PA PA - Richard Petrone, 35, & Danielle Imbo, 34, Philadelphia, 19 Feb 2005 - #1

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

If she had been driving by herself back to NJ that night I could think of many things that could have happened but what could possibly have happened to a man and a woman driving from PA to NJ? Maybe they got into a car accident and their car went off the road and has been sitting in a ditch somewhere.

But if they were coming straight from South Street to Mt. Laurel, I don't know if there are any ditches into which they could have driven, at least not without having been found by now. The road from there to here is VERY developed. I just can't see it. That doesn't mean that it's impossible but I don't think you could get yourself this lost between South Street & Mt. Laurel if you tried.

 

[Rachael]

But if they were coming straight from South Street to Mt. Laurel, I don't know if there are any ditches into which they could have driven, at least not without having been found by now. The road from there to here is VERY developed. I just can't see it. That doesn't mean that it's impossible but I don't think you could get yourself this lost between South Street & Mt. Laurel if you tried.

I have driven into Mt.Laurel a few times so I know what you are talking about. It seems like a pretty busy road to me. Maybe they stopped somewhere for a bite to eat. The whole thing is very strange.

 

[wenchie]

No, there really aren't any ditches.....and I'm sure the entire route has been gone over with a fine-toothed comb.

It's just so strange, and if they did just head back to her house, the whole area is so crowded that if something had happened, someone would have to have seen it.

Is there any evidence that he took her back to his place? That would make more sense in terms of her leaving her car behind.

It's scary to think that two people could just disappear like that. I live so close to Mt. Laurel and have a daughter Danielle's age - but that is not why this has caught my interest.

It's that there doesn't seem to be much more that can be done in the way of searching or trying to figure out where they went. It seems to be such a dead end - unless LE knows things they're not talking about.

 

[Rachael]

It is really odd how all of these adults (and children) go missing without a trace. They just disappear off the face of the earth. I hope LE has some inside info that they are just not sharing at this point. I would hate to see two more families go on forever with no answers.

 

[audrey77]

That doesn't mean that it's impossible but I don't think you could get yourself this lost between South Street & Mt. Laurel if you tried.

It's also very hard to drive into the Delaware River...
Unfortunately, it's free to go over the bridge going into Jersey. I bet the police have checked EZPass records (if they had a transponder) to see if they came back over any of the bridges through the tolls...

Was her car parked at a metered spot? Or in one of the garages? Does anyone know which street?

 

[Rachael]

I usually take the Commodore Barry to NJ since I live closer to it. They do not need an EZpass or pay a toll to go into NJ just to return to PA on most bridges I believe.

 

[wenchie]

Not sure - but I think that all traffic going both ways at the tollbooths is videoed. So - LE just might know if they ever crossed the bridge, but are laying low about it?


It is scary - and it seems like the news stories about it are dying down. Guess there's not much they can say if there's nothing new.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

I usually take the Commodore Barry to NJ since I live closer to it. They do not need an EZpass or pay a toll to go into NJ just to return to PA on most bridges I believe.

All five bridges close to me only collect tolls into PA; I have heard that all of the bridges are that way so you are right ... if they were coming back into Jersey from Philly, they wouldn't have had to stop at a toll booth. I suspect that wenchie is also correct that the traffic is videotaped. I don't know if every bridge does that but I noticed for the first time last summer that the Betsy Ross Bridge has quite a few cameras. I imagine that in post 9-11 America most large bridges might have video surveillance. If the Betsy's got it, I would think for sure that the Walt Whitman and especially the Ben Franklin do as well. And IMO, if they made it back to Jersey that night, they would have taken one of those 3 bridges.

Where have the searches been done? I know they searched in Philly in locations by the Delaware but I also heard that they were going to search in the Pine Barrens in Jersey. So I don't know if perhaps the police have shown their hand at all by searching in one state as opposed to the other? That could have been telling in terms of what they might know that we don't.

I can't believe how much time has passed. I really didn't think that it was going to be anywhere near this long when I first heard of this couple. Their poor children - they can't possibly understand something like this.

 

[wenchie]

I'm still not clear on if they've verified if they went back to his place that night - (which would have made her leaving her car in town more sense).

If they're searching the Pine Barrens - that's a very bad sign! The Pine Barrens stretch from right past the Cherry Hill area to - Toms River (among other places). And it's a huge area, especially for someone who has 4WD.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

I'm still not clear on if they've verified if they went back to his place that night - (which would have made her leaving her car in town more sense).

If they're searching the Pine Barrens - that's a very bad sign! The Pine Barrens stretch from right past the Cherry Hill area to - Toms River (among other places). And it's a huge area, especially for someone who has 4WD.

I thought that they were going to go back to HER place that night.

BTW, I think it was the family that decided to search sections of the Pine Barrens, not LE. I don't know what LE has searched or suggested.

 

[Rachael]

I read that Richard's friends (the ones that they were out with the night they disappeared) said that Danielle was affectionate with Richard that night at the bar. And that his truck was parked fairly close to the bar. I don't know where all of this info about her car came from. Richard was supposed to be driving her home that night. Her car very well may have been at her house in NJ.

I also believe his family is the one that wants to search the Pine Barrens. They just want answers. How terrible!

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

I read that Richard's friends (the ones that they were out with the night they disappeared) said that Danielle was affectionate with Richard that night at the bar. And that his truck was parked fairly close to the bar. I don't know where all of this info about her car came from. Richard was supposed to be driving her home that night. Her car very well may have been at her house in NJ.

You're right ... this is the only place where I've heard anything at all about her car.

As for Danielle being affectionate with Richard, I've never seen it said that she didn't like him. In fact, the reports make it seem as if she was well aware of how great he was to her. I never really got the impression that she wanted to break up with him because she didn't care about him but only because she needed a break from the stress. It seems like her husband was still interested in reconciling with her, and if he and Richard were arguing on the phone from time to time, I'm sure that she must have heard about it from one of them. So maybe she felt it was just better for everyone if she took a step back. That would explain why she still went out with Richard even if they were no longer "dating". Affection could still exist, and maybe she wasn't 100% sure that she didn't want to date Richard anymore. Maybe they were broken up, then she was affectionate with him at the bar, and he felt confused. Perhaps he said something like "Are we dating or are we not?", and they decided to drive somewhere to talk before going home. If that were the case, as we've said, they could be almost anywhere, and I wouldn't even know how to begin searching for them or for an outside perpetrator.

 

[wenchie]

That's what I thought when I read about her saying she wanted some time for herself.

It's not uncommon for a woman (or a man) to say that they want some breathing room from a relationship(s) and then break that resolve shortly afterwards.

I've done it myself.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

It's not uncommon for a woman (or a man) to say that they want some breathing room from a relationship(s) and then break that resolve shortly afterwards.

I've done it myself.

I've probably done it a dozen times! lol! Especially if you still kind of like the guy, and you still spend time together or run into each other. It's very hard to keep that resolve at times. And loneliness sets in quickly for some of us, especially when you have only a young child at home and you work from home ... it sometimes gets a bit overwhelming, and it's nice to just cuddle up with another adult human being at the end of the week.

 

[wenchie]

That's what I was thinking. You're in your early 30's, your child is off with her dad for the weekend, and you're used to going out and having fun.

If you're single and under 50, you're not going to be satisfied with staying home and watching a movie.

I so wish there was something I could do to help. This doesn't seem to be being publicized much any more, especially outside of the local area.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

I so wish there was something I could do to help. This doesn't seem to be being publicized much any more, especially outside of the local area.

Keep an eye on their Web site for any upcoming searches. If you see anything, let me know because I'd be willing to go help as well.

 

[Rachael]

You're right ... this is the only place where I've heard anything at all about her car.

As for Danielle being affectionate with Richard, I've never seen it said that she didn't like him. In fact, the reports make it seem as if she was well aware of how great he was to her. I never really got the impression that she wanted to break up with him because she didn't care about him but only because she needed a break from the stress. It seems like her husband was still interested in reconciling with her, and if he and Richard were arguing on the phone from time to time, I'm sure that she must have heard about it from one of them. So maybe she felt it was just better for everyone if she took a step back. That would explain why she still went out with Richard even if they were no longer "dating". Affection could still exist, and maybe she wasn't 100% sure that she didn't want to date Richard anymore. Maybe they were broken up, then she was affectionate with him at the bar, and he felt confused. Perhaps he said something like "Are we dating or are we not?", and they decided to drive somewhere to talk before going home. If that were the case, as we've said, they could be almost anywhere, and I wouldn't even know how to begin searching for them or for an outside perpetrator.

I took some of her "friends" or "friend's" comments as if they were trying to imply that she wanted nothing to do with Richard. I just think if she wanted nothing to do with him she wouldn't have gone out with him that night or made plans for him to stay at her house that night. Maybe I read them wrong..lol
I wonder if they told his friends they were going right home that night?? Since they did not have their children that night there is always the possibility they decided to take a late night trip to the casino or somewhere. I have done that before when I was younger with my husband and a few of his friends. We went out for drinks and then decided around 10 to take a drive to AC. It was a last minute thing and I don't think we even told my MIL who was babysitting until we picked my son up the next morning.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

We went out for drinks and then decided around 10 to take a drive to AC. It was a last minute thing and I don't think we even told my MIL who was babysitting until we picked my son up the next morning.

That's a very good point. We used to do stuff like that too.

Were they going to "stay" at Danielle's that night? I know it was said that they were going back there but I don't know if Richard had been planning on staying over. I hadn't heard that.

About her friends, it's possible that her friends might have given her advice which she said she was going to follow, and then she missed him, and didn't tell her friends that she was going out with him that night because she was afraid of what they might say. I'm not explaining it well but I hope you know what I mean. In any case, I wouldn't necessarily take anything her friends say about her relationship with Richard 100% because for one reason or another, she went out with Richard that night. By all accounts of people that had seen her that evening, she seemed fine and not distressed.

 

[Rachael]

About her friends, it's possible that her friends might have given her advice which she said she was going to follow, and then she missed him, and didn't tell her friends that she was going out with him that night because she was afraid of what they might say. I'm not explaining it well but I hope you know what I mean. In any case, I wouldn't necessarily take anything her friends say about her relationship with Richard 100% because for one reason or another, she went out with Richard that night. By all accounts of people that had seen her that evening, she seemed fine and not distressed.

I know exactly what you are saying. She may not have wanted to tell her friends because she probably didn't want to hear their opinions. I have been there before with my friends and I am glad I didn't take their advice. I have read that Richard was going back to her house in NJ that night and I assume he was planning on staying there and not driving back to Philly. At least that is the way I understood it.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

It's funny how people interpret things different ways!

I did read that they were planning on going back to Danielle's but I figured that they were going to spend some time there, and that Richard was going to go home. Does Richard live in South Philly? Mt. Laurel and South Philly are so close that I assumed he'd be going back home that night. But I don't recall ever reading anything that mentioned it one way or the other beyond them saying that they were going to go back to her house at the end of the night.