Sneha Anne Philip

Who was Sneha Anne Philip?

Sneha Anne Philip was an Indian American physician who was last seen on September 10, 2001 by a department store surveillance camera near her Lower Manhattan apartment. She may have returned to the building at some point that night or the next morning. Due to the proximity of the World Trade Center and her medical training, her family believes she perished trying to help victims of the next day's terrorist attack. On January 31, 2008, a New York State appeals court overturned a lower-court ruling and declared that she had been a victim of the attacks, officially making her the 2,751st victim of the Twin Towers' collapse.

No physical evidence has been found to suggest that she was killed in the attacks. An investigation by the New York Police into her disappearance detailed a history of marital problems, bisexual experimentation, job difficulties and alcohol and drug abuse by Philip, as well as a pending criminal charge against her, in the months before her disappearance. Citing that evidence, a Surrogate's Court judge had denied her family's petition to have her declared a victim of the attacks, suggesting it was equally possible she may have intentionally disappeared or been murdered by someone she met on her frequent nights out. Her family has strongly disagreed with that possibility, pointing out that there are many other 9/11 victims whose remains were never found, and other victims who were added to the list despite equally tenuous connections to the attack.