As it is now September, tax season will be here before we know it, here in the united States. The disappearance of a person in a marriage, but not their death, may raise many questions at the time of filing for taxes. i.e. will he try to disappear off the radar, how does his wife handle the tax forms, etc. This goes hand-in-hand with all the other legal aspects of a person's disappearance. Not knowing what state they reside in, there may be responsibilities his wife is on the hook for, even as he does adopt a life away from her but they remain married. As @georgette12 alluded to, there are a lot of layers here.
Ginger