After he and his wife, Irene, went broke trying to start their own business in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, they left town owing creditors and moved in with Arthur's parents in Lebanon Township, New Jersey.
[4] Prior to the abduction of Reso, Irene frequently jogged in his neighborhood, in order to monitor his daily routine.
The next day, police received a phone call from a woman claiming to be Reso's kidnapper, directing them to a letter in a highway street sign.
For the next few weeks, the FBI and investigators received several confusing phone calls and letters leading them to various points throughout Morris and Somerset Counties.
In response to one of the letters, Reso's wife Patricia made two public appearances on TV, pleading for her husband's safe return.
During the investigation, the FBI followed up on several clues, including one eyewitness seeing a white van near Reso's home on the morning of his abduction, a blonde woman seen jogging frequently in the area, and hair belonging to a Golden Retriever found in one of the letters.
However, the agents arrived at the drop-off location too late; the chief then received a call from the kidnappers trying to work on an alternative plan.
During that call, an agent noticed a man picking up a public phone wearing latex rubber gloves.
Despite the fact the agency was already closed, the owner agreed to meet up with them, whereupon the FBI learned that the car had been rented to someone named Arthur Seale.
She testified that, after abducting Reso, she and her husband confined him to a pine box in a metal storage facility, giving him very little food and water, and no medical treatment for his bullet wound.