Sneha Philip
Real Name: Dr. Sneha Ann Philip
Nicknames: Her middle is also spelled as Anne. She may use her husband's name of Lieberman.
Location: New York, New York
Date: September 10, 2001
Bio[]
Occupation: Physician
Date of Birth: October 7, 1969
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 115 lbs.
Marital Status: Married
Characteristics: Indian female with black hair and brown eyes. She wears contact lenses and has pierced ears.
Case[]
Details: On September 10, 2001, thirty-one-year-old female physician Dr. Sneha Philip had the day off and went out to breakfast at 10am with her husband, Ron Lieberman, who was also a doctor. They lived in Battery Park City, just four blocks from the World Trade Center. She told him that she was going back to their apartment to do housework and they said goodbye at 11:30am. Afterward, she did some shopping across the street from the World Trade Center, but she never returned home.
At 11:15pm, Ron came home from work. Sneha wasn't there, but he assumed she was out with her friends or family. When he woke up at around 6am the next morning, September 11, he was not worried because he assumed that she had stayed at either her cousin's or brother's house. He left and took the 6:45 subway to work. Then, at 8:45am, a plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Ron heard the news and called Sneha, trying to make sure she was okay. However, she did not answer. He assumed the crash an accident until fifteen minutes later when the second plane flew into the South Tower. This occurred just minutes away from their apartment. He tried to call her again but still got no response.
In a sad and strange coincidence, Sneha vanished in lower Manhattan the night before one of the most tragic events in American history, in which thousands were suddenly gone. Many of whom were never found. Ron tried to return to their apartment building, but the front door was chained. A neighbor told him that Sneha was not in there. As he would later learn, she did not spend the night with her brother, cousin, or any known friend. She did communicate with her mother via instant messaging at 2:30pm on September 10. Security camera footage shows her leaving their apartment a few hours later at 5:15pm. An employee at the building also remembered seeing her leave at that time.
There were credit card purchases for $500 at around 7:15pm at a designer discount department store across from the World Trade Center, where she bought bed linens, lingerie, and three pairs of shoes. Ron watched the surveillance footage from the store. Eventually, he was able to find her on it. After that, there is no trace of her. On the footage, she is seen carrying two large bags of merchandise. However, they were not found at their apartment.
A shoe clerk from the department store saw Sneha's missing persons flyer and contacted Ron. She reported seeing her with another woman that night. Sneha said that she was a friend of hers, but she never came forward. Ron believes that he found her on the surveillance footage, leaving the store with Sneha. Since the NYPD was too busy with the 9/11 attacks, he hired a private investigator to help track down anyone who may have seen Sneha after she left the store. Her family and friends placed several missing person posters throughout New York City around Ground Zero.
Several questions remain in this case including: Where did Sneha stay the night of September 10 if she wasn't with her brother or cousin? Did she leave the store with this mysterious friend and did she stay with her? If this is true, why has the woman never came forward? Another theory is that she met with foul play after she left the store. Yet another is that she went across the street, stopped at the Millennium Hotel Bar, and may have stayed there and died during the attacks. Her friends and family believe that finding the mystery woman who was last seen with her is the key to solving this case.
Sneha and her unidentified friend
Suspects: On the night that she vanished, Sneha was seen with an unidentified woman at a department store. She was Indian and was apparently a friend of hers. Police do not believe that she is a suspect in this case, but she may have information about her disappearance.
Officially, the NYPD believes that Sneha was one of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. However, her family believes that she may have met with foul play by other means.
Extra Notes:
- This case first aired on the June 11, 2002 episode.
- It was also profiled on America's Most Wanted.
Results: Unresolved. Initially, a New York court ruled that Sneha's date of death was September 10. Therefore, she was not listed as a victim of the 9/11 attacks. In 2004, her name was removed from the list of 9/11 missing. NYPD investigators had found evidence that suggested she was living a double life. She and Ron were apparently having marital problems and she may have been having affairs with other women. The last time he saw her was when they fought outside a courthouse, where she had pleaded not guilty to filing a false complaint against a colleague.
Sneha also had apparent drug and alcohol issues, along with legal problems. This led investigators to believe that she had left to start a new life. However, her family refused to believe this. No evidence was found on her devices to suggest that she was planning to start a new life. They also claim that much of the "evidence" uncovered by the police was incorrect.
In 2008, the decision by the New York court was overturned. The court dismissed the "double life" claims in the police report. They rejected the claims that she was abusing drugs and alcohol, noting that those sources were not credible. The court also determined that Sneha most likely died helping injured people at the World Trade Center. She is now listed as a victim of the 9/11 attacks. Ron and her family consider this ruling a great comfort. They have accepted that she most likely died during the attacks. Sadly, her remains have never been found.
Links:
- Sneha Philip on Unsolved Archive
- Sneha Philip on Wikipedia
- Sneha Philip on the Charley Project
- Sneha Philip on the AMW website
- In wake of N.Y. attacks, physician still missing - February 15, 2002
- The Mystery of Sneha Philip, the Possible 2,750th Victim of 9/11 - June 16, 2006
- Last Seen on September 10th - June 16, 2006
- Dr. Sneha Philip a 9/11 hero after all - February 8, 2008
- Court: missing woman died in September 11 attack - February 2, 2008
- Court declares woman died in WTC attack - February 2, 2008
- Missing doctor died in aftermath of 9/11 attacks, court declares - February 2, 2008
- Doctor Missing Since 9/10 is Declared a Victim of 9/11 - February 2, 2008
- Official 9/11 Death Toll Climbs By One - July 8, 2008
- Solved: The Last Mystery of 9/11 - July 11, 2008
- "Closure" for kin of Dr. Sneha Philip, who is back on 9/11 victims list - September 11, 2008
- The 9/11 Disappearance of Dr. Sneha Philip - September 11, 2021
- Sneha Philip on Find a Grave
- Websleuths Discussion forum