Bensalem Man In Custody As ‘Criminal Investigation’ Into Disappearance Of Four Men Continues

A 20-year-old Bensalem man linked to a large property that was being searched in Solebury and a home in Bensalem was taken into custody Monday afternoon.

NewtownPANow.com was at Cosmo DiNardo’s arraignment on a refiled charge for persons not to possess firearms. The initial case was dismissed in late May and refiled Monday evening after DiNardo was named as a possible suspect in the disappearance of four young men, including one from Middletown and another from Newtown.

In court papers exclusively obtained by this news organization, Bensalem police came into contact with DiNardo on Thursday, February 9 on Wayland Circle as he had a Savage Arms 20-gauge shotgun and ammunition. They were aware he was “suffering from mental illness” and admitted to being previously involuntarily committed.

DiNardo’s attorney, Michael Parlow, questioned the timing of the refiling of the charges before a video arraignment. The assistant district attorney on the case stated that DiNardo was a suspect in another case but did not outright state it involved the search for the four missing men.

“Both cases involve, potentially, a gun,” the assistant district attorney said without elaborating.

Before District Judge Michael Gallagher sent DiNardo to Bucks County prison on 10 percent of $1 million bail, the assistant district attorney asked the district judge to “consider additional circumstances.”

Parlow stated that his client has shown up for court previously and even stuck around after Bucks County Detectives spoke with him earlier Monday.

The private practice attorney confirmed during arraignment that DiNardo had been committed for mental health treatment before, which would bar him from possessing a firearm.

Minutes after the arraignment, DiNardo was taken from Bensalem police to the correctional facility in Doylestown in a van under escort. He did not make any statements to the press.

Only an hour before the arraignment, District Attorney Matt Weintraub briefed the media and said the search for the four missing men – Tom Meo, 21 from Plumstead Township, who was last seen Friday, July 7; Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, Montgomery County, who was last seen Friday, July 7; Dean Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown’s Langhorne section, who was last seen Friday, July 7; and Jimi Tar Patrick, 19, of Newtown Township, who was last seen Wednesday, July 5 – remained underway.

“I sure believe it is foul play,” Weintraub said, acknowledging the possibility that something bad may have happened to the men.

The families of the missing men did not wish to speak publicly Monday, but Weintraub said he did speak to them and explained that they remain anxious and worried about the investigation.

The investigation is full steam ahead, according to Weintraub, and is in no danger of petering out without resolution. The investigation is full of hot and fruitful leads, Weintraub said.

At a nearly 70-acre property owned by Antonio and Sandra DiNardo off Route 202 in Solebury, state, local and federal investigators focused their efforts on fields and a wooded area that houses several structures.

K-9 dogs from Philadelphia, special FBI evidence collection vehicles, Bucks County’s large mobile command post and construction equipment were seen on the property.

A source confirmed a backhoe was on the property and Weintraub confirmed it would be used as part of search efforts.

Police from Middletown and Newtown were active in Solebury and spotted working with other investigators.

Patrol officers and detectives were spotted Sunday and Monday morning at a home a short distance away on Aquetong Road searching a 19th-century home and property owned by Sandra DiNardo. The home appeared empty and a garage appeared to be the focus of investigators.

At the 3,864-square-foot home owned by Sandra DiNardo on Wayland Circle in Bensalem, detectives from Middletown and other agencies came and went throughout Monday and into the evening. Bensalem patrolmen stood at the entrance to the street and kept bystanders and media back.

Despite several attempts, NewtownPANow.com was unable to contact the DiNardo family at phone numbers listed online. Parlow, Cosmo DiNardo’s attorney, also declined comment as he left the Bensalem police station.

Weintraub said numerous locations were being searched and he declined to identify them all, stating the investigation had many pieces.

While it appears Meo and Sturgis knew one another before going missing, it is unknown if all four missing men knew each other.

Cosmo DiNardo’s Facebook appears to show he is ‘friends’ with Patrick, who is missing from Newtown Township.

Weintraub said there was some information that the men knew one another, but investigators were still trying determine if the information was true.

When asked about the involvement of the missing men in any potential criminal activity, Weintraub refused to condemn the victims until he knew all the facts.

There were unconfirmed media reports that one or two vehicles linked to the missing men were found in Solebury, but authorities did not confirm those details as of Monday evening.

The Evidence Response Team from the FBI Philadelphia field office arrived at the Solebury property around 2:30 p.m. in several vehicles. An FBI spokesperson said the team is assisting Bucks County investigators at the search site.

Police said residents should not be concerned for their safety but noted a increase police presence in the Solebury area.

“Please don’t take the law into your own hands,” Weintraub implored during the press conference. “And please let us do our jobs so that we can find the whereabouts of these four young men.”

If anyone has any information that could be pertinent to the search, they are encouraged to call 215-297-8201.