Harmony man remembered as loving father, ‘community icon’

HARMONY, Pa. — The Zelienople and Harmony communities had been holding out hope that Tod DiMinno, 54, would be found safe after he went missing in late September. On Saturday, that hope turned to heartbreak, as the Medical Examiner’s Office identified him as the man found in the Allegheny River Saturday afternoon.

DiMinno was a loving father and a well-known business owner in Harmony. When he didn’t show up to pick up his daughter at her school bus stop last month, friends and family knew something was wrong.

“We’re all just like, ‘Where is he?’ They checked his house, they got into his shop last week, he wasn’t there. We looked a lot of different places,” said Mackenzie McCullough, who works across the street from DiMinno. “He listens, he talks to everyone … he’s a really nice guy.”

Adventures With Purpose and Chaos Divers were searching Pittsburgh rivers over the weekend in relation to two separate cold case investigations when crews discovered DiMinno’s red Honda Civic in the Allegheny River.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the DiMinno family, especially his daughter … really tragic circumstances,” said Doug Bishop with Adventures With Purpose.

“Something about him — he’s a special guy,” said Haley Yost, an employee at Neff Haus Ice Cream, a local business that DiMinno visited often with his daughter. “Everyone wanted the outcome to be ‘He’s gonna come back, he’s gonna be safe.’ That’s how I was feeling too. I said prayers for him. Now, the story came out — it’s shocking.”

DiMinno’s storefront on Mercer Street — The Harmony Emporium — remained dark inside Sunday afternoon, leaving a gaping hole in the community. Many people told Channel 11 that Harmony felt a lot emptier today.

“Everyone misses him and stuff. He was loved by so many,” Yost said. “To see how much this has affected everybody in the community — it’s really sad.”

Adventures With Purpose said dive crews found more than 100 cars underwater in Pittsburgh in recent days. It plans to continue its work in the city in hopes of helping more families find closure.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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