Missing Swimmer Faked Death; Vacationed as Wife Planned Funeral
Raymond Roth, 47, who was previously reported missing and presumed dead, has been found after his wife suspected that he had faked his own death.
Evana Roth was suspicious when she discovered that her husband had gone missing after taking a swim at Jones Beach in Long Island. He was reported missing last Saturday after he had gone for a swim in unprotected waters and never return to shore.
Roth's wife had reason to be suspicious. Months before his disappearance Roth had taken out additional life insurance and taken his wife off as the executor of his will. However despite her gut instincts, she was already in the midst of planning Roth's funeral when she learned that he was actually vacationing in Florida.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"I was planning a funeral for him," she said during a press conference at her lawyer's office on Friday, adding that she felt "anger and sadness" at the revelation that her husband had been found.
Roth had been at the beach with his 22-year-old son Jonathan, who called 911 and reported him missing at around 3:15 p.m., according to ABC News. A mass search was commenced and a rescue team put together, which included members of the fire department and National Coast Guard. The search went on for days.
Roth was not discovered until Thursday when he was pulled over by local police in South Carolina for speeding.
"The officer ran his license and noticed that he was listed as a missing person and contacted us," Det. Sgt. Thomas Duignan, who formed part of the missing search team, told ABC. "He told the officer he was on his way back to New York."
Police are now searching for evidence, to decide whether or not Roth had planned on faking his death. So far the investigation has revealed an email to Roth's son which had instructed his son to show relatives the new copy of his will. In addition Roth also told his son to not allow his wife to "give the house away." The house is currently up for sale, according to the New York Post.
Officials do not suspect that Roth's wife was involved.
