Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone

Summary

True Crime All The Time Unsolved — Episode 464: The Disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone PodcastOne | Hosts: Mike Ferguson & Mike Gibson | May 11, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode delves into the mysterious 2005 disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone, who vanished from Philadelphia along with Richard’s truck after a night out. Twenty-one years later, the case remains unsolved, with little physical evidence, rampant speculation, and a trail of cold leads. The hosts, Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson, break down the backgrounds, timelines, theories, investigative efforts, and consequences for the families left behind.

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Episode Breakdown

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1. Backgrounds of Danielle Imbo & Richard Petrone

Starting at 03:58

• Danielle Imbo
  • 34, mother from Mount Laurel, NJ
  • Known for being warm, outgoing, a devoted mother, and musically talented
  • Had stopped singing in bands at her husband Joe Embody’s request (05:02)
  • Separated from Joe, sharing custody of son Joe Jr.; devoted to improving her career and life
• Richard Petrone
  • Ran his family bakery, Viking Pastries, in Ardmore, PA
  • Single father to Angela (14 at the time), described as hardworking and outgoing
  • Angela recalls fond childhood living above the bakery (09:05)

Notable Quote:
"Wedding cakes are very expensive. Now...I get it, you got to be highly skilled, right? But I’m thinking they probably don’t cost anywhere near what you have to pay for them." — Mike Ferguson [08:18]

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2. Their Relationship & Lead-Up to the Night

Starting at 10:04

• Danielle & Rich began dating in 2004; both were amicably dealing with divorces
• Briefly took a break in early 2005 as Danielle finalized her divorce
• February 19, 2005: Danielle cancels a study date to meet Rich for dinner; later they meet up with friends Anthony & Michelle at Abilene’s bar (11:03)
• Last seen around midnight leaving the bar in good spirits

Notable Quote:
"Anthony said they were in good spirits. They were having a good time together." — Mike Ferguson [13:06]

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3. Disappearance & Immediate Search

13:14–19:25

• Next morning: Danielle misses an appointment; family can’t reach her or Rich; both phones go to voicemail
• Danielle’s brother John enters her condo — undisturbed
• Families launch frantic searches: hospitals, bars, police precincts, bridges (16:51)
• Rich’s truck (black 2001 Dodge Dakota, PA plates YFH2319) never found

Notable Quote:
"You’re seeing the progression of, okay, Danielle’s not home. She’s also not answering her phone...At a certain point it is going to get to that, ‘oh my gosh, there may be something wrong here.’" — Mike Ferguson [14:18]

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4. Police Investigation & Dead Ends

19:25–26:41

• Police from both NJ & PA and the FBI get involved quickly (after 3 weeks, FBI coordinates efforts)
• Checked bank records: Rich used cash, Danielle used credit cards—no activity since the night
• No relevant security footage, bridge or toll evidence, or reported sightings
• Rumors and tips abound, but nothing solid; extensive background checks find no criminal ties for either victim

Notable Quote:
"There weren’t many security cameras in the area at that time...They have a pretty big area geographically to scour and no real way to know which way they went after they left the bar." — Mike Ferguson [22:51]

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5. Theories and Community Rumors

26:43–31:42

• Early theories considered:
  • Car theft ring (13,000 cars stolen in Philly area in 2004)
  • Accident in the Delaware River (several vehicles found in search, not theirs)
  • Organized crime/murder for hire–rumors swirled about ties to drugs, gambling, the mafia, or exes (including Danielle’s ex-husband Joe)
• Family relationships strained by mutual suspicion and grief: rumors and questioning further drive a wedge (irreparably by 2014)

Notable Quotes:

• "How many cases do we do where the ex ultimately turns out to be the perpetrator?" — Mike Ferguson [28:06]
• "Sometimes people are going to blame people that maybe they don’t deserve to be blamed, but it’s going to happen." — Mike Gibson [31:49]

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6. Specific Suspects and Leads Explored

33:21–39:37

• Extensive law enforcement focus on local suspects (ex-husband Joe, friends) — all cleared or never named suspects
• 2008: Bucks County drug dealer/violent offender Robert Carey rumored to be a possible hitman in the case. He kills himself before any real investigation ties could be pursued
• All theoretical connections (mafia, motorcycle gangs, drug gangs, random carjacking) fail to yield credible evidence

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7. FBI Perspective & Major Obstacles

41:23–46:03

• Official stance (by 2015 and after): case is a probable murder-for-hire involving multiple parties
• Agent Quotes:
  • "A 3,000 pound truck and two people do not simply go missing." — Agent Christian Zajak [41:56]
  • "It also seems unlikely...that one person acting alone could pull this off so successfully." — Agent J.J. Claver [42:12]
• But: no concrete suspect, no motive, and scant physical evidence

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8. Current Status, Family Impact, and Unanswered Questions

47:25–52:07

• Neither Danielle nor Rich have accessed their bank or contacted family in over two decades; both considered dead by authorities
• Community “no snitching” culture in South Philly seen as a possible barrier to answers
• Quote:
  "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." — Special Agent Blessington [47:59]
• FBI still offers $15,000 reward, continues to probe, and encourages public to come forward
• Most persistent theories: murder for hire (possibly at the behest of someone close), organized crime, accident in the Delaware River, random criminal encounter

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• "It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack." — Mike Gibson [23:04]
• "I don’t know what you make of all this...there’s just enough to be tantalizing." — Mike Ferguson [50:10]
• "To me, that’s natural in a case like this, because there’s so very little that is absolutely concrete." — Mike Ferguson [49:20]

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Key Timestamps

• [03:58] — Case Introduction and Victim Backgrounds
• [11:03] — Night of Disappearance
• [14:18] — Early Search and Rising Family Concern
• [19:25] — Police Involvement and Lack of Evidence
• [26:43] — Theories: Car thefts, Accidents, Organized Crime
• [38:31] — FBI Officially Suggests Murder-for-Hire
• [41:56] — FBI Coalition and “No One Simply Vanishes”
• [47:25] — Investigative Standstill & FBI Appeal to Public

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Summary & Takeaways

Ferguson and Gibson deliver a meticulous, compassionate examination of a cold case still haunting two families. Despite years of rumors—ranging from carjackings to mafia plots—no motive, person of interest, or physical evidence tying anyone to the disappearance has emerged. The episode highlights the devastating ripple effects on relationships, the dangers of community gossip, and the excruciating pain of not knowing.

The hosts close with what’s become the essence of many unsolved crime episodes: hope for new information, a plea for anyone still holding a secret to step forward, and reflection on the enduring human cost of unsolved disappearances.

FBI Philadelphia: 215-418-4000 — $15,000 reward for information.

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For listeners:
This summary captures the major points and spirit of Mike and Gibby’s discussion, even their banter and humanity, while leaving aside ads and off-topic sections.

Transcript

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[Mike Ferguson]

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[Mike Gibson]

Sam.

[Mike Ferguson]

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 464 of the True Crime all the Time Unsolved podcast. I'm Mike Ferguson and with me as always, is my partner in true crime, Mike Gibson. Gibby, how are you?

[Mike Gibson]

Hey, I'm doing good. How about you?

[Mike Ferguson]

Excellent, man. Just having a great week. Loving life.

[Mike Gibson]

Life is to be loved and lived and lived.

[Mike Ferguson]

We're saying some really deep thoughts here.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, you got to live it to love it.

[Mike Ferguson]

Or love it to live it.

[Mike Gibson]

Or that as well.

[Mike Ferguson]

Let's go ahead and give our Patreon shout outs. We had Sarah Jane Morrison.

[Mike Gibson]

What's going on?

[Mike Ferguson]

Morrison LB Online.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, online.

[Mike Ferguson]

Jessica Baca.

[Mike Gibson]

Hey, thanks Baka.

[Mike Ferguson]

Kelly Le Beds.

[Mike Gibson]

Thanks. Kelly B. Laurel. Kelly B. Kelly B. Kelly.

[Mike Ferguson]

Kelly La B. Kelly L. Laurel H. Hey, Laura. And last but not least, K. Katie, bro.

[Mike Gibson]

And Katie like in. I thought you were saying bro, like what up, bro? The other. You know earlier when you said that.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, it's the. It's the E. A U X. So I think that's how you pronounce it. But I could be wrong.

[Mike Gibson]

You probably are wrong. Odds are there's a 65% chance that you're.

[Mike Ferguson]

Hey, 60% of the time, I'm right every time.

[Mike Gibson]

There you go.

[Mike Ferguson]

And if we go back into the vault, this week, we selected Brittany Montalvan.

[Mike Gibson]

Ah, thank you so much, Brittany.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, we appreciate the Patreon support, Gibbs. We have an episode out right now on True Crime all the Time where we're talking about Kelsey Barreth. She was murdered by her fiance, Patrick Frazee, after he unsuccessfully tried convincing his lover to murder Kelsey three different times. It's just a. It's a wild case. It really is.

[Mike Gibson]

He's a very cruel individual.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Yeah. Check it out. All right, buddy. Are you ready to get into this episode of True Crime all the Time Unsolved?

[Mike Gibson]

I'm ready.

[Mike Ferguson]

We're discussing the disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Patron. On February 19, 2005, Danielle Embo and Richard Patron left to get together with friends at a bar in Philadelphia. Danielle, Richard and Richard's truck have not been seen since. And over 20 years later, their disappearance remains unsolved. Danielle imbo was a 34 year old mother from Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Danielle was warm and outgoing, and she was extremely close with her mother and her older brother John. She had a passion for music. She wrote her own songs and performed with a cover band at different bars in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

[Mike Gibson]

Something I can see you doing some cover band performance.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I. I don't think I could ever sing my own songs, but, you know, I like to sing other people's songs. Like good songs.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, you're not going to sing bad songs.

[Mike Ferguson]

Good point.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, you're not going to stay on stage very long if you do.

[Mike Ferguson]

I probably wouldn't anyway, because I'm not that good. Danielle stopped performing shortly after she married Joe Embody in 2001. According to Danielle's brother John, Joe asked her to stop. Two years later, Danielle and Joe's son, Joe Jr. Was born. Months after their son was born, ongoing marital problems led Danielle and her husband to separate. By 2004, they were sharing custody of Joe Jr. While going through divorce proceedings. Danielle was said to have been a very devoted mother. She worked from home as a loan mortgage processor in her condo in Mount Laurel. She had a goal of buying a house with a big backyard for her son to play in and was taking a class that would help further her career.

[Mike Gibson]

Just trying to do some improvements.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Which, I mean, let's be honest. For many people, that's kind of what life's about now. It might be, you know, getting a better job. It might just be being more fit. It could be being a better person. Goals. Goals are important.

[Mike Gibson]

Good. They are. I tried to improve myself every day.

[Mike Ferguson]

Sometimes I relate to myself. According to John, Danielle went through a difficult time after separating from her husband. She lost a lot of weight and was chain smoking. She cried every day while talking on the phone with family.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, man, that has to be. It has to be rough for her, but also rough for the family.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, they're trying to help her, I'm sure. But, you know, at a certain point, it's like there's only so much you can do. Only so much consoling can happen. But, you know, as we often talk about, divorces are tough.

[Mike Gibson]

They are.

[Mike Ferguson]

They're tough on the two people getting divorced. They're tough on the kids, if there are kids in the picture. I mean, they can be tough on families.

[Mike Gibson]

They can. I mean, have you ever looked at a. Picked a phone up and saw a certain number call and go, and I do not want to answer this call?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, it usually says Mike Gibson.

[Mike Gibson]

That's just wrong.

[Mike Ferguson]

Danielle's longtime best friend, Christine Patron, was also in the process of getting a divorce, and the two women confided in each other. Danielle and Christine had been friends since they were 15, and their families were also friends with each other. One evening in the summer of 2004, Christine and Danielle were hanging out, and Christine's brother Rich joined them. Danielle had known rich for 20 years, but this time there was a romantic spark between them. You ever have a romantic spark with someone you haven't seen in a very, very long time?

[Mike Gibson]

No.

[Mike Ferguson]

That's a good answer, because if you had said anything else, you might be in trouble.

[Mike Gibson]

I might be.

[Mike Ferguson]

And that's the reason why I asked that question.

[Mike Gibson]

That's why I said no, because that's the truth.

[Mike Ferguson]

Richard Petrone helped run his family's bakery, Viking Pastries, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, which is a suburb of Philadelphia. He specialized in wedding cakes. I have a feeling you can make a lot of money in wedding cakes.

[Mike Gibson]

I think so, too.

[Mike Ferguson]

Wedding cakes are very expensive. Now, I. I get it. You got to be highly skilled, right? And. But I'm thinking they probably don't cost anywhere near what you have to pay for them. The profit margin has to be pretty good, right?

[Mike Gibson]

I would think. I mean, flour, sugar, water, you know, eggs. Eggs.

[Mike Ferguson]

Do you know what goes into a cake? The fact that you even started down that road cracks me up.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, it's more of the skill, right? You got to know how to put it all together and cook it right.

[Mike Ferguson]

And cook it right. Or bake it, however you want to say. It's like taking your car in, right?

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

The cost of the parts is usually nominal. You're paying for someone to do the work.

[Mike Gibson]

Exactly.

[Mike Ferguson]

Like Danielle, Rich also had a child from a past relationship. His daughter Angela was 14 at the time of his disappearance. He was a solo parent for many years. Angela's mother worked a lot, so when she was three years old, Rich offered to keep her during the weeks and Angela went with her mother on the weekends. Angela recalled fond memories of living above the bakery with her dad. He helped her with her homework, took her to all of her activities, and let her be creative in the bakery.

[Mike Gibson]

Now how cool would that be, though, to, you know, live on top of the bakery, go down there, play around, but also sample whatever you wanted to sample.

[Mike Ferguson]

You think about like real life play. D'oh.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I mean, what kid wouldn't enjoy going crazy in a bakery and being allowed to just try things out?

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, it's like the big, bigger Easy Bake Oven.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. How about that? Before he went missing, Angela moved back in with her mother. But she remained close with Rich and saw him often. Retired FBI agent Vito Roselli said about Rich, as quoted by NBC Philadelphia, he was a hard working guy with a lot of friends, outgoing, just a typical South Philly dude. Both Rich and Danielle's families were happy about their new relationship and thought that they were a really good fit for each other. About six months into the relationship, around New Year's 2005, Danielle asked Rich for some space because she was getting closer to finalizing her divorce. She wanted to get her life in order and focus on being a good mother. Rich understood and accepted her decision. Things remained amicable between them, so it

[Mike Gibson]

sounds like she knew what she needed to do. He respected that and things were good

[Mike Ferguson]

between him, which is the way it should be.

[Mike Gibson]

Absolutely.

[Mike Ferguson]

It doesn't always happen, but that is the way things should happen. On February 19, 2005, Danielle had a study date planned with a friend, coworker. She had the night to herself. Because Joe Jr. Was with his dad. She canceled her study plans at the last minute to go out to dinner with her mother, Rich's mother, and some female friends. During the dinner, she made plans to meet up with Rich later that evening. It was the first time they'd seen each other since they decided to take A break. Two friends dropped Danielle off at a bar to meet Rich around 9pm Shortly after arriving, Rich told Danielle that a friend of his and that friend's wife were at a nearby bar. They met Anthony Valentino and his wife Michelle at Abilene's bar on south street, which is now closed. Anthony recalled that Rich and Danielle were in good spirits and they seemed to be happy about spending time together. Around midnight, Anthony and his wife decided to go see another band at a bar down the road. But Rich and Danielle wanted to call it a night because they both had to pick up their kids in the morning. The couple said goodbye to each other and Rich told Anthony he was parked nearby. Rich and Danielle headed out the exit and were never seen again. Rich was last seen wearing a gray polo sweatshirt and blue jeans. Danielle was last seen wearing a dark jacket, cream colored sweater and blue jeans. She was carrying a black purse.

[Mike Gibson]

So they had a good time with this other couple. You know, I get it, you got to leave. You got to go get the, you know, get your kids or, or you need to leave because, you know, you want to go somewhere else and maybe spend a little alone time together before you go get those kids. Maybe you don't want to tell the other couple that.

[Mike Ferguson]

Oh, could be.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

They're consenting adults. They can do whatever they want.

[Mike Gibson]

But they weren't fighting when they left.

[Mike Ferguson]

No. And I think that's the big thing, right? Anthony said they were in good spirits. They were having a good time together.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

At 9:00am the following morning, Danielle's brother John Otto Bray came to her condo to fix her curtain rods. She didn't answer the door and her cell phone went straight to voicemail. John called his mother, who told him Danielle went out the night before and may have slept at Rich's place because they had too much to drink. John used his spare key to get inside. Danielle's condo was undisturbed and clean. And as if she hadn't been home in a while, he fixed the curtain rods and left. Danielle missed her 11am hair appointment at Christine Petrone salon, which was highly unusual for her. She wasn't the type of person to miss appointments. Christine assumed she was with Rich and tried calling their cell phones, but her calls went to voicemail. And this is what we talk about in so many episodes, right? You're seeing the progression of, okay, Danielle's not home. She's also not answering her phone.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Now you have another person who's trying to reach both of them. Those calls are going to voicemail. Are Those freak out moments. No, but you see a progression and at a certain point it is going to get to that, oh my gosh, there may be something wrong here. Point.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Rich's mother, Marge, had also been trying to reach him that morning. Rich was close with his mom and they typically talked a few times a day. Marge asked Christine to go to the bakery apartment to see if Rich was there. Christine went and felt that he was not there because his dog was barking. Marge called Anthony Valentino who said he thought the couple went back to Danielle's place. It was at that point that Danielle's mother called Rich's mother because she was getting worried. Danielle's mother and brother went to her condo to wait and see if she would show up. They became extremely concerned when it was approaching 5pm that was the time Joe was supposed to drop off Joe Jr. And they knew Danielle would never want to miss out on time with her son. When Joe arrived with Joe Jr. He asked what John and Danielle's mother were doing there. John decided that he didn't want to tell Joe that they couldn't find Danielle. So he said Danielle was with Christine and had asked him to watch Joe Jr. But I think it's at this point, Gibbs, Right. That Danielle fails to show up for her son to be dropped off, that her brother and mom were convinced something was seriously wrong.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. This is all the warning bells going off now.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. John reported his sister missing around that same time Rich's family reported him missing to the Philadelphia police. The families also started doing their own investigation. They called local hospitals. Around 7pm Danielle's brother John went to the Patron household. He and Richard Senior drove to Philadelphia to look around. They stopped at Abilene's bar first. But no one knew anything about Richard Danielle's whereabouts. So makes sense, right? You stop at the bar where you. You knew they were the night before. But is it surprising that no one there knows anything about where they are? And to me it's not because, all right, they were with this couple. They said they were leaving, they left.

[Mike Gibson]

It wasn't like when they were there, they made any type of scene. No.

[Mike Ferguson]

Or got in a fight with someone or. I don't think there was anything to suggest that anything was wrong at that point. John and Richard Sr. Then went to each Philadelphia police precinct looking for answers, but they didn't find any. They continued driving around the city hoping to spot Rich's truck. The problem was no one knew exactly where Rich parked that night. There were also four bridges crossing the Delaware river to get to Danielle's home in New Jersey.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, it makes this search tough.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, let's face it. Philadelphia is a pretty big place, right? I mean, it's not like we're talking Podunk, usa, Right. And if you're trying to figure out what route they would have taken if they did go back to to Danielle's or were on their way to Danielle's, four bridges crossing the river. That really opens it up. But John and Richard Senior believe that if they were going back to Danielle's place, they most likely took the Ben Franklin or Walt Whitman bridge. But there was no way to know the exact route they took. So the two spent the entire night driving down every bridge, and they didn't return to the patron house until 7am on Monday, February 21st.

[Mike Gibson]

There's dedication right there.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And I think most of us would probably say we do the same thing if we thought that a loved one was missing. We'd stay out all night if we had to. There's just really nothing that we wouldn't do to try to find them. After that, they began coordinating more searches. The Mount Laurel and Philadelphia police departments quickly started working together to track down leads. They looked into bank account activity and phone records. It was said that Rich mostly used cash, but Danielle primarily used her credit card. I just wonder how many people primarily use cash nowadays. I would have to think the percentage is pretty small.

[Mike Gibson]

I would think so, too. Except for the town that I moved to, everybody likes to use cash. You get charged more if you use your credit card.

[Mike Ferguson]

That's because they keep it all in glass jars buried in their yards somewhere.

[Mike Gibson]

I think they probably do.

[Mike Ferguson]

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[Mike Gibson]

They really are.

[Mike Ferguson]

They have so very little to go on. They have a pretty big area geographically to scour and no real way to know which way they went after they left the bar.

[Mike Gibson]

It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

[Mike Ferguson]

Rich's friend Anthony Valentino was brought in for questioning with Two officers. He was asked if there was a confrontation at the bar or if there was anyone suspicious who seemed to be watching Danielle. He was questioned a few times, and police even looked into his background. And Anthony agreed to take a polygraph. He was asked if he knew anything about the couple's disappearance or if Rich was involved in anything nefarious. Anthony passed the polygraph and was cleared.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, but they're going to try to do everything they can to try to get some type of lead or at least remove people as a possibility.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, you have to eliminate people. Right. Because you don't want to spend time on people who don't have anything to do with the crime. You want to move your resources on to something else. Two weeks after the disappearance, there were still no real leads. Danielle's brother John used his connections, and a neighboring police department agreed to use their helicopter to fly over the Delaware river, but nothing was found. Police then looked into possible organized crime links. One possibility was that Rich and Danielle were victims of a car theft ring. In 2004, almost 13,000 cars were stolen just in the Philly area. That's a. It's a lot of cars.

[Mike Gibson]

It is a lot of cars.

[Mike Ferguson]

Investigators knew that this wouldn't be a one person job. Someone would have to drive the truck to a place where it could be disassembled. The Philadelphia police and FBI attempted to track down Rich's truck by reaching out to informants, but no one was talking. Officials hadn't completely ruled out the possibility that Rich and Danielle got into an accident that night and went off one of the bridges.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, but if they went off one of the bridges, I mean, I'm not from that area, so I don't know. But I think you would be able to tell if someone went off the bridge. You know, it's not like they're just. No guardrails up.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I. I don't know about off the bridges, but I know a big part of this case is the Delaware river. And there are a lot of parts, let's say not on the bridge, that I think kind of almost like you can drive up to it.

[Mike Gibson]

Okay.

[Mike Ferguson]

And there's. I know, thoughts that maybe they went into the river. I'm kind of with you. I don't know how you go off the bridge without anybody noticing it, but you could definitely go into the river. Yeah, I can see that happening at certain parts. And maybe never be heard from again because obviously the river is probably pretty deep.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

The truck may float to the deeper part, sink there. The patron family Got a tip about an area on the Philadelphia waterfront where the gate appeared to have been damaged by a vehicle. Marine divers searched the area. There were several vehicles in the water, but not riches. And that's always fascinating. You know, we've done some cases where it's thought somebody potentially went in the water. They dive, they find a whole bunch of other vehicles, but not the one they're looking for. So, okay, can we get to the bottom of these other vehicles? Was it an insurance scam?

[Mike Gibson]

We don't know.

[Mike Ferguson]

After three weeks, the FBI was brought in to coordinate law enforcement efforts. By this time, rumors were circulating. Many wondered if Danielle or Rich was the target of an attack, which caused tension between the two families. Danielle's brother John wondered if there was something from Rich's past that could explain what happened to them. John questioned if Rich was involved in drugs or gambling or owed someone money. Rich's parents understandably defended their son and his reputation. They insisted no one was after him and that Rich was not involved in either drugs or. Or gambling. And I think you could see, Gibbs, how a situation like this could kind of turn the families maybe against each other.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Even if they liked each other before, they're trying to figure out what happened to their loved one. And maybe part of that process involves at least questioning if the other person was involved in something nefarious that, you know, resulted in something bad happening.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, the questions need to be asked. You know, you're emotional, too, but you need to ask those questions. And maybe, like you said, the other family's not going to be happy about those assumptions.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, they're not going to be happy, and they're going to jump in. They're going to defend their loved one. Investigators conducted extensive background checks on both Rich and Danielle and confirmed neither had done anything that would make them a target. At the same time, Rich's family questioned if the disappearance had something to do with Danielle's rocky relationship with Joe. One rumor that circulated was that Danielle's ex husband was upset over the divorce and hired a hitman. However, it's important to note that this was a rumor among the community, and Rich's family didn't start this particular rumor. And let's face it, in these types of cases, you are going to have a lot of rumors, speculation, innuendo, stuff like that. And how many cases do we do where the ex ultimately turns out to be the perpetrator? Yeah, happens quite a lot, pretty frequently. So I think, no doubt, Joe has to be looked at right by police. I think sometimes it is unfortunate some of the rumors that. That get started, especially when there. There's really no foundation to them. But that's what you kind of have online. Yeah. People talking about cases and saying, well, I think it's so and so it must be this person when a lot of times they really don't have anything to back that up. Phone records showed that Joe Embo had been in contact with Richard while he was dating Danielle. So Joe was questioned multiple times and his alibi was looked into. He said he was at a family function 50 miles away in New Jersey at the time of the disappearance. Ultimately, Joe was not declared a suspect. Police have never named a person of interest in this case.

[Mike Gibson]

Kind of interesting that they were in contact with each other, though.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. It does seem strange for the ex to reach out to the new boyfriend, because what that. What is that conversation going to be? Yeah, it's not going to be about the weather or, hey, let's go fishing now.

[Mike Gibson]

Unless some reason he had to reach out to him on her behalf or on little Joe's behalf.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, there could be a reason for that.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Maybe he couldn't get a hold of Danielle, so he figured out how to get a hold of Rich or.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, if.

[Mike Ferguson]

If it's not that, though, then it does seem kind of strange. And then I think, okay, Joe's not declared a suspect. Well, what does that mean to me? Nothing, really, because no one's been declared a suspect. When you talk about Anthony, he took a polygraph and passed. Police ruled him out. I think that's a pretty big deal. That is not declaring someone a suspect to me, is a far cry from coming out and saying you've ruled them out. But the relationship between the two families was irreparably damaged, and they stopped speaking in 2014. Marge Patron told the Courier Post that the relationship went south right away due to drastically different opinions about what happened. And you mentioned kind of the emotions side of things. I don't think there's any way to get away from that. Motion levels are high.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Things are going to get heated in a lot of different scenarios surrounding this case.

[Mike Gibson]

You know, sometimes people are going to blame people that maybe they don't deserve to be blamed, but it's going to happen.

[Mike Ferguson]

Or just the mere questioning of someone's integrity could set the other side off.

[Mike Gibson]

You're going to challenge my loved one's character. It's not going to set. Well.

[Mike Ferguson]

Marge declined to elaborate on this quote. Right. Went south right away. And Danielle's brother declined an interview for that Article, Richard Petrone Sr. Said the FBI questioned him extensively about gambling during a polygraph. But the family maintains that Rich had no ties to gambling, drugs, or the mafia. In fact, Richard hated gambling. So by March 2005, the case was at a standstill. Then John Otabre's mother in law received the tip that Danielle was in a boxcar under the Walt Whitman bridge and she was dying. John rushed out to look for her and called the detective on the way. The tracks were just 10 miles from Danielle's home. John climbed over a barbed wire fence to get to the boxcars. He opened the door of a closed boxcar expecting to find a body, but there was nothing. All of the boxcars were empty. Police eventually showed up and escorted John to the Mount Laurel police station, where they told him that what he did was dangerous.

[Mike Gibson]

You know what? I think we would do the same.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I don't think he cared about the admonishment of, hey, what you did was dangerous. If there was even a remote chance that Danielle was inside one of these boxcars, he was going to check it out. But it's such a strange tip and

[Mike Gibson]

a sick tip, right?

[Mike Ferguson]

I mean, obviously it was false. So what does that mean? Someone was. Was playing a trick? They were. They thought it was funny to call in a fake tip or something like that. I agree with you. That's sick. You know, I've had a lot of times in my life where I could have used a little therapy. There have been tough breakups, periods of burnout, and just plain old anxiety and stress. Affordable and accessible mental health care shouldn't be out of reach, but it too often is. You know, most of us use insurance to cover our physical health, so why shouldn't it also cover your mental health? Rula makes sure it does. I've been using online therapy for a number of years now, and the benefits are amazing. Rula does things a little differently. They partner with over 100 insurance plans, making the average copay just $15 per session. That's real therapy from licensed professionals at a price that actually makes sense. Go to rula.comtcat to get started. That's R U L A.comtcat for quality therapy that's covered by insurance. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high quality therapy that's actually covered by Insurance. Visit rula.comtcat to get started. After you sign up, you'll be asked how you heard about them. Please support our show and let them know we sent you. That's R u l a.comtcat you deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. They make it super simple. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions, and you'll get a quick quote with coverage options tailored to your choices. Plus, you'll see which discounts you may qualify for, like the online quote discount or savings for paying in full. In fact, 99% of Progressive Auto customers earn at least one discount. See if you could save when you switch to Progressive. You'll feel good about making a savvy choice. Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little extra cash back Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates national average 12 month savings of $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary. After the snow melted in the spring, search efforts extended to the Pine Barrens. Volunteers came out on the weekends to search the woods, but nothing was ever found. Over the next three years, there were no solid leads. But in 2008, FBI agent Vito Roselli received the tip from a friend in the Philadelphia PD during an unrelated investigation, the department's Marine Dive Unit found a black pickup truck in the river in the area Roselli was interested in. The truck was removed from the water. Although it was very similar to Rich's truck, it wasn't his vehicle. The truck was part of an insurance scam. There were multiple stolen cars in that section of the river, the old dumb zone. How many cars are are in the Delaware River?

[Mike Gibson]

I think a lot, man.

[Mike Ferguson]

How many cars are in any big river? How many cars are in the Mississippi?

[Mike Gibson]

Too many. I mean, it's better than, you know, how we handled your car insurance thing the other a few years ago with me wearing a helmet and running it into the tree four or five, six times.

[Mike Ferguson]

We said we'd never speak of that.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, you have to cut this out.

[Mike Ferguson]

In February 2008, the FBI announced for the first time that the evidence seemed to suggest Rich and Danielle were killed in a murder for hire plot. Investigators ruled out kidnapping because there was never a ransom or information on the couple's whereabouts. And that makes sense to me, right? If, if someone is kidnapped for money.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

You would expect there to be a call to a family member saying, hey, we have your loved one. If you want them back, here's what you have to do or pay us X. If you don't have any of that, I think you can rule out kidnapping for money, especially. But the murder for hire plot is pretty interesting.

[Mike Gibson]

It is.

[Mike Ferguson]

Because now if that's the case, you got to figure out who. Who's the mastermind, who's behind it, and who's the target.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Were they both the target or was one of them the target and the other one just at the wrong place at the wrong time?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Or collateral damage in this murder for hire plot. Spokesman Jerry Williams said at the time, as quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Whenever the FBI gets into a missing persons case, it's with the thought that it could be a kidnapping or a murder for hire. On April 14, 2010, 40 year old Robert Carey hanged himself inside his Bucks county jail cell. Kerry was accused of running a drug operation that illegally sold prescription painkillers in three counties for over a decade. He was facing felony identity theft charges for allegedly forging prescriptions for over 140,000 tablets of OxyContin and. And Percocet between 2008 and 2010.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, that's a lot of pills and

[Mike Ferguson]

seems like you would make a boatload of money off of 140,000 tablets of those types of drugs.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I think at one point I saw in the news or TV show or something that OxyContin was selling it. I want to say $50 a tablet.

[Mike Ferguson]

No way. Really?

[Mike Gibson]

That's what I thought I heard.

[Mike Ferguson]

Okay, well, if that's the case, that seems very high, but if that's the case, you could make even more money than I thought. He was also accused of attempted murder for beating a man over a drug debt. The victim lost his left eye and suffered a concussion as well as a broken nose and three fractured bones in his face. That's a. That's a heck of a beating, that is. Kerry was also rumored to be the hitman responsible for the disappearance of Danielle Embo and Rich Patron. A law enforcement source told the Philadelphia Daily News that they looked into Kerry but never declared him a suspect. And that one's kind of tough because that's all there really is about Kerry. Obviously, Gibbs, they didn't get a chance to. To look in to him too deeply or talk to him because the man hanged himself.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

On February 19, 2015, federal, local and state investigators announced a new coalition of local, state and federal investigators that would look into the case. They didn't go into details, but said they had promising new leads that confirmed their belief that More than one person was involved in a murder for hire plot, according to retired agent Vito Roselli. The coalition looked into phone, road, toll and financial records, conducted searches, and followed up on leads outside Pennsylvania. The coalition has conducted a few hundred formal interviews, including one with an Illinois inmate who claimed to have information. Other tips placed Danielle and Rich as far as Alaska and Washington State, but none of those tips have really panned out or led anywhere. Agent Christian Zajak told NBC Philadelphia in 2015. We feel this was an orchestrated act. A 3,000 pound truck and two people do not simply go missing. FBI agent J.J. claver agreed, saying it's unlikely, based on law enforcement experience, that this was a simple crime of opportunity. It also seems unlikely, although not impossible, that one person acting alone could pull this off so successfully. Claver also called it a true cold

[Mike Gibson]

case, which I'm sure makes the family not happy. A true cold case being we don't really have anything to go on right now.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, but I don't think they've. They've really been all that secretive about that. No, I don't think they've had a lot to go on this whole time. They've had tips and other things, but nothing of. Of any real value. The thing that really jumps out to me is you have the FBI saying, okay, it's most likely a murder for higher plot. You have other law enforcement people saying it's got to be some type of crime. Right. Most likely perpetrated by more than one person. What you don't have a lot of people saying is that there's a chance they accidentally drove into the Delaware River.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And like I said earlier, there are a lot of people online who think that's a real distinct possibility. But it seems to me at this point that they are really focused on some type of foul play. And I guess from my point of view, the murder for hire plot is the most interesting of all of that because like I said, you got to figure out then who would be the mastermind, the person orchestrating the murder for hire, and who do they want to get at. I think if you're looking for the most likely person or the person who would have the most to gain, you would say, well, it would probably be Joe. Right. He's in a custody battle.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

At least on the periphery. There would be some motive there, but I don't think there's any evidence, at least, that they've disclosed, that points in his direction. I just don't know of anybody else in the case who would have a motive. Rich's mother, March Petrone said at the time. Who are they protecting? A murderer. Somebody knows something. I don't know what the loyalties are, but I'm hoping after all this time, the loyalties have changed.

[Mike Gibson]

So she's. She's thinking, you know, there's enough time that has passed that there's really no reason to protect anybody anymore. Like, the loyalty is gone or she's hoping the loyalty is gone.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And I think that's a hope. In a lot of unsolved cases. Right. Where there aren't many concrete leads or really any concrete leads, you're hoping that somebody who knows what happens, who was previously loyal to a partner. Partners. Is now on the outs with them and has more of a reason to kind of come forward and say what they know. In a recent interview with NBC Philadelphia, Roselli revealed that they received a tip that the case was a murder for hire for the mafia out of New York. He said there was enough meat on that allegation for us to get proactively involved. Okay, so then you have to ask the question, why would the mafia want to kill one or both of these individuals?

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Over what? Because gambling debts, as the one family kind of brought up at one point, over drugs. Over.

[Mike Ferguson]

And there didn't seem to be, through all their extensive research, anything that backed that up.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Now, this lead didn't go anywhere, but it's not been completely ruled out. However, investigators aren't sure who exactly wanted Richard Danielle killed. So, again, I don't know what you make of all this. All right, there's tips, but there's really nothing backing the tips up. Other tips over the years mentioned a drug gang in Camden, a Pagan motorcycle gang, and a drug dealer in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia. On the 20th anniversary of Rich and Danielle's disappearance, investigators once again asked for the public's help. Special agent Philip Blessington said in 2025, unfortunately, I don't think there's any chance that they're alive. If there's only one thing I can guarantee there is no way that Danielle Embo and Rich Patrone wouldn't find a way to get some kind of message back to their kids. And that's something I think is true in a lot of the unsolved disappearance cases that we cover. It's just much more likely that either they were involved in some type of fatal accident, foul play was involved. I just think it's less likely they decided to up and leave and never contact either of their children ever again or their families.

[Mike Gibson]

I think they. They were killed, but I just don't know by who or how.

[Mike Ferguson]

And I'm still not ruling out the accidental scenario.

[Mike Gibson]

Possibility.

[Mike Ferguson]

It's been 21 years since Richard and Danielle went missing. There's been no cell phone or bank activity since then. One big challenge in the investigation has been a lack of physical evidence and surveillance video. Investigators feel confident that someone in the Philadelphia area knows what happened. Some residents have shared information with the FBI, but others may be worried about being seen as a traitor to the South Philly community.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, you know, you gotta be careful, right. You don't want to be that person that is known to talk to the police and say things maybe you shouldn't be saying.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, you don't want to be thought of as a rat. You could be next, right? Agent Philip Blessington said about this, per an FBI news release. What I can tell those people, and there are people who know things, is we only do one thing very, very well. We protect the people that are brave enough to try and help us out. Investigators encourage anyone with information about the whereabouts of Danielle Richard or his truck, which is a black 2001 Dodge Dakota with Pennsylvania license plates YFH2319, to call the FBI Philadelphia Field Office 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. So, as we wrap this case up, Gibbs, again, a lot of speculation, a lot of rumors online. To me, that's natural in a case like this, because there's so very little that is absolutely concrete. Right. There's a lot of tips, but they've been checked out. They didn't really lead anywhere. A lot of these agencies keep coming back to the murder for hire plot. And I'm not saying that that can't be the case. What I am saying is for that to be true, then obviously there has to be someone at the heart of it. So you got to figure out who wanted it.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And why. What was the motive for wanting one or both of them dead?

[Mike Gibson]

So the one Lee talked about the New York Mafia wanting one of them dead. Maybe both of them dead. It didn't really clarify that, but if that's the truth, why.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, and that's the problem about a lot of the tips. Right. There's very little clarification. There's just enough to be tantalizing.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

So, you know, for me, as we wrap this one up, I'm not taking murder for hire off the table. Again, have no idea who it could be for sure. But I'm also not ruling out, you know, a carjacking or some type of chance encounter where maybe the. The truck was stolen, it was parted, the bodies were hidden, disposed of in a way that. That nobody would find. I don't know that that's at the top of my list. A 2001 Dodge Dakota is not or was not at that point, like the end all be all desirable vehicles.

[Mike Gibson]

No, no.

[Mike Ferguson]

You think of a movie like Gone was gone in 60 seconds where they're looking for, like, these vehicles that are elite vehicles or vehicles that are worth money. You know, a Dodge Dakota is not normally one you're going to put at the. At the top of the list. But that doesn't mean somebody didn't want it.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

Couldn't make money off of it. But then I think the other thing that you cannot take off the table is some type of accident. And the only reason I say that is because they were so close to the Delaware River. I know there were entry points. I don't know how many. I don't know where they were. We just talked about how many cars they found when they were looking for something else.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Is it implausible that they somehow drove into the river and that car disappeared, they drowned and that car just hasn't been found?

[Mike Gibson]

I think it's a pretty strong possibility. Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I again, don't know that that's the case. I just don't think you can take it off the table. But it is a pretty perplexing case. Just because there seems to be not even a single kind of path that they were able to go down for any length of time. They checked on a lot of things, just nothing really panned out. But that's it for our episode on Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone. We got a voicemail. You want to check that out?

[Melissa (Voicemail Caller)]

Hi, Mike and Gibby. My name is Melissa. I have been a huge fan of both TCAT and TCAT Unsolved for a few years now. I listen on my commute to and from work. My kids think I'm insane. I wanted to let you know about two cases that are local here to my area. One for TCAT and for TCAT Unsolved. The TCAT would be about Stephanie Waters, who, along with her dog, was killed by two teenagers. So heartbreaking. I do have personal experience with this case. I am friends with Stephanie's mom. It actually unbeknowingly met Stephanie few months before she was killed. The TCAT Unsolved episode or case suggestion would Be that for a girl named Fawn Marie Mountain from around the Claysburg area. Super, super heartbreaking case. Just wanted to give you guys a heads up, see if that's something you guys would be interested in taking a look at. So stay safe and keep your own time picking.

[Mike Ferguson]

All right, thank you very much for the voicemail and we will definitely check both those out.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, appreciate that.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yep. All right, buddy, that is it for another episode of True Crime. All the Time unsolved. So for Mike and Gibby, stay safe and keep your own time. Ticking.

[Mike Gibson]

Sam.

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