When Philip Met Missy airing on ID is investigating the murder of Roberta Snider, who was killed by her long-time husband Philip Snider at their home in Hartville, Ohio.
Snider told countless lies and stories about what happened to his wife, which made the cops highly suspicious, but ultimately, the Hartville Police were forced to employ an unusual tactic to finally bring him to justice.
When Roberta Snider disappeared in early January 2018, Philip Snider, her husband of 53 years, told family members his wife had passed away while on a trip to Graceland in Tennessee. He claimed that he had wanted to take her to Elvis Presley’s iconic home one last time before she died.
Snider explained to shocked relatives that 70-year-old Roberta had died in Memphis, where he had then pulled into a parking lot having seen an EMS vehicle, and asked the paramedics to look after his wife. He claimed the medics confirmed Roberta was dead and took her body away to an undisclosed location.
The cops in Hartville were highly suspicious of Snider’s story. They obtained surveillance footage from the hotel where the couple had supposedly stayed, and it was evident that Roberta was not with her husband during his stay there.
When questioned about the footage, Snider changed his story. He said his wife had died of cancer while traveling through Kentucky, but instead of calling a halt to the vacation, he decided to carry on to Memphis. He then said on the journey home, he wrapped Roberta’s in plastic and placed her in the Tennessee River so she could be “with nature.”
At this point in the investigation, Snider’s relatives found him trying to commit suicide in his basement by taking medication and putting a plastic bag over his head. He was rushed to a hospital, where he recovered.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelIn the meantime, the police searched the Snider’s home and found a sweatshirt stained with human blood that matched Roberta. But they still didn’t have enough for an arrest.
Undercover cop got Philip Snider to confess
The cops tried a new tactic; they decided that Hartville Police Officer Joan Bauer would go undercover and attempt to befriend Snider at a local Burger King where he regularly went for coffee. The plan was to get him talking about his wife.
Over the next few weeks, Bauer posed as ‘Missy’ and eventually gained Snider’s trust. The plan worked! Snider finally admitted to smothering Roberta and hitting her with a two-pound stake hammer.
Snider pleaded guilty to murder and admitted putting Roberta’s body in a dumpster in Bullitt County, Kentucky. The cops believe that Roberta ended up in a landfill, but they never found the body. Her killer will spend the rest of his days behind bars.
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When Philip Met Missy airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.