PA PA - Richard Petrone 35 & Danielle Imbo 34, Philadelphia, 19 Feb 2005 #2

[Cymro]

I'm intrigued at the FBI announcing that it was likely murder for hire.

I'm not saying it wasn't but there must be a good reason why someone badly wanted one or both of them dead, and had the money and the contacts to get the job done properly.

I hate to roll out the "drove into a river/lake" theory but if they left a bar, late at night, and no security pictures show the vehicle outside the immediate area, what other explanation is there? (Except for aliens, or someone else somehow stopping their vehicle and getting it into a garage or a covered truck).

Both of those theories are slightly possible but need very strong evidence to seem at all probable.

 

[gm8549]

There's quite a long thread already on this couple here.

It has lots and lots of facts and links.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58461&highlight=imbo

 

[bykerladi]

There are quite a few mountains in New Jersey, actually, especially in Mercer County and Monmouth/Somerset counties. There are also some hills in south jersey, as long as you define mountains as "elevated land".

My husband requires me to add that Sussex county, in the northwestern part of the state, includes part of the appalatian (sp?) trail, so there are definately mountains up there.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

There are quite a few mountains in New Jersey, actually, especially in Mercer County and Monmouth/Somerset counties. There are also some hills in south jersey, as long as you define mountains as "elevated land".

My husband requires me to add that Sussex county, in the northwestern part of the state, includes part of the appalatian (sp?) trail, so there are definately mountains up there.

I guess it depends on what one would define as a "local area". The post that started this conversation mentioned a "high place in a local area" and then went on to describe hanging moss, etc.. There simply is no place like that anywhere that I would consider to be "local" to Mt. Laurel or Philadelphia. Of course, I don't know every square inch of every local area but no matter how much I think about it, I still can't think of any place.

 

[bykerladi]

JerseyGirl, you are absolutely right. Plus, I don't think there is any "hanging moss" anywhere in New Jersey. That's more of a southern thing. Hanging ivy, maybe. Hanging POISON IVY, definately. :crazy:

 

[clearmystic]

For what it is worth:

http://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/list-mountains.asp?cid=136245

Burlington County, New Jersey Mountain Peaks & Summits
Burlington County, New Jersey, is home to a total of 15 mountain summits and peaks, as shown in the list below. Click on any entry in the list for more detailed information on that particular mountain peak or summit in Burlington County, New Jersey.


Apple Pie Hill Summit

Bear Swamp Hill Summit

Big Hill Summit

Huckleberry Hill Summit

Jackson Hill Summit

Jemima Mount Summit

Laurel Hill Summit

Mount Holly Summit

Mount Laurel Summit

Mount Pisgah Summit

Sharps Mountain Summit

Spring Hill Summit

Stone Mountain Summit

Stormy Hill Summit

Taylors Mountain Summit

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

I'm not sure that I'm understanding that data correctly. Are any of these "summits" substantial? The first several I click are very close in feet above sea level to the "mountain" in Mt. Laurel, and I can assure you that what others have said is true ... that is merely a large hill.

 

[geojeffrey]

Two things:

1. Most people in Philly believe that Danielle's husband knows what happenned.

2. Just so everyone is sure, there are NO mountains in or near the Philadelphia metropolitan area--including Mt Laurel. This area is a very flat coastal plane with an elevation that ranges from 20 to 60 feet above sea level.

There are hills of up to 200 feet that are about 60 miles north and northwest of Mt Laurel in Pennsylvania.

There are hills up to 300 feet that are about 50 miles east and north in New Jersey. You would have to call a 60 foot high hill a mountain for there to be a mountain near Mt Laurel. Further away, in northern NJ, the highest hills/mountains are over 2,400 feet high. In Colorado mountains often exceed 12,000 feet.

FROM Moutainzone:

Laurel Hill is a mountain summit in Burlington County in the state of New Jersey (NJ). Laurel Hill climbs to 20 feet (6.10 meters) above sea level. Laurel Hill is located at latitude - longitude coordinates (also called lat - long coordinates or GPS coordinates) of N 40.068722 and W -74.847664.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

I've been following this thread for years, hoping for closure for both familes. I also have witnessed in this thread much conjecture and speculation, all stemming from implications from certain family members and websleuthing contributors.

A post indicated those close to the family related a possible arrest would occur soon .. and I wonder if this is what was meant:

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/25/report-fbi-busts-up-25m-car-cloning-ring/

Thugs involved with an ex-husband in a 'murder for hire? Or was it simply roaming vehicle thieves stalking the Philly area with a 'let's take a shiny big truck' intent?

If the ex wanted her dead, a simple shot to hers and her friend's head, over and done. Who would care about the truck ... leave it there with the bodies.

But, what if the target was the truck? Sure, shots to the head and drive off with the goods, but that's a clear giveaway as to motive ... they wanted the vehicle ... and that would lead to deeper investigation into vehicle thefts, etc.

So, why not shoot them and take the bodies, leaving for much speculation and doubt as to what occurred and why.

I think this was a case of them being in the wrong place and the wrong time with a coveted popular vehicle.

Of course, my thoughts are all opinion and conjecture.

 

[reb]

i said this too way back when... i always thought the big black truck was a target & perhaps it was a random thing. but, the issue with the husband was too much of a coincidence, to be happening at the same time. so maybe you are right, maybe both are involved...

 

[foryourwine]

any new information yet?

 

[Kat]

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Searching-for-Answers-Four-Years-Later.html


Updated 12:47 AM EDT, Thu, Feb 19, 2009

...“They weren’t using bank accounts, cell phones, nothing. It’s hard in this day and age to disappear like that, so we have every reason to believe that foul play is involved,” FBI special agent J.J. Klaver told NBC10’s Mike Strug Wednesday...

It's been four years. No activity on their cards, bank accounts etc. I wonder if local areas of water have been searched?

Prayers that answers come soon for their families.

 

[foryourwine]

yeesh, i wish some news would come out in this case. just bumping.

 

[gaia227]

Me too. I checked the family's website a few days ago and there was nothing new to report. This case is so eerie. Two people and a car just vanish with no trace left behind. Almost makes you believe aliens beamed them up or something.

 

[Kristin83]

I think the majority of people here suspect the ex-husband. But I'm with you Gaia, how can two people and a big truck just disappear off of a street in Philly with NOBODY seeing anything???

I wonder if somebody did see something, and they're scared to talk.

 

[gaia227]

Bumping: Richard's 40th birthday was August 29th

http://www.richardpetrone.com/

 

[foryourwine]

What is going on with this case? Do they have evidence of a murder for hire?

 

[cusesleuth]

Bump.

Any news? Wish the families finally had some answers.

 

[webrocket]

I have not read all the threads here so if I am repeating something from the past, my apologies.

If I am not mistaken most of the bridges between PA and NJ are toll roads and there are cameras. I would have assumed that LE would have checked them all out from the outset. That being the case, the truck either never crossed the Delaware river coming back to NJ that night or they took a non-toll bridge. I think one of the first non-toll bridges you come to going north from Philly is the New Hope-Lambertville bridge, which connects Bucks Co. PA with Hunterdon Co. NJ. So if the truck came back to NJ, it would have been a non-toll bridge. Otherwise, the truck went in a completely different direction, anyone's guess.

I tend to think that they were confronted on the street by people that at least one of them knew and subdued in some manner, then taken elsewhere in another vehicle. One of the cohorts got the keys to the truck and went wherever.

Murder for hire is a fairly uncommon crime in practice, no matter how many people would love to get rid of someone. And the person doing the hiring needs CASH. If they were looking at the husband, I would hope they would have looked over banking records to see if there were any unusual transactions. If he has a cash-based business then he would not have to look far for cash.

With all that, to persuade people who were known to the victims to partake in something like this is difficult to grasp. The victims seem like decent enough people who would have not have associated with such criminal elements.

I did notice from some of the information here that Petrone's family owned a bakery. Did LE ever consider that someone was out for Petrone and that Danielle was the innocent bystander?

 

[foryourwine]

Just bumping..anniversary of their missing date next month.