Man Allegedly Dumped Wife’s Body in River During Graceland Trip

An Ohio man is under investigation for the disappearance of his wife after claiming that she passed away of natural causes on their way to Graceland, and dropped her body in the Tennessee River to "put her with nature."

Phillip Snider's wife, 70-year-old Roberta Snider, was suffering from cancer, according to a report by WREG Memphis. Snider allegedly told family members that he wanted to take her to Elvis's former home in Graceland "one last time before she died."

Snider initially told police from his hometown of Hartville, Ohio that his wife had died in the hotel parking lot when they reached Memphis. He said that he got an ambulance on the scene, and the emergency workers took Roberta's body away. He said that, not knowing where they had taken her body, he went home to Hartville.

Police were suspicious of this story, as authorities in Memphis had no record of Roberta's body anywhere. However, they were able to confirm that he'd checked into a Days Inn hotel near Graceland on Jan. 5.

On Friday, Snider changed his story. According to WREG, he told Harville Police that his wife had actually passed away while driving somewhere in Kentucky. Rather than turning back, Snider said he wanted to complete their last pilgrimage to The King's home. He claimed that he pulled over on I-40, wrapped his wife's body in plastic, and dropped it into the Tennessee River.

Snider assured authorities that his wife had died of natural causes relating to her illness. So far, recovery teams have found no trace of her body. Police told reporters that Snider will face charges when his wife's remains are found.

Photo credit: Hartville, Ohio Police Department