GALENA — The months-long investigation into the disappearance of a Galena woman took a new turn Thursday, Oct. 30 when the Kent County Sheriff’s Office arrested the woman’s live-in handyman.
Raymond Ernest Anthony, 60, of Galena is charged with first- and second-degree murder of 74-year-old Nikole Lynn Snover.
Anthony also is charged with conducting a theft scheme ($25,000 to less than $100,000) and two counts each of credit card theft and credit card fraud ($25,000 to less than $100,000).
At the time of his arrest, Anthony was known to have been driving Snover’s vehicles — a pickup truck and a minivan — and had access to her bank accounts, according to the sheriff’s office.
He is being held in the Kent County Detention Center without bond.
Snover’s body has not be located, Lt. Sean Maloney, commander of the sheriff’s office Criminal Investigation Division, told The Evening Enterprise in a telephone interview Sunday, Nov. 2.
“We’re seeking the location of her remains,” Maloney said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 410-778-2279.
Detective Sgt. Nate Blazejak is the lead investigator.
Anthony was arrested on a Kent County Grand Jury indictment, sending the case directly to circuit court.
An indictment is a formal accusation that has already established probable cause to proceed with the charges. A preliminary hearing in district court is not necessary as the grand jury has made a determination similar to what a preliminary hearing would have decided.
No trial date has been set.
According to investigators, Anthony, originally from Pennsylvania, had lived in Betterton for about 20 years before ultimately moving into Snover’s home.
Lt. Maloney said Anthony made his living as a handyman and as a musician who also taught drum lessons.
He never married and has no children.
Snover was estranged from her family, all of whom live out of state, according to a sheriff’s office spokesperson.
Her husband passed away in April 2024 at a nursing facility in Cecil County that provides long-term care for individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Lt. Maloney said the relationship between Anthony and Snover appeared to be platonic.
They met through a mutual friend who knew that Snover was looking for a handyman and was amenable to a “live-in” situation, according to investigators.
Snover, known as “Nikki,” was well-established in Galena and had owned and operated an antiques business, Miss Janet’s Attic.
In June, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office opened a missing person investigation after a Galena town employee and then several residents reported that they had not seen Snover for several months.
Snover’s case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
The last verified sighting of Snover was in late December at a doctor’s appointment in Cecil County, according to Lt. Maloney.
By that time, Lt. Maloney said, Anthony had moved into Snover’s home in the 100-block of North Main Street — and still in the role of a handyman.
Anthony was interviewed several times as part of the missing person investigation, including at least once at Snover’s home.
Investigators developed Anthony as a suspect after he “repeatedly gave conflicting and contradictory statements over time,” Lt. Maloney told The Evening Enterprise.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Office of the Kent County State’s Attorney, Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, Delaware State Police, Maryland Natural Resources Police, Maryland National Capital Park Police, Middletown (Delaware) Police Department and the FBI’s Baltimore field office.
