The families of Richard Petrone Jr. and Danielle Imbo continue to be hopeful, as this Sunday marks one year since the couple disappeared.
Sunday will be one year since Richard Petrone Jr. and girlfriend Danielle Imbo disappeared after leaving a South Street bar.
The worst thing for Marge Petrone is being alone.
Recently, she decided to go to the Cherry Hill Mall. After parking the car, she became immobilized and could not get out.
So she sat there, with her tears and her fears.
That was a good day for the mother of 35-year-old Richard Petrone Jr. Because, a year after her son and his 34-year-old girlfriend Danielle Imbo went missing after being seen at Abilene, 429 South St., there are times when she can't get out of bed.
"There are days that you cry from morning to night. I'm going to be sad for the rest of my life. I miss him terribly. The loss is - you can't describe it - not knowing to me is the worst," she said.
From the start, Marge suspected the worst. She believes her eldest child was murdered, she said, declining to speculate further.
"From the day I couldn't reach him [Feb. 20], I knew something happened to my son. We were too close, too involved," she said.
"I remember very clearly that she thought something catastrophic had happened," husband Richard Petrone Sr. said. "I didn't go there. I ran through all the things that could have put them out of touch with us. But as the days wore on, I started to believe something bad had happened - a real sense of doom hit me,"
The couple lives in Cherry Hill with daughters Christine, 35, and Alisa, 17.
JOHN OTTOBRE, BROTHER of Danielle Imbo, said he doesn't know what happened to his sister and won't go public with any speculation he and mother Felice Ottobre may have.
"Unfortunately, I don't wish to share our opinions. We've shared our opinions with detectives and FBI. It really doesn't matter what we think. There are so many different opinions and theories. Without one shred of evidence, that leaves us wide open," he said.
The Petrones simply do not believe the couple ran off to start a new life.
"There is no way he would up and go anywhere without telling me, leaving his business behind and his daughter," Marge said.
Petrone Jr.'s 15-year-old daughter Angela lives with her mother in South Philly. The missing man had an apartment on the 1600 block of Snyder Avenue so he could be close to his child.
"She's doing the best she can. He raised her. It's devastating," Marge said of her granddaughter.
Imbo lived in Mount Laurel, N.J., with 2-year-old son Joe Jr. The child now lives with his father, Joe Imbo, the man from whom Danielle is separated.
The Ottobres seek comfort in spending time with the toddler. The child reminds them so much of Danielle, the pain is "almost impossible," Ottobre said, "but at the same time he makes us laugh and he helps us get through."
Petrone Sr.'s escape is his Viking Pastries in Ardmore, the family business his son ran until his disappearance.
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