NV NV - Steven T. Koecher, 30, Henderson, 13 Dec 2009 - #21

[webrocket]

The driving all over the place still bothers me. Was he scared? Trying to make a decision? doing errands?

He knew he was planning to do something and had that noon time encounter scheduled. The driving around was just keeping himself occupied until encounter time as it was preferable to sitting home alone and possibly being hounded by a landlord.

 

[Fairy1]

He knew he was planning to do something and had that noon time encounter scheduled. The driving around was just keeping himself occupied until encounter time as it was preferable to sitting home alone and possibly being hounded by a landlord.

IIRC - he was still being hounded by a landlord - via cell phone. A landlord with whom he had, reportedly, come to an agreement concerning overdue rent prior to the day he went missing.

You have to wonder why, if the mysterious "appointment" Steven had was at noon, he arrived in Vegas at approximately 8 AM. That's four hours of.............what? What the heck was he doing and WHERE?

Jeez - never thought we'd be asking the same questions nearly four years later. Poor Steven.

 

[Simply Caustic]

I've read that the money Steven's mother deposited into his account may not have been enough to cover his rent. Is it known for sure whether that's accurate or conjecture? I'm curious because I would imagine that, had Steven expected to pay off LL...if he checked the balance and saw that it wasn't enough, that could be something that perhaps LL got mad about...explain the flurry of calls..."but you said you would have the money! "

Could, theoretically, really set someone off. Especially if his finances were becoming strained, as LLs finances purportedly were...


Jmo

Sent from my KFTHWI

 

[Fairy1]

I've read that the money Steven's mother deposited into his account may not have been enough to cover his rent. Is it known for sure whether that's accurate or conjecture? I'm curious because I would imagine that, had Steven expected to pay off LL...if he checked the balance and saw that it wasn't enough, that could be something that perhaps LL got mad about...explain the flurry of calls..."but you said you would have the money! "

Could, theoretically, really set someone off. Especially if his finances were becoming strained, as LLs finances purportedly were...


Jmo

Sent from my KFTHWI

Steven's finances were definitely strained - he was 3 months behind on his rent, IIRC. His parents were aware of that because the LL called them about it. Whatever plans Steven made to get caught up on rent were not immediate so no, the money from his Mom was not for that purpose.

Theoretically, I do believe that could set someone off. But if it had already been discussed and an agreement reached, why keep calling? What more was there to be said?

 

[SeekingJana]

I recently saw Steven's case on I.D.'s "Disappeared".
If he was 3 months behind on his rent, wasn't he likely evicted? I'm wonder how an apparently devout LDS member gets into the financial and jobless place he was. In MOST areas, there are MANY resources from the Church: job placement centers, the storehouse, and also free residential short term housing in members' basements.

Number one on his list might be a job placement center, maybe in a larger town/ city. Have these places been checked to see if he went to one to apply for a job?

To me, he seemed extremely earnest and determined in the CCTV, but the car trips he took speak to a possibly disorganized mind. Maybe I don't understand why he drove so far. Could he have been having his first episode of a psychiatric problem such as Bi-Polar disorder with a manic phase, or maybe psychosis? The first thing I did when I was out of a job for a short time once was to park my car and walk. Gasoline is a huge expense and was when he went missing, IMO.

Thank you for letting me post with you.

 

[Fairy1]

I recently saw Steven's case on I.D.'s "Disappeared".
If he was 3 months behind on his rent, wasn't he likely evicted? I'm wonder how an apparently devout LDS member gets into the financial and jobless place he was. In MOST areas, there are MANY resources from the Church: job placement centers, the storehouse, and also free residential short term housing in members' basements.

Number one on his list might be a job placement center, maybe in a larger town/ city. Have these places been checked to see if he went to one to apply for a job?

To me, he seemed extremely earnest and determined in the CCTV, but the car trips he took speak to a possibly disorganized mind. Maybe I don't understand why he drove so far. Could he have been having his first episode of a psychiatric problem such as Bi-Polar disorder with a manic phase, or maybe psychosis? The first thing I did when I was out of a job for a short time once was to park my car and walk. Gasoline is a huge expense and was when he went missing, IMO.

Thank you for letting me post with you.

Steven did have a job - such as it was. He was actively seeking new employment - in St. George. As I recall, he did also ask his bishop for assistance in finding a job and was told he would get that help - after the holidays. I don't believe we've ever been told whether Steven was totally honest about how dire his financial situation really was. I'd like to think he downplayed it, otherwise, his church really dropped the ball in helping him through a rough patch.

All that driving really bothers me, too. I agree that even just the gas for those trips would have been a huge expense for someone who had no money. For me, it's just as big a mystery as what happened to Steven. I do believe it's somehow related to his disappearance.

 

[SassyBenton]

To those who believe Steven was in Henderson, NV for a job interview, I ask.....

Why would he be seeking a job 2 hours from where he lived? By all accounts, jobs were plentiful in St. George. And Steven's Mother has been adamant that he would not have been in Henderson, seeking a job, on a Sunday, when he was supposed to be elsewhere - in St. George.

Can you please provide info that says jobs were plentiful during that time in St. George? I have always heard the exact opposite.

 

[Fairy1]

Can you please provide info that says jobs were plentiful during that time in St. George? I have always heard the exact opposite.

No stats - just going by what folks familiar with the area were saying at the time Steven went missing.

 

[deca]

I am not sure what show I watched (maybe Disappeared but perhaps something else) but I thought it was pretty clear that he had been looking for work for a while and had contacted people (like an old girlfriend's family) to see if they had work in that area.
The family stated that they didn't realize how financially strapped he was. They knew he was struggling but not how much he was struggling. I think one of his siblings was saying that they wondered if he felt ashamed since they all had decent jobs and he hadn't "made it" yet.

I have known a lot of Mormons and sometimes when you need help you pretty much have to wait your turn if there are people who are more desperate. My guess is that families would come first for assistance, then single people. JMO

 

[Fairy1]

I am not sure what show I watched (maybe Disappeared but perhaps something else) but I thought it was pretty clear that he had been looking for work for a while and had contacted people (like an old girlfriend's family) to see if they had work in that area.
The family stated that they didn't realize how financially strapped he was. They knew he was struggling but not how much he was struggling. I think one of his siblings was saying that they wondered if he felt ashamed since they all had decent jobs and he hadn't "made it" yet.

I have known a lot of Mormons and sometimes when you need help you pretty much have to wait your turn if there are people who are more desperate. My guess is that families would come first for assistance, then single people. JMO

Steven definitely was looking for work - just not in the Las Vegas area. I'm no expert on the St. George job market at the time he went missing, but I live in Vegas and can say the job market here at that time sucked. In addition, a job in the Las Vegas area would have meant a move for Steven and there's no doubt he was in no position to make such a move.

I really don't believe Steven was forthcoming with anyone regarding his dire financial straits. His family found out only because his landlord contacted them about Steven being behind on his rent. One can only imagine how humiliating that might have been for a 30 year old man. He certainly seemed to be trying to handle it on his own.

Steven's long trip to the family home of his former girlfriend had nothing to do with his job search. He did not inquire about job opportunities while there. He did tell them he was planning to go to Sacramento. No one who knows Steven could figure that one out, either.

 

[deca]

I don't really know what the job market was like there back then, and IMO it probably doesn't matter much.
In my experience, Mormons have a wide network that they try to work in. You can liken it to people of a certain ethnic background who want to patronize or employ someone from the same background (ie my Filipino aunt prefers to go to Filipino owned businesses).

So my guess is that a friend of a friend of a friend's cousin (of whatever crazy chain you can think of) had some day job out there for him. Steven wasn't on his guard because that is how things work in that culture. I think whoever this person was lured him out there. If Steven wanted to disappear, there are many remote areas a short drive away and better places to leave his car.
JMO

And he might not have asked his former girlfriends fam for a job- but he could have been looking for jobs on the way or in that area. Or maybe he just wanted to stay away from his landlord. Who knows?

 

[Fairy1]

I don't really know what the job market was like there back then, and IMO it probably doesn't matter much.
In my experience, Mormons have a wide network that they try to work in. You can liken it to people of a certain ethnic background who want to patronize or employ someone from the same background (ie my Filipino aunt prefers to go to Filipino owned businesses).

So my guess is that a friend of a friend of a friend's cousin (of whatever crazy chain you can think of) had some day job out there for him. Steven wasn't on his guard because that is how things work in that culture. I think whoever this person was lured him out there. If Steven wanted to disappear, there are many remote areas a short drive away and better places to leave his car.
JMO

And he might not have asked his former girlfriends fam for a job- but he could have been looking for jobs on the way or in that area. Or maybe he just wanted to stay away from his landlord. Who knows?

The job market matters only when considering that Steven was in Henderson looking for a job. On a Sunday. Las Vegas and, by extension, Henderson, was terribly hard hit by the recession - resulting in one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

I absolutely agree that he would have (should have?) been most comfortable seeking assistance through his church - with which he was heavily involved. That's one of the reasons I don't believe he was entirely honest with his church associates about his financial situation. At the very least, they could have helped with necessities and there was no evidence that ever happened. IIRC, the only food he had was peanut butter and bread. And they could have provided a virtual army to search for him when he went missing, but they didn't. We have a huge Mormon population in the Las Vegas area, but there didn't seem to be any interest from that sector in helping to find Steven. There may be an explanation for that, but it's always irritated me, TBH.

If he was here for a "day job," I don't believe he would have been so quick to offer to go back to St. George when he spoke to his friend at 8 AM that morning. He needed money so why would he be so willing to blow off a job?

The trip to Ruby Valley was one of many trips that really can't be explained - under the circumstances.

If I remember correctly, the landlord didn't live in St. George so all that driving around wasn't necessary to physically distance himself from him.

 

[EmiLove832]

The job market matters only when considering that Steven was in Henderson looking for a job. On a Sunday. Las Vegas and, by extension, Henderson, was terribly hard hit by the recession - resulting in one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

I absolutely agree that he would have (should have?) been most comfortable seeking assistance through his church - with which he was heavily involved. That's one of the reasons I don't believe he was entirely honest with his church associates about his financial situation. At the very least, they could have helped with necessities and there was no evidence that ever happened. IIRC, the only food he had was peanut butter and bread. And they could have provided a virtual army to search for him when he went missing, but they didn't. We have a huge Mormon population in the Las Vegas area, but there didn't seem to be any interest from that sector in helping to find Steven. There may be an explanation for that, but it's always irritated me, TBH.

If he was here for a "day job," I don't believe he would have been so quick to offer to go back to St. George when he spoke to his friend at 8 AM that morning. He needed money so why would he be so willing to blow off a job?

The trip to Ruby Valley was one of many trips that really can't be explained - under the circumstances.

If I remember correctly, the landlord didn't live in St. George so all that driving around wasn't necessary to physically distance himself from him.

I second your statement about the LV job market in 2009, it was terrible! Las Vegas was one of the hardest hit cities during the economy decline. I lived there from 2003-2010. The office I worked at, went from almost 100 enployees in 2008 to less than half in 2010.

After watching the disappeared episode twice, it seems LE does have an idea of which home he went to but cannot prove it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[deca]

I am sure someone more familiar with LDS stuff can chime in here- but my Mormon friends say that some wards are really quick to offer assistance, be of help, and are generally very friendly. Other wards can be intrusive, cliquey, mean. Some wards have a lot of needy people and not much money which might have been the case since the economy was bad. A friend who had been living on ramen said it took a few months before they could get help...

Most of the wards are run by a couple of people- and those people can hand down the word to help or not to help. Imagine if the ward was run by a very dictatorial person who didn't think resources (church manpower) should be used to look for Steven?

I don't know if that was the case, but it is a possibility. Maybe Steven made an enemy somewhere and didn't know it? Just exploring some different angles.

 

[Aimee]

All that driving really bothers me, too. I agree that even just the gas for those trips would have been a huge expense for someone who had no money. For me, it's just as big a mystery as what happened to Steven. I do believe it's somehow related to his disappearance.

I do believe the same..... Also I believe the people who gave Steven the money for all these trips is the people who are related to his disappearance.

What info that can really help in this case is:
Remember early in this case, a young girl who lived across the house from 2250 Evening Lights St. mentioned to one of the searchers that the renters moved out from that house after having two carpet cleaning companies clean the carpets of that house... If someone can ask that that girl or the neighbors of that 2250 E L St. house if the renters of that time owned a late model white Ford F150 pickup truck and a white Ford Econoline 150 Van.

 

[laytonian]

I am not sure what show I watched (maybe Disappeared but perhaps something else) but I thought it was pretty clear that he had been looking for work for a while and had contacted people (like an old girlfriend's family) to see if they had work in that area.

Yes, he did drive to the Ruby Valley home of a girl he'd dated a couple of times, but from the conversation that's been reported, there was no mention that he was looking for work there. Ruby Valley is a collection of beautiful farms; there's really no jobs there, in the winter. WHY he ended up there, to have an hour conversation, is unknown. All we do know is that he said he was going to Sacramento (but if so, why drive so far off-course)?

The family stated that they didn't realize how financially strapped he was. They knew he was struggling but not how much he was struggling. I think one of his siblings was saying that they wondered if he felt ashamed since they all had decent jobs and he hadn't "made it" yet.

I have known a lot of Mormons and sometimes when you need help you pretty much have to wait your turn if there are people who are more desperate. My guess is that families would come first for assistance, then single people. JMO

We have to remember that this happened after two critical events in Steven's life: he'd turned 30 just six weeks before, and his brother's child had just been born. All of his siblings were married and on their own; he was (for some reason) lagging and (my own opinion) unfocused.

Although the job market was poor, there were much better jobs available in St George than merely passing out flyers advertising a window washing company, door-to-door. There's nothing wrong with restaurant work (always booming in a winter resort area) and tips could be good.

I don't think he was in Henderson to look for a job; not at noon on a Sunday in December. I think he was sent there, and I've come to believe that he'd been to that area before.

Parking where he did, and walking away and around the corner shows he had a destination -- but there's no clear destination.

You can now virtually walk through that neighborhood via Google street view. Notice that there are 200+ homes in that neighborhood, only ONE place to park that's not in front of someone's home, and that his destination could have been any one of those homes. OR....just picking up a car and driving away alone or with someone -- and out of the subdivision out of camera view (my own theory).

 

[laytonian]

I do believe the same..... Also I believe the people who gave Steven the money for all these trips is the people who are related to his disappearance.

What info that can really help in this case is:
Remember early in this case, a young girl who lived across the house from 2250 Evening Lights St. mentioned to one of the searchers that the renters moved out from that house after having two carpet cleaning companies clean the carpets of that house... If someone can ask that that girl or the neighbors of that 2250 E L St. house if the renters of that time owned a late model white Ford F150 pickup truck and a white Ford Econoline 150 Van.

Why those vehicles?
Google satellite view? Those images were there, before Steven disappeared.

TWO carpet cleaning companies?

I know someone in the neighborhood moved (the D family), but cleaning carpets afterwards is entirely normal. We have to remember that the girl mentioned that those people "weren't members of the neighborhood watch" ... but that would have been a different family (the W family, with a very sick husband).

 

[laytonian]

Since the fourth-year anniversary of Steven's disappearance is coming up quickly, I thought I'd come back and offer some things:

Google Street Maps now shows the Sun City Anthem neighborhood; you can virtually "walk" through the area. I put the pointer here, where the car was parked. You can scroll around and take your tour.

http://goo.gl/maps/wNOlm
This street view was taken in April 2011, but not posted until a few months ago.

Notice as you "walk" up Evening Lights, the road curves. When a few of us walked that route, we naturally walked across the street just like you see the man in the video do.

Also, notice that it would be pretty hard for someone in Mr Security's house to see much that was going on down the street on the opposite side.

Other than that, there's really nothing new. I believe that nothing will happen in this case, until Steven reappears (alive, or not).
Many of us still watch for unidentified remains, and report them to NAMUS. Not much else we can do, without more info.

 

[Solitaryone]

Well, it's been four years today that Steven has been missing. I sure wish we knew what happened to Steven and where he is. I hope whoever made Steven disappear will be held accountable someday.

 

[Kelly_Robinson]

It's been some time since I've posted on here and like everything that I consider, I try to be extremely objective, not one given to speculation or conspiracy theories. They are a complete waste of time.

However, with that being said I do have an opinion and I occasionally listen to my gut when everything fails as is in this particular missing person's case.

I don't think Steven Koecher committed suicide or walked off, it's complete conjecture and nonsense. There's simply nothing that suggests that. He wasn't on drugs, no evidence of unipolar depression. He was looking for a better job to make more money but he was hardly the only one in 2009, in the midst of the worst recession this country has seen since the Great Depression, who was fretting about work and bills ( I was myself).

I just watched the Disappeared episode again and he left fliers on his dash board. Why? Well, when I've left something on my dashboard, as I've done with paperwork in the past, it's because I was grabbing some items to take with me and didn't have time to put them back.

If he was grabbing a couple of fliers to show as an example to either have someone create some new fliers, or a logo for marketing purposes I would think he was going to some kind of printer or marketing person or company.

There's a company on Deora called Vuethru who ran their office out of the home in 2009 which did both printing and marketing.

Call it a hunch, but heading over to Vuethru on Deora would be consistent with grabbing some fliers for marketing and printing purposes.

I don't believe he was in that neighborhood for a job interview. However if he spoke to someone who told him that he could help him build up the window washing business by redoing his fliers or creating a new logo, that would make sense.