Dad never picked up kids from babysitter in 2003. His body was just found, PA cops say

Shortly before father James Amabile went missing, Pennsylvania police say he was on his way to pick up his two children from their babysitter’s home.

That was Dec. 4, 2003, WPVI reported.

“We were able to ascertain that Mr. Amabile left his residence in the late afternoon ... after oversleeping and rushing out to pick up his 2 daughters (ages 5 and 8) from the babysitter,” Adventures With Purpose said in a statement shared to Facebook. “Mr. Amabile called the babysitter stating that he would be there within 5 minutes.

“Mr. Amabile never arrived and was never seen again.”

Adventures With Purpose, a team of search and recovery divers who help families find their loved ones, worked to help find the remains of Amabile.

“After searching several waterways our investigation took us to Stingers waterfront where 18 years later we were able to utilize technology not available at the time of his disappearance, to uncover a submerged vehicle in Darby creek 200 yards away, 24 feet beneath the surface,” the organization said in a March 20 Facebook post.

They then contacted the Ridley Township Police Department, which helped identify human remains pulled from the vehicle.

Police confirmed the vehicle’s license plate matched the 2003 missing person cold case, WTXF reported, and the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the remains were of Amabile.

Ridley Township Police Captain James Dougherty told KYW this discovery brings closure.

“The cooperation of Ridley Township PD was critical in the success of this recovery every step of the way and we tip our hat to their professionalism and their trust in our experience to conduct this forensics recovery,” Adventures With Purpose said. “At this moment we want to take a moment to express our sympathies to the entire Amabile family as they navigate this tragic outcome to a nightmare that has lasted 18 years.”

Darby Creek, in Ridley Township, is in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Dad never picked up kids from babysitter in 2003. His body was just found, PA cops say."