Missing on 9/11

This is one of the most compelling true crime series, though not without its flaws — or to be more accurate, limitations, given incomplete police work, the passage of time, and uncooperative witnesses. This case has haunted me since I first heard about it several years ago. It’s a conundrum, but again, so much has been lost to time. I’m left with a few overarching thoughts/impressions: 1. Maybe I’m an outlier, but I recall seeing a snippet of the 225 Rector lobby video somewhere and my recollection like Stark’s was that based on the clothing it seemed to be her. I’m not sure why this series didn’t at least give the possibility more consideration, grainy or not. 2. I don’t think any theory can be ruled out or in, but I’m not particularly impressed by the lack of trace evidence of Sneha at the twin towers given that 40% of victims are still being identified. 3. I’m left with the strong impression that the lack of response or refusal to speak to the podcaster from most relevant witnesses is a coordinated effort. Most victims’ families are desperate for the truth or “closure,” regardless of how painful it might be. Their conduct — after the initial days following her disappearance — is not that of truth seekers. I can’t help but speculate that her family learned the truth of what happened to Sneha at some point, whether through one of the PIs, a confession, or some other information, and afterwards set out to close ranks in the hope of protecting Sneha’s legacy, and perhaps even one another.

This is a very interesting case and I’m glad it’s gained more exposure as a result of this podcast. Interviews with Sneha’s family were definitely lacking, and the interview conducted with her brother didn’t produce any answers on the tough questions. Most likely, due to motive and statistics regarding women who are murdered, it was the husband or the brother. They both had a motive. I was extremely surprised that the detectives seemed to skate over this. Even more laughable was the fact that Sneha was sleeping with her brother’s girlfriend was referred to as “irrelevant” to the case by the detective. I think the brother did mind… quite a bit… and was angry with his sister. Especially considering gender dynamics in conservative Indian families, which it was stated multiple times was the case with Sneha’s family. Further, the husband was not okay with what we would call an “open marriage” today. His interviews seemed purposefully naive and deceptively nonchalant with the fact that his wife stayed out many nights, and he seemed clueless on her extramarital affairs. I believe he knew and did not like it. He also was apparently unaware of Sneha’s issues at work aside from the sexual assault accusation she made. This does not paint a “close” marriage. He described her meeting a woman and going back to her place to “paint” all night… mmmkay. Oblivious or purposefully misleading the detectives and the state of his marriage. Both the husband and the brother had cause to feel emasculated and angry with Sneha. An overwhelming amount of domestic abuse murder cases that are covered in True Crime stem from this feeling of emasculation. I also just have to say that the fact that her bags not being present in the apartment was some sign she never came home angered me every time someone said it. If I murdered someone… I wouldn’t leave their shopping bags lying around. Probably the first thing I’d get rid of. If anything was irrelevant, it was her Century 21 shopping bags. That being said… interesting podcast to past the time. It did seem to veer more towards a 9/11 podcast in the last few episodes though, when I was wish it would’ve focused on Sneha and dissecting potential suspects. I see this as a Cold Case that was muddied with the emotional aftermath of 9/11. As the detective stated, emotions were high and people were in disbelief. I think that goes for the NYPD as well.

I’m not saying this is the best podcast I’ve ever heard. In fact, there were times that I thought the host sometimes over explained or over simplified it for the listener. HOWEVER, the more I listened, the more I liked it. I especially like the interviews included throughout. And I grew to live the host and his adorable laugh. I haven’t reached the end, but I am on the last episode and very satisfied. Highly recommend.

I am totally obsessed. I listened earlier in the year and still randomly think of what happened to Sneha. Thank you for uncovering and bringing awareness to this case—even if we aren’t fully satisfied with how it was resolved.

I really wanted to like this podcast—the subject matter is fascinating—but I couldn’t handle that weird high-frequency razor noise that happens in every narration transition. It genuinely hurt my ears and I had to stop listening halfway through the season because it happened every few seconds at some points. If it hadn’t been for that, I would have kept listening and probably enjoyed it. The topic is super interesting, and I learned things about the case I hadn’t heard before. The ads were annoying, but I was expecting that with I Heart media.

On the whole, this show is characterized by poor writing, tangential content, mediocre production and subpar journalism. There are a few moments in the first couple episodes that do feel genuinely evocative, even poetic. But generally it pales in comparison to something like The Trojan Horse Affair, a story with subjects similarly unwilling to talk on the record but crafted in a way that infuses a lot more intrigue into it. Maybe Walczak is not as well funded as the team at Serial Productions, or maybe he’s not a journalist of comparable skill. I tend to assume the latter, given that he includes a farcical list of “homework” assignments for the audience—the juiciest scoops he wish he could have gotten—at the end of each episode. In any case, this is a show better skipped.