Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
"Drowned" Man Very Much Alive, "Emptied Out" Wife's Accounts
By
Garth Johnston
Published Aug 3, 2012
Modified Aug 3, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Aug 3, 2012
Modified Aug 3, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
"I was planning for a funeral," Evana Roth, 45, said at a press conference today apologizing to everyone who helped search for her presumed drowned husband last weekend. "I thought I'd lost my husband." Only problem? Her husband, 47-year-old Raymond Roth, didn't drown off Jones Beach on Saturday. He was allegedly faking his own death to escape his wife and collect the insurance money. Classy!
The whole messy affair, which still doesn't entirely make sense, started on Saturday when Roth's 22-year-old son Jonathon Roth called 911 and reported that his father had swum into the ocean and never come back. A massive search soon followed. And then, on Wednesday, the whole thing started to unravel. First, Raymond's brother Robert contacted the police to say that actually his brother was alive, in Florida and that his wife Elena knew it (seems she'd just found out). Then, before that could even be confirmed, on Thursday morning South Carolina police found Roth speeding north on I-95:
Capt. Bruce Marx, the commanding officer of the State Police on Long Island, said he spoke briefly to Mr. Roth on the phone. Mr. Roth, he said, told him that he was unaware that he had been thought missing and that he would come back to clear up the matter. He told Captain Marx that he had been in Florida near Orlando and was driving back to New York.
“It’s all very sketchy,” Captain Marx said.
And it got sketchier! Turns out before the "drowning" Roth sent a number of e-mails to his son detailing the plan, which his wife later found. He also made sure to triple his life insurance earlier this year and last week rewrote his will:
In the damning e-mails, Raymond also wrote to his son: “I need to get to the bank for cash for the trip.”
He adds: “about the jewelry we spoke of yesterday, you need to whisper in [a relative’s] ear about it and do not worry she will get it,” and, “tell [another relative] i handed you the papers -- then you JUST noticed that there was an envelope with [his] name on it (the last Will and Testemnet [sic]) then hand it to him.”
In another e-mail Raymond sent to his son, he wrote, “you will need to help me get my car loaded. get your f--king ass out of bed you lazy bastard.’’
In a third, he adds, “there needs to be a way for me to find out how things are going. call me Sunday night at 8 PM at the resort.
“you cannot call from your phone,’’ the dad allegedly warned. “go to a pay phone or borrow your friends phone. you must call within 15 minutes of the determined call time in order to be sure i will be available.”
And it gets worse! According to Evana Roth, her husband "withdrew money from all my accounts. While I was crying and thinking he had drowned, he was vacationing in a resort and having a drink in the pool." Oh, and did we mention the part where Roth was recently fired from his job for threatening to shoot his supervisors (his licensed handgun was promptly taken away). "This is a terrible nightmare that I just want to wake up from," she said today. "Why did he do this? I think I’m just numb."
Roth has told police that he is on his way back to New York, but has yet to surface. According to Evana he sent her a text message this morning: "I just heard u [sic] have a press conference later. Be nice. Almost 15 years together." The couple have only been married 12 years.
Tagged
drowning
evana roth
faked death
jones beach
Raymond Roth
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Gatorade recall affects drinks sold in New York and New Jersey
More than 122,000 cases are being recalled over undeclared food dyes.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 4:36 p.m. ET
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
News
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani faces pressure to forge ahead with plan to fix polluting South Bronx market
By
Elizabeth Kim
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .