Anthony Peter Tumolo – The Charley Project
Last updated July 7, 2021; details of disappearance updated.
Details of Disappearance
On the afternoon of October 15, 1966, Anthony left his Philadelphia, Pennsylvania home on his bicycle to ride to the home of his best friend, Jack Marino. They had been together earlier that day and had made plans to go to their respective homes, eat dinner and then meet up again after dinner.
Both boys finished their meals at about the same time and left to ride to the other one's house, missing each other. When Jack arrived at Anthony's house on Princeton Street and learned that Anthony had just left to meet him at his house, he went back home. Once he arrived, his parents said Anthony had not been to the house to see him, so Jack spent the next several hours looking for him around the city but couldn't find him.
Anthony never came home that night, but his parents were not concerned because they thought he'd decided to spend the night at Jack's house. They didn't realize anything was wrong until the next morning, after several customers along Anthony's morning paper route called the house to ask why their newspapers hadn't been delivered. Anthony had never showed up to do the deliveries, which is uncharacteristic of his behavior; he always completed his route promptly.
Authorities initially believed he was a runaway. Prior to his disappearance, he had argued with parents; he was making poor grades and they wanted him to quit his paper route and focus on school. Five days after Anthony went missing, two of his classmates claimed to have seen him. The police stopped looking for him after that, believing he was safe and did not want to be found.
Jack never believed Anthony left of his own accord. The two teenagers were very close and Anthony had never mentioned wanting to leave home. In addition, Anthony was very close to his family, which included eight siblings, and it would be uncharacteristic of him to leave without warning. He also left behind an uncashed paycheck, some cash and other belongings in his bedroom, which would make little sense if he was planning on leaving.
Jack is now a police officer and, decades after his friend vanished, he located one of the boys who claimed to have seen him in the days following his disappearance. The witness admitted he and his friend had lied about seeing Anthony; they'd made up the story to get out of being punished for being late to school.
Jack theorizes Anthony was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle, and the driver panicked and hid his body and the bike, which has never been found. Interstate 95 was under construction in the area around the time Anthony disappeared, and it would have been relatively easy to conceal a corpse at the construction site. This theory has not been verified, but law enforcement currently in charge of investigating Anthony's case believe it's a likely possibility.
Anthony's parents are both deceased; his father died of cancer two years after his disappearance, and his mother died in 2001. His older sister and Jack are still looking for him, however. His case remains unsolved.
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