Sneha Phillips case - still unsolved, IMO.

[nicoge21]

There is no evidence that Sneha died in the attacks, and the fact that her family made it so she was listed as a victim is ridiculous, and I even heard was done for monetary gain which is just selfish. I find it really ridiculous that to this day, people "assume" this is what happened to her. Are we all supposed to just tell ourselves "oh yeah she went MISSING on September 10th, but the next day was September 11th when the attacks happened so that means she died in the debris." Absolutely not. I'm sorry to say but she was most likely abducted and/or dissapeared willingly or commited suicide because of all the problems going on in her life. The segment left out most of the details on her mid-life crisis.

[jOHnNyD]

Snea’s husband said she had a habit of staying out all night and not coming home. On Sept 10 she told her mother she was going to visit Windows on the World that week, which was a restaurant on the top of the North Tower, because her friend was getting married there in the next month or so. It is possible of course something else happened to her. The fact that none of her possessions have ever been found is unusual even for 9/11 victims. But her disappearance is not without some explanation.

[johnnyangel]

I think if this woman disappeared willingly, some TRACE of her would have had to have turned up by now. She would have needed money and other things pertaining to her health. Her credit cards were never used after she disappeared. There are no records of some mysterious woman boarding any planes between Sept 10th and the next day when air travel was shut down (Im sure that avenue has been investigated).

Even if she hit the mega millions and just left to start over, some trace would have emerged in almost 20 years leading that direction.

I suppose it is possible she committed suicide, but I'm thinking a body would have emerged by now, or she would have left some evidence to that - most people who commit suicide at least indirectly want their family to know, they usually don't plan it out for their death or body to never be found out.

If she was murdered by somebody, again same thing - unless the killer hit the biggest streak of luck and his/her "crimes" were lumped in and buried in the ensuing 9/11 disaster area. The odds of that though are VERY SLIM. I watched some 20/20 special awhile back where the topic was the unrelated crimes that happened in the 12-24 hours before 9/11 happened - most or all of those crimes/homicides were solved - meaning none known to law enforcement got "lost" in the 9/11 chaos.

My best guess is she was with a friend/lover as the attacks happened, perhaps in one of the nearby food places. She could have also been in one of the buildings. Either she passed immediately, or died while lending help to others as one/both of the buildings collapsed.

You must also keep in mind of all the deaths in and even around the "zone", very few if any "bodies" ever turned up. The quote of "there were shoes everywhere, but no identifiable bodies." They were all incinerated somehow. Very vague body pieces and/or dna was all most experts had to go on when trying to identify the victims.

[johnnyangel]

Originally Posted by jOHnNyD

Snea’s husband said she had a habit of staying out all night and not coming home. On Sept 10 she told her mother she was going to visit Windows on the World that week, which was a restaurant on the top of the North Tower, because her friend was getting married there in the next month or so. It is possible of course something else happened to her. The fact that none of her possessions have ever been found is unusual even for 9/11 victims. But her disappearance is not without some explanation.

If she was in or around the buildings with her bags from the store, again she would have been incinerated. The friend she was with (if anybody) could have already been identified as one of the victims, but perhaps their family never knew that person was friends with or involved with Sneha.

There are many times I am with and around people, but if something happened to me my parents/family wouldn't necessarily know who most of these people/friends/aquaintences were.

[bigted12]

Originally Posted by nicoge21

There is no evidence that Sneha died in the attacks, and the fact that her family made it so she was listed as a victim is ridiculous, and I even heard was done for monetary gain which is just selfish. I find it really ridiculous that to this day, people "assume" this is what happened to her. Are we all supposed to just tell ourselves "oh yeah she went MISSING on September 10th, but the next day was September 11th when the attacks happened so that means she died in the debris." Absolutely not. I'm sorry to say but she was most likely abducted and/or dissapeared willingly or commited suicide because of all the problems going on in her life. The segment left out most of the details on her mid-life crisis.

Like theres no evidence to suggest she died in the twin towers, theres zero evidence to say she was aducted or commited suicide. why would you jump to that conclusion? you just have to find the most likely scenario. she just happened to go missing the day the towers came down and thousands of people died, could she have jumped into the hudson the night before? of course! but in a situation like this, although you're right, theres no real evidence to suggest anything, you'd have to go with the most likely conclusion.

I've listened to 3 or 4 podcasts on this, seen the unsolved mysteries episode, read a few things, and the most likely outcome for me is that she died because of the terrorist attacks, maybe she rushed to help people, maybe she was having breakfast there... but we'll never know for sure, remember that shes not the only person who just happened to go missing on sep 11, in that exact area and was never found. just because she didn't work in the towers doesn't mean she didn't become a victim of it. take a look on youtube at the firefighter videos of them responding, there were things falling from the sky, chunks of the planes, the towers, burning jet fuel even hit streets and blocks pretty far away. i'm from NY, believe me when i tell you that this affected much more that the towers. it affected a huge part of lower manhattan

[jOHnNyD]

Originally Posted by johnnyangel

If she was in or around the buildings with her bags from the store, again she would have been incinerated.

There were thousands of wallets, purses and pieces of jewelry recovered and ultimately linked to a victim. In fact the NYPD still has thousands of personal items recovered in their possession waiting to be identified and returned to a victim’s family. I would not be surprised if there is something of hers in this collection, and maybe even someday something of hers is identified.

[BlueGalexy]

Originally Posted by bigted12

Like theres no evidence to suggest she died in the twin towers, theres zero evidence to say she was aducted or commited suicide. why would you jump to that conclusion? you just have to find the most likely scenario. she just happened to go missing the day the towers came down and thousands of people died, could she have jumped into the hudson the night before? of course! but in a situation like this, although you're right, theres no real evidence to suggest anything, you'd have to go with the most likely conclusion.

I've listened to 3 or 4 podcasts on this, seen the unsolved mysteries episode, read a few things, and the most likely outcome for me is that she died because of the terrorist attacks, maybe she rushed to help people, maybe she was having breakfast there... but we'll never know for sure, remember that shes not the only person who just happened to go missing on sep 11, in that exact area and was never found. just because she didn't work in the towers doesn't mean she didn't become a victim of it. take a look on youtube at the firefighter videos of them responding, there were things falling from the sky, chunks of the planes, the towers, burning jet fuel even hit streets and blocks pretty far away. i'm from NY, believe me when i tell you that this affected much more that the towers. it affected a huge part of lower manhattan

I completely agree with you on this one BT. Though the case has always intrigued me, I've never even tried to guess what happened to Sneha Phillip because there seems to be so little in the way of concrete information and so many possibilities to consider. I guess that I eventually chalked her disappearance up to the events of 9/11 because it seemed the most likely scenario...at least IMO.

One thing I will say however, is that I absolutely do not blame her family for having her added to the list of 9/11 casualties. I've never believed that her family had dishonest or malicious motives in their quest to have Phillip's disappearance resolved in that way. It's always seemed to me that her family was simply seeking closure during what had to be a horrific and traumatizing event for them. That said however, I've always wished that UM and Phillip's family had been more forthcoming regarding her personal struggles and what appeared to be a tumultuous time in her life. While I can certainly understand Phillip's loved ones wanting to protect her privacy, I also firmly believe that such information can be critical to the investigation of her case.

[WishfulDreamer]

Her apartment was only a few blocks from the WTC and she had expressed interest in dining at Windows on the World right before her disappearance. While something COULD have happened the day prior, I think it's more likely that she was caught up in the attacks since she had expressed her intention to go to the top of one of the towers to dine. The restaurant was open, and anyone in it at the time of impact perished. There were a few lucky people who left the restaurant just a couple of minutes before the plane hit, but I doubt they would be able to come forward and identify other patrons in the restaurant they saw besides those who they were with. I agree more with the theory that Sneha would have been there to dine rather than rushing in either tower to help, as there would have been plenty of people outside who would have needed medical attention.

If in the unlikely event a killer attacked Sneha and left no trace of her behind, they would have been extremely lucky to have the event coincide with such a catastrophic disaster the next day. And I doubt Sneha ran off, as she was purchasing pretty random household items/clothes shopping (and again, would have been extremely lucky that the following day a disaster would provide the perfect cover for her disappearance).

A large percentage of those missing in the aftermath of the attack have never been found/identified. The destruction was so great that it's very likely Sneha's family will never know for sure, but I hope I'm wrong and that they will have answers someday. It's a horrible situation, and I can't imagine how they must feel having to cope with never knowing for sure.

[bigted12]

Originally Posted by BlueGalexy

One thing I will say however, is that I absolutely do not blame her family for having her added to the list of 9/11 casualties. I've never believed that her family had dishonest or malicious motives in their quest to have Phillip's disappearance resolved in that way. It's always seemed to me that her family was simply seeking closure during what had to be a horrific and traumatizing event for them. That said however, I've always wished that UM and Phillip's family had been more forthcoming regarding her personal struggles and what appeared to be a tumultuous time in her life. While I can certainly understand Phillip's loved ones wanting to protect her privacy, I also firmly believe that such information can be critical to the investigation of her case.

I get what you're saying, and maybe there is something to that, but let's say that you went missing tomorrow in a very similar scenario during a major event with people dying, going missing. and let's say that your private life was looked that, nobody is perfect, nobody is 100% happy. maybe right now you're having a tough time with your partner, maybe you have work problems, maybe you have debts, maybe you're suffering from some illness, i mean everyone is going thru something, and let's even say that they looked at your internet history and you're commenting on missing people, would be a strange coincidence right? or maybe not.

If we analyze something maybe too much, a few marital problems could be blown up into something it isn't, maybe there is something to it, but mmmm we'll never know.

[BlueGalexy]

Originally Posted by bigted12

I get what you're saying, and maybe there is something to that, but let's say that you went missing tomorrow in a very similar scenario during a major event with people dying, going missing. and let's say that your private life was looked that, nobody is perfect, nobody is 100% happy. maybe right now you're having a tough time with your partner, maybe you have work problems, maybe you have debts, maybe you're suffering from some illness, i mean everyone is going thru something, and let's even say that they looked at your internet history and you're commenting on missing people, would be a strange coincidence right? or maybe not.

If we analyze something maybe too much, a few marital problems could be blown up into something it isn't, maybe there is something to it, but mmmm we'll never know.

I see your point BT, and can understand that side of the issue. I've always told my family that if God forbid I ever went missing, that it would absolutely be involuntary and to tell LE everything. I told them not to be worried about my privacy or hiding my numerous sins, just do what you need to do to find me, one way or another. **I imagine of course that this could be a sign that I watch way too much UM and true crime in general, lol.

[dcguy80]

By just assuming she died in the WTC attack, the police could literally be letting someone away with murder. It would have been exceptionally easy for someone to kill her then cover it up amidst all the chaos

[bigted12]

Originally Posted by dcguy80

By just assuming she died in the WTC attack, the police could literally be letting someone away with murder. It would have been exceptionally easy for someone to kill her then cover it up amidst all the chaos

2,756 death certificates have been filed related to the twin towers, but only 58% based on someone being forensically identified, that leaves a whole lot of people assumed dead based on the extreme likely hood that they were a victim of the attacks.

A former FBI agent Ken Gallant investigated her disappearance and found nothing, the NYPD also investigated the case, and although they found some "interesting" things about her private life, found nothing to suggest she had been killed in another incident, ran away or killed herself.

It has been investigated and nothing has been found, unless she turns up, this case will never be so solved, so you have you find the most likely scenario and that would be that she died because of the 9-11 attacks, it's not the most interesting theory, but it's most realistic one.

[jOHnNyD]

There is circumstantial evidence that directly supports that she died in the terrorist attack and no evidence that points to some other outcome. The evidence does not show anything suspicious about her disappearance.

1) It was established she would stay out all night and not return home on occasion. So right off the bat there was nothing suspicious about her disappearance through 9/10 and into the morning of 9/11.

2) Sneha told a friend on Sunday 9/9 that it was her intention to visit Windows on the World, a restaurant on the top of the North Tower, that week. The North Tower was the first tower that was hit. We know Windows on the World was open for breakfast well before the first plane hit. Her apartment was relatively close to the World Trade Center and would have at least not been out her way on her way home.

If it turned out that she never just didn’t come home at night, then I think it would be wide open as to speculation as to what happen to her. But the fact is there is some compelling circumstantial evidence to support the fact she died in the North Tower on 9/11, and there is nothing that one can point to that she met some other fate.

If it wasn’t for the UM segment I think most people would look at this and pick 9/11 as the most likely scenario of what happened here. The UM segment gives a gloss to this that frankly isn’t appropriate, or productive, in my opinion. The segment gives the sense of mystery to Sneha’s disappearance by deliberately ignoring that she often just didn’t come home at night.

[BlueGalexy]

Originally Posted by jOHnNyD

There is circumstantial evidence that directly supports that she died in the terrorist attack and no evidence that points to some other outcome. The evidence does not show anything suspicious about her disappearance.

1) It was established she would stay out all night and not return home on occasion. So right off the bat there was nothing suspicious about her disappearance through 9/10 and into the morning of 9/11.

2) Sneha told a friend on Sunday 9/9 that it was her intention to visit Windows on the World, a restaurant on the top of the North Tower, that week. The North Tower was the first tower that was hit. We know Windows on the World was open for breakfast well before the first plane hit. Her apartment was relatively close to the World Trade Center and would have at least not been out her way on her way home.

If it turned out that she never just didn’t come home at night, then I think it would be wide open as to speculation as to what happen to her. But the fact is there is some compelling circumstantial evidence to support the fact she died in the North Tower on 9/11, and there is nothing that one can point to that she met some other fate.

If it wasn’t for the UM segment I think most people would look at this and pick 9/11 as the most likely scenario of what happened here. The UM segment gives a gloss to this that frankly isn’t appropriate, or productive, in my opinion. The segment gives the sense of mystery to Sneha’s disappearance by deliberately ignoring that she often just didn’t come home at night.

I understand what you're saying here JD, and truthfully I've always felt that the events of 9/11 had a significant impact on this case whether Phillip perished in the attacks or met a different fate that was completely unrelated. I have to imagine that between the total chaos/disorganization caused by the attacks, and the lack of personnel and resources caused when the entire country (let alone New York state) were essentially mobilized to help, the immediate stages of the investigation were hindered.

IIRC, the same thing seemed to happen when another NY resident, Michelle Harris went missing on 9/11, and Henryk Siwiak (another NY resident) was murdered. Neither case was related to the attacks, and Harris actually resided in another part of the state, but both investigations were complicated by the events of that day IMO. While LE eventually charged Harris's husband in her disappearance, Siwiak's murder remains unsolved to this day.

[UMfan30]

Is it possible she was having an affair? The segment revealed she purchased lingerie and bed linens before she disappeared. Those items were never found by her husband. Some other posts mentioned a mid-life crisis? Personal problems?