Andrea Gunning
Appearances
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
At first, he said the Patrons were dreading that phone call from police, the call that would confirm that Richard was dead. But now any information would be welcomed information.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
We had the FBI on our side, but we understood that to move forward, we would need both families to participate. It's a painful process, but also an opportunity. The more you talk about a missing person, the more likely it is that someone who knows something will say something. But approaching these families, I knew I would be asking them to relive so much. It's tough.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Since Jimmy knew the Patrons from childhood, he made an introduction. So we started there.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Marge Patron greeted me and my colleague Ben at her front door. It was a bright Sunday afternoon, nearly 19 years after her son Richard and his friend Danielle Imbo vanished. We needed to learn who Richard and Danielle were and understand everything they left behind on February 19th, 2005. We had been told that both families were done speaking to the press.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Think about it, the closest people to Richard and Danielle had to answer the same questions about their disappearance for over 19 years now. Yet here I was with my partner Ben, standing at the threshold of the Patron's family home to again pick at that scab. It took an introduction from Richard's childhood friend, many conversations, and Vito expressing the importance of participating.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
And much to my surprise and relief, Marge welcomed us with a warm, friendly smile. And just like I was told, she immediately wanted to feed us.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Marge is a grandmother as well as a mother of three. So hosting us seemed like old hat for Marge. Like we'd been over for dinner many times before, even though this was a first for all of us. And that day Marge invited us for Sunday dinner. And no, this isn't just a meal that happens to fall on Sunday. It's actually a long running tradition for the Patrons.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
That's when their family comes together for a big Italian meal. So we felt honored to be invited. It was just before Christmas and every inch of her house was decorated, including the kitchen. That's where we all gathered around a charcuterie board filled with sliced deli meats and cheeses while a huge pot of red gravy bubbled on the stove behind us.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Marge's freezer door was lined with several baby pictures and a ton of magnets. She pointed to the Chicago Bears magnet and said it was Richard's favorite football team. And then there was this.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
You might remember Susan Lucci from the long-running daytime TV show, All My Children.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Marge explained that she always watched All My Children and how one year for Christmas, Richard surprised her with this Susan Lucci doll.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
I could tell Richard is Marge's firstborn. She lights up at every mention of his name. Like how he played hockey from the time he was seven until the day he went missing and how she still holds on to Richard's Bobby Clark jersey. That's when her voice trailed off. And as the firstborn, you could say Richard got special treatment.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Christine and Elisa are Marta's daughters. Christine was also best friends with Danielle Limbaugh. She was supposed to join us for dinner, but Christine backed out at the last minute. Her sister Elisa gave us a clue as to why.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Alisa is well into her 30s now, but was just a teenager when her brother Richard disappeared.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
There was a row of stockings in the living room that hung across their mantle just above the fireplace. I couldn't help but wonder if Richard's stocking was one of them. We all moved to the kitchen table as Marge arrived with a giant bowl of stuffed manicotti and homemade meatballs. It was enough to feed a small army.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Marge pointed to where Richard sat for 35 years, and then to the empty chair where her husband used to sit. For 40 years, Marge and her husband, Richard Sr., owned and operated a Swedish bakery called Viking Pastries in the suburbs of Philly. That's where Richard and his father worked side by side. The two were very close. Richard Sr. suffered multiple strokes and hasn't been home for a while now.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
You know, I don't want to say that life hasn't gone on for the Patron since Richard disappeared, because it has. But I got the feeling that Marge in particular has been sort of treading water ever since that day. The void Richard left was on full display that Sunday.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Back on February 20, 2005, Richard didn't make it home for Sunday dinner.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Marge said she was out running errands with her husband that afternoon, and she was certain Richard was home. It was the day of the Daytona 500, and Richard had been looking forward to it all week. She's not home, Mom. Christine called Marge from the salon where she worked. She was concerned about Danielle. Yeah, the same Danielle who was with Richard the night before.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Marge and her son Richard were close. They usually talked multiple times a day. But that Sunday, she hadn't heard from him.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
One thing to keep in mind. Back in early 2005, most of us had flip phones and texting wasn't common yet. So when our phones rang, we'd actually answer them. The fact that Richard wasn't answering his phone immediately concerned Marge. Christine said the same thing with Danielle.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Marge's sister lived down the street from Richard, so she had a spare key and headed over to the apartment. She didn't see Richard's truck parked out front, so she unlocked the door and went inside.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Richard's dog Bismarck was in distress and needed to go out. His food bowl was empty and it was clear Richard had not been home for hours. From everything I've learned today, Richard was a reliable guy, not one to be out of touch. Leaving his family in the dark like this, it was out of character.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Christine and Marge feared the worst, but Richard's father wasn't about to jump to conclusions. Richard Sr. was a strong Italian father. He's as much brawn as he is brains. And what his wife was telling him, it wasn't registering.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
While the fear was hitting the Patron family, John Ottobre, Danielle's brother, was also realizing Danielle didn't make it home that night.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
At the time, John had been trying to support Danielle as much as possible. See, in the last 12 months, Danielle's life had gotten complicated. Danielle had recently separated from her husband, Joe Imbo. To make matters more challenging, Danielle and Joe welcomed their son together just two years prior. In February of 2005, Danielle was in uncharted waters.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
She was a single parent navigating custody of their 20-month-old child and deep in the throes of dissolving her marriage with Joe. Anything John could do to help his sister, he would, whether it be helping out around the condo or looking after the baby.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
So John packed up his tools and went about his day like he would any other.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
The divorce was nasty. Danielle's mom knew how bad it would look for her daughter if Joe dropped off her son, only to find out Danielle never came home that night and was currently MIA. You see, over the past few months, Danielle had been dating Richard Patron, and Joe knew that. She didn't want to give her soon-to-be ex-son-in-law any ammunition.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
It was three o'clock that afternoon when Joe arrived to drop off their son. That was the agreed upon time for Joe to end his weekend with the baby.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
It was always our intention to start our own investigation, but we had to ask ourselves, where do you start on a case when two people go missing? We started by retracing their last steps. We wanted to understand exactly where Richard Patron and Danielle Imbo were the night of February 19th, 2005.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Marge and her two daughters, Christine and Elisa, had dinner with Danielle Imbo and Danielle's mother at Chickie and Pete's, which is a popular Philadelphia restaurant. Think chicken sandwiches, cheesesteaks, crab fries, and beer. It's a sports bar with games on TVs everywhere, a good place to blow off steam after a long week. Here's Elisa, Richard's sister.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Toward the end of dinner, Richard called Danielle to see if she wanted to join him for the evening. Initially, Danielle wasn't sure, but eventually agreed. She was open to making the most of her child-free Saturday night.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Christine agreed to drop her off since Danielle's car was back at her condo in Jersey.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
And that's an important detail from Marge and something to remember. This was a spontaneous meetup between Danielle and Richard.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
As for Danielle, her brother John got the story of what happened from his mother.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Danielle had an appointment at a salon the next morning. It was the same salon that Christine Patron worked at. So it's our understanding that from Chickie and Pete's, Christine drives Danielle to meet up with Richard. And Richard and Danielle drive to Abilene's on South Street together.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Journalist Steve Vo covered the story for Philadelphia Magazine and explains what happened next.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
We heard Danielle and Richard spent a couple hours at the bar that Saturday night listening to a band.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
For Vito Rosselli, he lives with the impact of that reality every day. And one of the major factors that has stopped him from solving this case is the evidence, or lack thereof. This happened in 2005, when even basic equipment like security cameras were using outdated technology.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Today, we can track our friends. Everyone essentially has a GPS in their pocket. Plus, there's no shortage of documenting with people recording their life for the whole world to see. But in 2005, people had flip phones and MySpace. Even YouTube didn't come out until February of 2005.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
The community was concerned and law enforcement didn't have much to work with. After those initial days of the investigation, the FBI got tapped in. And the lack of evidence actually started to tell a story to Vito.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
The idea of Richard and Danielle getting hurt or skipping town got rolled out pretty quickly.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Vito and Jerry were adamant about one thing. After 19 years of dead ends, they were out of options.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Every February 20th, without fail, the city of Philadelphia is reminded of Danielle and Richard.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
They have not been seen in 13 years, despite an ongoing investigation. And for 19 years now, these segments go out. Tips come in, rinse and repeat.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Having lived here my whole life, I've watched the segment each February with the rest of Philadelphia. Now I have more of a context as to why. Just like that billboard I mentioned at the beginning, it's a lifeline thrown out for Richard and Danielle and their families. Anything to keep hope for justice alive.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
It's crazy for me to say this, but I think the FBI needs our help and your help. So do Danielle and Richard. The two left a crowded bar in a popular area of Philadelphia on a Saturday night two decades ago. And in those 20 years, we still don't know who wanted to harm them and why.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
That's John Ottobre. His sister Danielle went missing in February of 2005. But she wasn't alone. Danielle and her friend Richard left a bar and simply vanished. 19 years later, they still have yet to be found.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
If you have any information about the disappearance of Danielle Imbo and Richard Patron, please call the Citizens Crime Commission tip line at 215-546-8477. Or you can reach out to the show and our team by email at thereandgonepod at gmail.com. That's thereandgonepod at gmail.com. Thank you so much for listening. One way for you to show support is by subscribing to our show on Apple podcasts.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Don't forget to rate and review because five-star reviews go a long way. A big thank you to all of our listeners. There and Gone is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass, Ben Fetterman, and me, Andrea Gunning.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
It's hosted and written by me, Andrea Gunning, with additional reporting and writing by Ben Fetterman. The series is also written and produced by Todd Gans. Our associate producer is Kristen Melchiorri. Research by Mason Klinder, Anna Hamilton, and Bella Ricci. Our iHeart team is Allie Perry and Jessica Kreincheck. Audio editing and mixing by Matt DelVecchio.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Additional editing support by Nico Arruca. There and Gone's theme and original compositions were composed by Oliver Baines and Dari McCauley of Noiser. Music library provided by My Music. Special thanks to both the Patron and Antobre families. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
I'm Andrea Gunning, and this is There and Gone, South Street. Episode 1, Ghosts.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
A note that the views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the individuals participating. This podcast contains subject matter which may not be suitable for everyone. Discretion is advised. For 15 years, Danielle and Richard were strangers to me, ghosts that loomed over I-95 South. It's the stretch of highway that connects Philadelphia to New York City.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Each side is lined with billboards. Most are ads for ambulance chasers or beer. But one shows two smiling faces next to the word missing. It's Danielle Imbo and Richard Patron, and it's been there for almost 20 years.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
South Street is one of the busiest and most popular places for nightlife in Philadelphia. At least it was in 2005. Think Bourbon Street, but without the balconies and beats. It's not exactly the same, but you get the idea. No shortage of places to grab a drink and have a good time. It's not a place where two people just vanish, and it's certainly a spot where you'd have plenty of eyewitnesses.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Two adults in their mid-30s walk out of a bar and into oblivion. How is that even possible? I live within walking distance of South Street. I've been to those bars and I've walked those same streets. I know how busy they are. So this has often haunted me. The story of Richard Patron and Danielle Imbo became an anecdote, a Philadelphia urban legend.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
If my team was ever going to produce a missing persons podcast, this was the one. And as I'll explain in a bit, it turns out we are way more connected to the story than I originally thought. When I begin working on a story, I usually reach out to law enforcement. From the initial research, it was clear the FBI was involved. So I decided to start there.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
That's Jerry Williams. She was an FBI agent and the spokesperson for the Philadelphia Bureau when Danielle and Richard went missing.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Vito. Special Agent Vito Rosselli. He has been working on this case since the very beginning.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Agent Rosselli had spent almost two decades tracking down every lead in this case, but came up short.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Special Agent Vito Rosselli looks and sounds like someone in a TV show who's playing an FBI agent. He's a stocky guy, muscular, with dark skin, and seems like someone you'd want to grab a beer with.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Vito is a warm and welcoming guy, but I could tell that he carries pieces of this investigation around with him, and that clearly rests heavily on his heart. I don't know how else to explain it, but there's a heaviness to that.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Just think about that. Not only are Danielle and Richard missing, but so is the Dodge Dakota pickup truck they were driving. And after 19 years of searching, Vito still has no physical evidence to work with. He's been trying to figure out who wanted to kill either Danielle and Richard without a fingerprint, a tire mark, or a single drop of blood.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
But maybe what's stranger than any of that is the why. Because on paper, neither of these two seem to have a target on their back.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Vito has a lot riding on this investigation. Obviously, he felt for Danielle and Richard's families. It's been on his plate since 2005. And all investigators will tell you they always feel like they're racing against time. But Vito had a different clock. You see, in the FBI, there's a mandatory retirement age of 57. And Vito's 57th birthday was fast approaching.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
I've met with Vito a few times now. After those conversations, it's become clear what Vito is missing. testimony, someone who heard something or saw something or remembers anything, anything about what happened on the night of February 19th, 2005. He just needs someone to come forward.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
This case was a big deal in Philadelphia, and to be fair, it did get national attention, but that interest lasted for like two months, because in May of 2005, an American teenager went missing in Aruba, Natalie Holloway, and the nation turned their attention to her. Slowly, Danielle and Richard faded from public consciousness, but Philadelphia hasn't forgotten.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
For a big metropolitan city, there is a small town feel here, and it's that close-knit community that keeps their memory alive. See, everybody knows everybody here, or at least knows someone who knows your sister or your cousin or used to work with that guy that you used to work with. All of that is relevant here. The city, its people, it's all important to this story.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love, and often love extends to loyalty, vows of silence when it comes to nefarious behavior. The FBI undoubtedly believes that there are people who know what happened to Richard and Danielle, but have remained silent. So why now?
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
I once heard this theory from law enforcement that when it comes to these types of cases, there are usually three windows of time to solve them. The first few weeks, the first year, and then the next best is the 20th anniversary.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
By the time this podcast launches, we'll approach the opening of that final window. Maybe after two decades, perhaps someone's own mortality will change their view and come forward with information. I approached my team about taking this on and knew my producing partner, Ben, would be interested because like me, he grew up in Philadelphia too. He knew this story as well as I did.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
But there was something I didn't expect. When discussing it with my colleague, Carrie, she went white. She looked at me and said, you know, my brother grew up with Richard Patron and was good friends with him, right? I had no idea. So she put me in touch with her brother, Jimmy.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Jimmy Hartman grew up across the street from Richard and the two immediately became fast friends.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
So Jimmy not only knew Danielle and Richard, but was even close with Richard's parents, Richard Sr. and Marge Patron.
Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing: There and Gone
Jimmy said it's been tough to watch the Patron suffer all these years.