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Friendships can bloom in the most unlikely of circumstance.
Not a week has gone by in the last two years Richard Petrone Sr. hasn’t contacted Citizens Crime Commission Vice President Santo Montecalvo. The call isn’t so much to inquire about the mysterious Feb. 19, 2005, disappearance of his then-35-year-old son Richard Jr. and his child’s then-34-year-old girlfriend Danielle Imbo, as it is to just talk. "A sounding board, like a priest," Petrone Sr. of Cherry Hill, N.J., told the Review.
It’s a call Montecalvo has come to look forward to. The two even discovered they have something in common: Petrone’s mother and Montecalvo’s mother-in-law were best friends growing up in South Philly.
"I’ve taken a somewhat personal interest in the case because they were best friends. I’ve gotten to know Rich and now we’re friends," the former 17th District cop said.
Even before the two uncovered their link, Petrone and wife Marge found a source of strength and comfort from Montecalvo and commission president and former Philly Homicide Capt. John Appeldorn.
"Days when I’m down, they’re the guys Marge and I have involved ourselves with because of the [overall] work that they do," Petrone said.
Imbo’s brother, John Ottobre, and mother Felice declined to comment for this story.
A $100,000 reward in the Petrone/Imbo case has been on the table since weeks after the couple’s disappearance from tavern and restaurant Abilene, 429 South St.
Desperate for leads, Petrone Sr. changed the terms of eligibility last year from "for information leading to the arrest and conviction" to "information leading to the whereabouts."
"That’s $100,000 just for their whereabouts — not who did it. We don’t care who did it," Montecalvo said. "Just tell us where they are so these families can have some closure."
Petrone Sr. added, "Two people and a truck were made to disappear. That is not something that an ordinary run-of-the-mill person could do. These are bad people involved and bad people will get in more trouble. Sooner or later, somebody is going to give up somebody."
While South Detective Division continues to investigate, the FBI is at the helm, Detective Eric Johnson of South Detectives said. Aiding the probe are New Jersey State Police, Mount Laurel Police and Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office because Imbo is from Mount Laurel and Petrone’s family is from Cherry Hill. Johnson, who has been involved since the beginning, said all missing persons cases remain active until solved, adding "We’re still at the point where any little tip can help." While the case has and continues to generate tips, 99.9 percent don’t pan out, investigators said.
In a case that made national news, the couple met friends for drinks at Abilene and left by themselves at about 11:30 p.m. — never to be seen or heard from again, police said.
Petrone was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers. He is 5-foot-9 and weighs 200 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Imbo was last seen wearing a cream-colored sweater, black jacket and jeans. She is 5-foot-5 and weighs 117 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.
The couple was traveling in Petrone’s black 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck with a Pennsylvania license plate of YFH 2319. There was a "#99 NASCAR" sticker on the rear windshield.
As the two-year anniversary nears, "America’s Most Wanted" plans to re-air its original March 12, 2005, Petrone/Imbo segment, the detective said, adding a date for the rebroadcast has not been set. Veteran investigators familiar with the case from the start have stated over the last two years Imbo was the victim and Petrone Jr., from the 1600 block of Snyder Avenue, was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, adding they believed this to be a crime of passion. Many law-enforcement officials during the course of this investigation have said there was nothing in either victims’ past to indicate a contract hit or retaliation.
Investigators talked to a number of people after the couple went missing, including immediate family and friends. The missing woman’s husband and Mount Laurel resident, Joe Imbo, with whom she is separated and had son Joe Jr., now 3, was among those contacted. "He has an airtight alibi for the night in question," the detective said of Imbo.
Compounding the mystery is the fact Petrone’s black Dodge pickup truck vanished along with the couple. "These people and this truck did not disappear off the face of the earth," Montecalvo said. "Somebody has to know something."
Petrone Sr.’s father has no doubt law enforcement will crack the case and he’s prepared to wait as long as it takes.
"We’re kept hopeful by their commitment, positive outlook and dedication and belief that they will resolve this," he said. "They make you realize there is an awful lot of work to be done here. It’s good police work that is going to solve this."
In the meantime, there are still minutes, hours and days to get through.
Just when the Petrones think they’ve been granted a brief reprieve, a memory triggers the reality. "Even if you lose yourself for a moment, singing two lines of a song, you suddenly catch yourself — ‘Wow what am I doing?’ Wherever you go, there is just no escaping it. The fact that there has been no resolution only deepens it," Petrone Sr. said.
An NFL football team did the family in recently. The Chicago Bears, Petrone Jr.’s favorite squad, made it to the Super Bowl, but he wasn’t there to watch them play. Instead, his family gathered inside its Cherry Hill home and 5-year-old Robert, son of the missing man’s sister Christine, wore Petrone Jr.’s Bears cap. Petrone has another sister, Alisa, 18.
For Christine, the disappearance is a double loss since she and Imbo had been friends since they were 13.
Petrone also had known her growing up and, after her separation, the two began dating. "It’s a double tragedy because she’s been close to our family for years," Petrone Sr. said.
Petrone Jr.’s 16-year-old daughter Angela has taken her father’s disappearance hard, according to her grandfather, and did not wish to comment for this story.
"She’s held it all in," Petrone Sr. said. "She keeps it bottled up inside. She’s really gone into a bit of a shell."
The most important thing for the family is that someone calls in with their loved one’s whereabouts, then hopefully those responsible will somehow be revealed and brought to justice, Petrone said.
"Come and get the money — $100,000 will be paid anonymously to anybody who can provide police with information on the whereabouts of them and the truck. I would be more than happy to see that money be paid to somebody," the missing man’s father said.
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To be eligible for the reward, tips must be phoned into the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. Callers may remain anonymous but must receive a code from a live operator.
