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Hartville husband charged with murder after wife's disappearance

Philip Snider was taken into custody on Friday on an aggravated murder charge. He is being held on $5 million dollars bond.

HARTVILLE — He told police that he dumped his wife's dead body into a river, because that's the way she would have wanted it.

More than three months later, 73-year-old Philip Snider of Hartville sits in the Stark County Jail charged with aggravated murder. He is being held on $5 million dollars bond.

Booking photo of Philip Snider taken by Stark County Sheriff's Office

It was January 4th of this year when 70-year-old Roberta or "Bobbie" Snider, an Elvis fan, set out from Hartville for Memphis, Tennessee along with her husband.

Roberta never came home.

Philip Snider's stories of how his wife died changed several times.

First, he told police that Roberta passed away in Kentucky.

He later told investigators that Roberta fell ill in a parking lot, so he flagged down an ambulance that just happened to be in that same parking lot. He said the ambulance took his wife away and she wasn't seen again.

No records for Roberta's body could be located at the coroner's office and first responders never logged any calls matching her death.

Snider then admitted he dumped Roberta's body in the Tennessee River off U.S. 40 in Benton County. Her body still has not been recovered.

Back in January, Hartville Police Chief Larry Dordea explained why Snider said he did it. "He said he loved his wife and she wanted to be cremated. She never wanted to live on someone's mantle and he wanted to put her back in nature so he threw off the bridge," said Dordea at the time.

WKYC also spoke with Brian Heisler, Roberta's brother, in January. He told us he had last spoken with his sister on New Year's Day and that Roberta and Philip were happily married. He described Philip as "distraught," and did not believe at the time that he was responsible for her possible death. Heisler added that his sister was in failing health and wanted to see Graceland one last time.

Why so long for an arrest? More than 3 months after the investigation began, Hartville Police wouldn't say.

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