Exclusive By: Kanwal Abidi
Washington D.C. USA : On February 19, 2005, young couple Danielle Imbo and Richard “Rich” Petrone left a cheerful, informal get-together with friends at a Philadelphia bar and seemingly disappeared into the night, never to be seen again.
It’s unlikely Danielle and Rich disappeared willingly. Each of them was a dedicated parent to a child from a past relationship, and investigators say that a decision to abandon their children would go against everything in their DNA.
This week, as we mark the 20-year anniversary of the couple’s disappearance, the FBI is urging anyone with information to come forward so we can close this missing persons case and—just as importantly—bring closure to the victims’ families.
Who was Danielle Imbo?
At the time of her disappearance, Danielle Imbo was a 34-year-old mortgage processor who called Mount Laurel, New Jersey, home.
Investigators said Danielle was known for being warm and outgoing, for quickly turning new friends into adopted family, and for her devotion to her son.
“Anybody who spoke about Danielle would stop at one point and say, ‘You know, she would give her life for that kid,’” recalled Special Agent Philip Blessington, who is co-leading the FBI Philadelphia investigation with Intelligence Analyst Steven Meagher.
“She very much wanted to earn enough money to buy a house that had a grass[y] backyard so her son could play; that was her driving goal,” Blessington said. She was even enrolled in a class to help further her career.
“If there’s only one thing I can guarantee, there is no way that Danielle Imbo and Rich Petrone wouldn’t find a way to get some kind of message back to their kids.”
Philip Blessington, special agent, FBI Philadelphia
Who was Rich Petrone?
Rich was a family man from blue-collar South Philly who worked at his parent’s’ bakery.
Most notably, like Danielle, had a child from a prior relationship—a tween daughter who was the center of his life.
“Rich wasn’t married at the time, but for whatever reason, the daughter’s mother wasn’t in position to care for her daughter in the best possible manner,” Blessington said. “So Rich, by all accounts, was pretty much a solo dad, and he did everything for his daughter, to raise her.”
Danielle had met Rich through his sister, who’d been one of her high-school classmates. And while Danielle and Rich had an on-again, off-again relationship—mostly because their immediate priorities were different—things between them were always amicable.
The facts of the case
On February 19, 2005, Danielle originally had a study date planned with a friend and coworker. But, investigators say, she cancelled at the last minute to instead grab dinner with her mom, Rich’s mom, and their girlfriends. During the dinner, Danielle made plans to meet Rich later that evening.
“Two of the women from the dinner party drove Danielle to a bar to meet Rich about 9 o’clock at night,” Blessington explained. “And shortly after arriving at the bar, Rich informs Danielle that a friend of his and that friend’s significant other were at another nearby bar.”
The couples reportedly had a cheerful time at the second bar before parting ways just before midnight. Rich and Danielle were seen walking to his truck, and were never seen again.
The following day, Danielle uncharacteristically missed a hair appointment. This, and the pair’s sudden radio silence, worried their respective families, who contacted the authorities.
When the Mount Laurel Police Department—the local police in Danielle’s New Jersey hometown—realized they needed help to track down the missing couple, they contacted the FBI.
Ever since, the Bureau’s Philadelphia Field Office, and local, state, and federal law enforcement partners from across the United States have rallied together to determine what happened to the couple.
Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone
A cross-country partnership
A decade into our efforts to unearth the truth about the couple’s whereabouts, FBI Philadelphia case agent Vito Roselli—who has since retired from the Bureau—formulated a coalition of local, state, and federal investigators to help us hunt for the missing couple.
This informal task force included:
- FBI personnel;
- The Philadelphia Police Department;
- New Jersey and Pennsylvania state troopers;
- Personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives;
- The local U.S. Attorney’s Office;
- Local law enforcement from the Mount Laurel Police Department in New Jersey and the Plymouth Township Police Department in Pennsylvania.
The investigation received additional support from:
- The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office;
- The Criminal Investigation Division of the Delaware County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney’s Office;
Multiple agencies in Montgomery and Chester Counties; and - The New Jersey and Illinois state departments of corrections.
The FBI Philadelphia personnel currently leading the investigation—Special Agent Philip Blessington and Intelligence Analyst Steven Meagher—joined the case during that 2015 ramp-up. They’ve spent the years since pounding pavement to cultivate sources; analyzing phone, road toll, and financial records; conducting searches; and otherwise chasing leads in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Since then, the case team’s investigative efforts have included nearly 300 formal interviews, including one with an Illinois prison inmate who claimed to have information about the missing couple. The team has also vetted tips from the public that have placed Danielle and Rich as far as Alaska and Washington state.
Despite a wealth of tips received, Meagher said, none have “come to fruition.”
“A lot of what happens is rumor starts to become legend in the city,” Meagher explained. “So, there are parts of the city where a story that may not have been true or was just a rumor kind of metastasized and became something that it’s not.”
But, he added, even false leads that the case team received helped them refine their search for answers.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any chance that they are alive,” Blessington said. “If there’s only one thing I can guarantee, there is no way that Danielle Imbo and Rich Petrone wouldn’t find a way to get some kind of message back to their kids.”
“…What I can tell those people—and there are people who know things—[is]: If we only do one thing very, very well, we protect the people that are brave enough and try and help us out.”
Philip Blessington, special agent, FBI Philadelphia
Asking a community to come forward
Investigators are confident that the same tightknit South Philly community that raised Richard—and served as a partial backdrop to his love story with Danielle—is keeping the secret of what happened to the couple.
“The city of Philadelphia is more like a town than a city,” Blessington explained. “Everybody knows everybody. Everybody kind of looks out for everybody.”
While some area residents have shared information with the FBI, Blessington said, others may be worried about being seen as traitors to their community. But as the what-ifs of the case continue to haunt the victims’ families into a third decade, investigators ask that potential tipsters come out of hiding.
“…What I can tell those people—and there are people who know things—[is]: If we only do one thing very, very well, we protect the people that are brave enough and try and help us out,” Blessington said.
You can learn more about Danielle and Rich, as well as view their pictures, at fbi.gov/missing.
Investigators encourage anyone with information about the whereabouts of Danielle, Richard, and/or his truck—a black 2001 Dodge Dakota with Pennsylvania license plates YFH 2319—to call the FBI Philadelphia Field Office directly at 215-418-4000. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone.
And the case team can help potential tipsters work through any concerns, navigate difficult emotions, and work through different legalities related to coming forward.
“After 20 years, we really need to bring Rich and Danielle home,” Blessington said.
