Police investigate man's claim wife died during trip to Graceland

HARTVILLE, Ohio — Roberta Snider and her husband left their Ohio home to visit Graceland, but she never returned.

Her husband, Philip Snider, told police Roberta Snider, 69, died of natural causes in a hotel parking lot across the street from Elvis Presley’s estate the day they arrived, and then she was taken by an ambulance to a hospital.

However there is no record of her body in Tennessee, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

"At first blush, what happened seemed reasonable," Hartville Police Chief Larry Dordea told the Akron Beacon Journal.

Now investigators are tasked with retracing their 725-mile route to find answers.

“I think (Philip’s) recollection may be suspect,” Dordea said. “It’s a traumatic time for him, a lot of emotional pain. I’m not ready to clearly support any kind of thesis on this now. We have to painstakingly, methodically sift through the evidence.”

Philip Snider, 72, and Roberta Snider, known as Bobby, told their children they were going to the Memphis attraction one last time before she died. They left Jan. 4 and arrived two days later to the parking lot of a Days Inn hotel where Bobby had a medical emergency and died, Philip Snider said.

He found an ambulance parked nearby and rescue workers told Philip they were taking his wife to a Memphis hospital.

Philip did not know the name of the ambulance company or the hospital. He stayed the night then returned to Ohio.

Authorities have searched their condo and investigators are tracking down surveillance video that could have captured footage of the couple during their drive, according to the Canton Repository.

“Whether this is a crime or not, we want to find Mrs. Snider and get her back to family so she can be laid to rest in proper manner,” Dordea said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group