Pendino prepared to depart from his family's residence in Newburgh, New York at approximately 5:50 a.m. on March 3, 1999. His wife saw him standing in their driveway at that time. He was supposed to report to work at the Newburgh Auto Auction that morning. Pendino never arrived at work. His wife called authorities when she noticed his car was still parked at their home at 7:00 a.m. A trail of blood was found leading away from the vehicle, but there was no sign of Pendino. An extensive search failed to produce any clues as to his whereabouts.

Gregory Chrysler and Lawrence Weygant were convicted of Pendino's murder in 2000. Authorities say Chrysler and Lawrence beat Pendino to death with a baseball bat near his residence because they thought he had told the police about Chrysler's marijuana dealings. Both men received 25 years to life in prison. Pendino's body has never been located. Foul play is suspected in his case due to the circumstances involved.