On October 3, 1977, 28-year-old Ronald Raymond Leone and 17-year-old Rudy Baronet disappeared after leaving Leone's family home in Johnston, Rhode Island. The two were reportedly going to visit a friend, but they were never seen or heard from again. Leone's mother reported him missing to the Johnston Police Department that same evening. At the time of his disappearance, Leone was described as a 28-year-old white male, 5'8" tall, and weighing 140 pounds, with brown hair and
brown eyes. He had a distinctive tattoo of a lion's head on his right arm and was last seen wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt.
The investigation into the disappearances led authorities to Anthony Parrillo, a known mob associate. Parrillo's girlfriend became a key witness, testifying that she saw the bodies of both Leone and Baronet on the kitchen floor of Parrillo's Providence apartment on October 3, 1977. She claimed to have witnessed Parrillo and his roommate zipping the bodies into sleeping bags and removing them from the apartment. In 1982, based largely on this testimony, Parrillo was convicted of the murders, despite the fact that the bodies of Leone and Baronet had not been found. This case was notably the first in Rhode Island where a murder conviction was secured without the discovery of a body.
Parrillo was initially found guilty of first-degree murder for one victim and second-degree murder for the other, receiving consecutive life sentences. However, the Rhode Island Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 1984, citing issues with the reliability of the key witness and constitutional violations during the trial. As a second trial was about to begin in January 1986, Parrillo pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison but was released on parole in 1994 after serving approximately eight years. The bodies of Ronald Leone and Rudy Baronet have never been recovered. The case is still considered an endangered missing person case, and the Johnston Police Department continues to list it as an open investigation.Last Seen: Oct 3, 1977
