73-year-old Philip Snider’s wife Roberta had been missing for several months when he met Missy at a Burger King in March 2018. Philip was part of a group of mostly men that would meet up at small-town Hartville, OH’s fast-food restaurants in the mornings to drink coffee and gossip. Missy, who was attractive and 20 years younger than Philip, raised eyebrows in the community when she set her sights on the retired carpenter.
Missy claimed she was a recently divorced transplant from Cincinnati and was in town to care for her dying mother. She flattered Philip with attention and love bombing. She told Philip that she “got him,” and he ate it up. The community was shocked by this new blossoming public romance because his wife was missing. Many were worried about Missy’s safety in befriending a man who may have killed his wife.
Missy wasn’t who she said she was, though. She was really an undercover cop named Joan Bauer who had him under surveillance the entire time.
Philip’s wife had disappeared in January during a trip to Graceland, Elvis’ home in Memphis Tennessee. He told police that his wife had suddenly died from health problems on the way home and that her body had been carried away in an ambulance. There was no record of this, however, so he changed his story. He said he had thrown his wife’s dead body into the Tennessee River.
Police didn’t believe this bizarre story for several reasons. They couldn’t find Roberta’s body, and they also had some concerning evidence: cadaver dogs had sniffed out a Rubbermaid container in Philip’s that held a sweatshirt stained with Roberta’s blood. They also had video evidence that Philip had stayed in a Memphis hotel alone, which means Roberta may have never even made it to Graceland.
Philip then changed his story again. He says that she actually died on the way to Graceland, but he decided to take her body to Graceland because she had wanted to go there “one more time.” He said that he wanted her to be “safe with nature,” so he put her body in the water.
He changed his story yet again, claiming that Roberta died at home and that he carried her body out.
Philip’s proposal to Missy
Philip and his new friend bonded even further over a dangerous thought “Missy” confided in him. She told him that she didn’t have a good relationship with her mother, and sometimes thought about killing her. This confession gained Philip’s trust and made him feel more connected to her. He also offered her tips on how she could kill her mother.
Philip also had an offer for Missy, she could marry him in order to collect his pension when he died. She asked him to be completely honest with her about his wife’s disappearance if he was going to marry her, and enticed him with the “spousal privilege” in the law that means married people can’t be forced to testify about their communication with each other. Eventually, Philip decided he had to tell her the truth. He confessed to Missy that he had put a cloth over Roberta’s head and had beat her with a hammer after a fight on January. Roberta had been sleeping on the love seat when she was attacked by her husband of 53 years. He later disposed of her body and evidence at several locations on a road trip to Memphis. He says he didn’t feel “relief” over the situation until he was in Kentucky.
On her way out after his bombshell confession, Philip demanded a kiss on the cheek from her. That day police secured murder warrants for Phil. The kiss sealed his loss of freedom.
After he was arrested, Philip’s main concern was getting back in touch with Missy. He had no idea that she was an undercover cop and still wanted to go through with their plans to get married. When he got access to his cell phone to call her, “Missy,” was really officer Joan Bauer, ignored his call.
Philip Snider plead guilty to murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. He’s currently serving a prison sentence of 20 years to life.
When Philip Met Missy is streaming now on Discovery + and airs Saturday night on Investigation Discovery.
