he have known that they

would be together on the night of February 19th? Well, it didn't even seem like she knew that was going to happen because Danielle was just at dinner with her mom and Richard's mom. And then they were just texting and he said, Hey, I'm having dinner by myself. Want to come to the show later with me and my friends? Like it wasn't a plan. So that is a really weird part of this story as well. This was like a spur of the moment thing, unless, unless if Joe did have somebody, you know, put a hit on Danielle and Richard, if he had somebody like watching them or watching their moves that night, but I don't know, you know? Yeah. That, that would be the only way that this would make sense, but it's tough. So in addition to the mounting suspicions against Joe, tips came in from all kinds of sources, some reliable and some not.

But the family, law enforcement, and the FBI chased down every single one of them. About five weeks after their disappearances, a tipster called in claiming that they knew where Danielle was and that she was still alive. According to the caller, she was being held captive in a boxcar on railroad tracks near the Walt Whitman Bridge, one of the bridges that leads from Philadelphia into New Jersey. And that is a bridge that is also fairly close to the bar, but it was further away from her apartment, so it wouldn't have likely been one that they used, but it was very close by. Yeah, there was like three in that area.

There was the Benjamin Franklin, the Betsy Ross, and then the Walt Whitman Bridge, all kind of in the same area. So John himself actually went out searching that night in the dark with a flashlight, just trying to find any sign of his sister, but sadly, he found nothing, not even an indication that she

had been there at any point. So the families both continued to conduct their own searches, but now did so separately. That summer, Richard's family held a vigil for him outside Abilene's, hoping to jog someone's memory, and later that year, police retrieved a similar truck, a black Dodge Dakota, from the bottom of the Delaware River. But neither the VIN nor the license plate matched Richard's car, and there was no one found inside. And police surmised that the truck had likely been dumped there as part of an insurance scam ring,

and nothing to do with Danielle or Richard. It's kind of crazy thinking about how many cars are probably in the Delaware River. Because this is just multiple rivers. Yeah. And multiple rivers just across the US because this is just one portion of the Delaware River that they searched and they found at least a few cars. So it's like, I don't know what these people are doing out there. Just dumping cars into a fucking river.

Yeah, it's really crazy. And obviously that is a big part of this case too, is, oh, did they accidentally drive off into the Delaware River? But it does seem like there were so many searches done. Another one, which we're going to talk about in a minute here. But a lot of the locals just feel like this is not possible. And I want to explain why I was reading on a forum about people

who live in this area weighing in on this case. And they said that it's just not really possible that the truck went into the water. Obviously there were trucks in the water in this area from other instances, but like we were talking about before, it's pretty much just straight up highways from Philly to Mount Laurel, New Jersey. And there's like, there's no scenic route. Like I said, there's just not a clear way to go into the water without people seeing this happen because there were other cars in there, but it's not surmised that this happened by those cars going off of the freaking highway, but being put in there in a different way, like I said, for situations like an insurance scam or something like that, because

people were not found in the cars. Right. They were just pushed into the Delaware River and not driven into the river. Right. Off of the freaking highway. But anyway, so very few suspects have been considered in this case. But in the years following the disappearances, a handful of people were investigated. A New Jersey man named Anthony Rodesky was arrested shortly after the disappearances for two murders. On March 22, 2005, Anthony attempted to rob a motel, and when the owner screamed, Anthony shot and killed him. A week later, while robbing a retail store, he shot at an employee of the store but didn't kill him. And when Anthony's 17-year-old stepson joined him, fearful after hearing the gunshots,

Anthony held the gun to his head and forced his stepson to stab the employee to death. So based on the gruesome nature of these killings Anthony was briefly suspected of involvement in the disappearances but he maintained that he had no connection to them and was quickly cleared of involvement. Then a few years later in 2010, a prescription drug ring bust led to the arrest of a man named Robert Carey in Pennsylvania. The following day, he was found dead of an apparent suicide in his cell. And as the news spread, he was also linked to the disappearances. Like somehow a rumor began to churn that Robert had left a suicide note claiming he was involved in Danielle and Richard's case, but Vito Roselli confirmed that this was not

true. There had been a note left behind, but it did not mention the couple. In 2008, the FBI released a bombshell update, hoping that it would encourage someone to come forward with information. They believed that the disappearances were a murder-for-hire plot. They remained quiet on the details, not wanting to compromise the investigation, and have yet to announce what brought them to this conclusion. But even this couldn't convince anyone to come forward. So, the case is still being actively investigated. In March of 2022, Adventures with Purpose, who are a search and recovery dive team that's based in Oregon,

that we have discussed on this show many times, announced that they were taking on the case, and that they have searched multiple bodies of water so far. Diver Doug Bishop told a local news station, quote, we know that when it comes to searching underwater, we hold the key to that. You know, we're very good at what we do. Sadly, in their multiple searches, they did not recover any link to Danielle, Richard, or their missing vehicle. Which police and the family believe puts even more weight on the murder-for-hire plot, and the idea that someone, somehow, stopped them during their drive and disposed of them and the vehicle.

Ten years after the pair vanished, Richard's mom Marge spoke of the toll it had taken on her and her family, saying, quote, I don't blame people for not wanting to be around us. That's so sad. That is like one of the most heartbreaking quotes I think I've ever read on this show. For years, Richard Sr. penned updates on his son's website, leaving messages for him, wishing him happy birthday, and jotting down song lyrics that he loved. Members of both families claim that they continue to scan the streets looking for the couple in

Richard's truck everywhere they go, still hoping to happen upon them and get answers. Both families also admit that they believe the couple are deceased and that they likely died the night of the disappearance, but neither will be able to rest until answers are determined. John confirmed, quote, she's my sister. I don't think I'll stop till she's found. Now, exactly 19 years after they vanished, it seems we're no closer to knowing what happened on that freezing February night. In the aftermath of Danielle's disappearance, little Joe and his father moved to North Carolina and then later South Carolina. Thankfully, he did keep in touch with Danielle's side of the family, which kind of surprises me in general. which kind of surprises me in general.

But John said fondly that little Joe reminded him so much of Danielle and that he's very smart and musical. In an interview with Joe Imbo back in 2014, Joe pleaded his case and explained what a negative effect this had on all of them, his former in-laws, his son, and himself. He said tightly, quote, I am a bitter, bitter man. I am, and it's because of this. He recalled being seen as a monster in his community. When asked if he had anything to do with Danielle's disappearance, he said, quote, absolutely not, before adding that he wanted this case solved just as much as anyone else,

that this was the mother of his child. He added, quote, come on, it's been nine years. Shouldn't this be solved by now? Joe himself is shocked that he is still being considered a suspect, saying very matter-of-factly, quote, at this point in time, if you haven't ruled me out, then you're not good at your job. You're just not good at your job. I'm not a mastermind. I have a conscience. I wouldn't be able to live with myself this long after such a heinous thing, or look my son in the eye. He also reflects on the guilt and regrets that he's had since Danielle vanished. One regret, he said, is asking her to quit her beloved cover band. He recalled, quote, Right before we were getting married, I kind of said,

you've got to quit the band. But he claims that he simply wanted to spend more time with her. He remembered her beautiful singing voice and then added through tears, quote, I don't talk about this a lot. It's awful. The person who suffers the most is my son. He lost a wonderful person in his life. Of the woman that he left Danielle for, he simply said, quote, I fucked up. And when asked about Richard, he said, quote, we exchanged words. I was just being jealous. Angela got married, had children, and took over her father's role at the bakery.

In 2018, Viking Pastries shuttered permanently after more than 60 years in operation. At Angela's wedding, a locket with her father's picture hung from her bouquet. Though his absence was especially challenging on that day, she tried to be present in the celebrations, and her grandparents filled in where her father could not. Marge said of her granddaughter's wedding, I just wanted it to be a happy day for her. That's what he would have wanted. A locket. We sewed it into the bouquet with his picture. That's what he would have wanted. A locket. We sewed it into the bouquet with his picture. That's how she walked down the aisle. But Marge maintains that she still loses her composure on a daily basis over the loss of her son. She reflected sadly,

quote, I raised him like a piece of crystal. Now he's a piece of trash somewhere. Though the families are no longer really in touch, both have mentioned wanting to find justice for the other. In an interview last year with Adventures with Purpose, Marge told the local news, quote, I need closure and I need justice for my son and Danielle. The families aren't the only ones haunted by this case. Vito Roselli claims that it will stay with him until he sees it to its end, saying, quote, every detective, every agent has their case. The one that haunts them, and this one is mine. Danielle Imbo had dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She stood at 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed about 117 pounds. She had a tattoo of flowers on her lower back. She was last seen wearing a cream-colored sweater, jeans, a black purse, and a dark jacket.

She wore three silver rings. Richard had blue eyes and brown hair. He stood at about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed about 200 pounds. He had a tattoo of clowns on his right arm and his daughter's name on his left arm. He was last seen wearing jeans, a gray hooded sweatshirt, and tennis shoes. If you have any information about the disappearances of Danielle Imbo and Richard Patron, please call the Philadelphia Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-8477. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. And on Friday, we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into. What a tough case, because it is hard for me to believe in a way that Joe is involved, even though he had so many connections to the police departments and he obviously would have had some type of motive here. But it's just hard to really believe that this could have been orchestrated. But I guess it's really hard to believe anything like not knowing whether or not they made it over the bridge and out of Pennsylvania and into New Jersey, not knowing where the hell they went at all. It makes it so hard to speculate what could have happened, not knowing what exact route they

were on, what they passed, what they could have stumbled upon. It's just weird. Yeah, without any physical evidence at all in this case, basically the only thing that we have is speculation on what could have happened. But hopefully more updates will come to this case. I know that they are still actively investigating it as of 2024. So hopefully answers will come. So please share this episode. Yes, absolutely.

And a big thank you again to Whitney for recommending it. If you guys have a case you want covered on the show, email it in to goingwestpodcast at gmail.com. All right, guys. So for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. Thank you. Thanks for watching!