A young couple vanished after meeting friends at a Philadelphia bar. Years later, the mystery has only deepened
New - 6 Apr 2025
A free version of this article popped up in my Google news feed. I moved to PHL just a few months after RP and DI disappeared but did not know of their case until now...
After catching up on the WS posts on this case in T1 and T3, I thought I'd pipe in.
A. While a
water accident traveling somewhere after leaving the South Street bar is the easiest explanation, we're faced with
two counter facts:
1. AWP did not find RP's truck in bodies of water during their 2023 search, and
2. The FBI has publicly stated they suspect foul play. In fact, in the
article (free if you Google the title),
former FBI special agent Vito Roselli, the first lead investigator shares quite a bit, such as:
"Roselli says they also looked into the possibility of a hit by the mafia after they got “bits and pieces” of information alluding to that. “But nothing, obviously, that we could substantiate enough to go out and arrest somebody,” he says.
Roselli says he has a theory about what happened that night but declines to offer details, saying the “door is still open” on the investigation.
“Sometimes you get the piece of evidence or the phone record that will tie everything together. I just couldn’t put the bow on it,” he says. “Knowing is one thing, but proving it is a whole different issue.”"
B. So, IMO, a
professional hit makes the most sense given what little we know. My guess though, is, if true, DI's estranged husband may have been only tangentially involved.
Given what
@Kell1 shared from his talks with law enforcement he / she shared ^^^, I wonder if the
opioid crime ring Kell1 cites here is the foundation for this crime, despite the lack of evidence.
There were unfounded rumors that her ex husband was possibly involved in a prescription drug ring that plagued Philly for over a decade, without going into specifics, and that she possibly either knew too much or threatened to go to police.
RSBM
Perhaps in the throws of their contentious divorce proceedings DI threatened her estranged husband to report his alleged illicit activity to gain full custody of their toddler son. In turn, her estranged husband may have mentioned this to the wrong person, seeking their guidance.
IMO, it might have been that 'wrong person' who could have ordered a mafia style hit on DI. And unfortunately, RP's life may have been a collateral loss. IMO, the crime was so clean it must have been a professional hit. If true, sadly only a few people know the truth. And 20 years later those who knew could now be dead.
This is a very sad and tragic case that may never be solved. I feel for the families, especially DI's son and RP's daughter who are now about 22 and 34 respectively; she about the same age as her father when he vanished.
ET: tighten text
www.fbi.gov
