AK - Samantha Koenig, 18, Anchorage, 1 Feb 2012 - #1

[bdawk20]

Regarding the cash normally being left in the stand overnight: I don't think the owner's comment implies that. Perhaps ordinary procedure is to clean up the stand and take the cash for deposit. The "missing cash" may have been noteworthy, in hindsight, only because the inside was left messy.

In fact, I think the later comment -- that "The first baristas didn't see anything we haven't seen before (with other employees). It just looked like she did a real poor job of closing" -- indicates that it is normal for the cash to be removed.

I was thinking more along the lines that maybe there IS a safe inside, that the baristas wouldn't/couldn't have checked for the $, but rather the owners, which was when they discovered it was missing. Then again, either the owners normally came in at opening each day, or it was normal to leave at least a small amount of cash onhand because otherwise I don't know how they would handle making change for cash customers early in the morning.....

 

[Miziree]

So that means that LE should have been able to track her initial path using her cell phone. We know her father repeatedly called her cell phone until it went dead. Or at least LE should be able to locate were the cell phone was disposed of if it was thrown away by whoever took Sam. The part about there wasn't anything that immediately suggested an abduction is also very interesting.

I wonder if that is why at first they say she was going East and now say West..

 

[Miziree]

I was thinking more along the lines that maybe there IS a safe inside, that the baristas wouldn't/couldn't have checked for the $, but rather the owners, which was when they discovered it was missing. Then again, either the owners normally came in at opening each day, or it was normal to leave at least a small amount of cash onhand because otherwise I don't know how they would handle making change for cash customers early in the morning.....

When I was a teen living there, I worked at Video City. They always had 2 people at the store at least. We would have a certain amount in each till, the rest was dropped in a safe through out the day/night. The owners would come in early and count the money. We were also told to give them everything they wanted that our lives were more valuable. I think this is very possible in this case too. MOO

 

[No Stone Unturned]

I wonder if that is why at first they say she was going East and now say West..

I haven't read anything about any direction.. only that security cameras are being checked. Are you saying that you read about cell phone pings?

 

[Joe Friday]

I haven't read anything about any direction.. only that security cameras are being checked. Are you saying that you read about cell phone pings?

It was reported that "they" left on foot, headed east toward the Old Seward Highway. As far as if they left town in any certain direction that is unknown by the general public.


Since Sam's cell phone is now known to be missing and it is presumed that she took it with her I think LE would be able to get information from her cell phone provider which would tell them which towers connected to her phone when it was called repeatedly by her father and others until the phone went dead. This would give LE an indication where her phone and/or she is possibly located. If she was taken out of town this might indicate in which direction her abductor traveled. Obviously if her phone connected to a tower in a city 50 miles to the east of Anchorage she or at least her cell phone traveled in that direction. If her phone connected on a certain tower over and over again in Anchorage she or her cell phone is likely in the radius of that tower. This could be a huge break in the case, but it is something that LE has likely known all along.


It could also just be bad reporting too. Very frustrating that LE is not making any announcements as to what progress they have made or what evidence they have uncovered. Not that I really would expect them to do so anyway. I would imagine the information as to what items were or were not left behind such as Sam's phone, purse and coat is coming from the owners or employee's of the coffee hut and not from LE.

JMO

The armed man walked to the Common Grounds Espresso stand on Tudor Road near Gambell Street about 8 p.m. Wednesday and forced Koenig to leave with him on foot, headed east toward the Old Seward Highway, said Detective Slawomir Markiewicz.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/02/03/2298379/police-continue-search-for-missing.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Miziree]

Then here in this article it says they were going west..

http://articles.ktuu.com/2012-02-08/anchorage-police_31040047

According to APD spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker, surveillance footage taken from Common Grounds Espresso on Tudor Road and Fairbanks Street shows Koenig reacting in fear to an armed man at about 8 p.m. on the night of Feb. 1. The two then reportedly left on foot headed west.

No i didn't hear anything about pings yet.

Thank you Joe Friday for helping me clear that up

 

[Joe Friday]

The detective said they headed East. The spokesperson for LE said they headed West.

I tend to think the spokesperson might be wrong. This would be second hand information he is giving out to reporters. He is not directly working the case. One of the reporters could have gotten it wrong too.

I don't think it really matters. I think the perp parked out of sight of the camera's and he and Sam walked to a waiting vehicle. Which way they went from there is anyone's guess unless there is surveillance coverage from another business.

JMO

 

[Miziree]

http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-x...ease-Video-of-Koenig-Abduction-138943419.html

It’s surveillance footage everyone wants to see.
“Our detectives have gone over those videos frame by frame, slow motion, fast motion, normal speed, everything they could possibly do to make that determination as to who that is,” said Anchorage police spokesperson Lieutenant Dave Parker. But APD is not sharing what it says is proof Samantha Koenig was kidnapped – not even with her family.

and

Police say it will not help them solve the crime. “There is an evidentiary nature to those videos that were taken in by these security cameras and they can be used later on in court,” said Parker. “But if we are to present them now it would have the effect of tainting the jury.”

 

[z560]

I found this part of the recent ADN story interesting:

There was no sign of a struggle, he said. Soon after, when the Duncans watched the surveillance video, they saw something that made them call police immediately, he said. The couple would not elaborate on what triggered the call but said the video was obscured somehow.

"This perpetrator took obvious and deliberate means to avoid being captured on video," Tyler Duncan said.

The abduction was apparently so stealthy that a person seen in the video, sitting in a pickup about 50 feet from the stand, didn't appear to notice anything strange, Tyler said.

"They were just oblivious," he said.

http://www.adn.com/2012/02/08/2307318/police-report-some-progress-in.html#storylink=cpy


Does this mean that the abductor covered up the cameras with something? Maybe they covered up the outside one and then never actually entered the coffee shack so that the inside cameras wouldn't capture them either.

 

[cluciano63]

http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-x...ease-Video-of-Koenig-Abduction-138943419.html

It’s surveillance footage everyone wants to see.
“Our detectives have gone over those videos frame by frame, slow motion, fast motion, normal speed, everything they could possibly do to make that determination as to who that is,” said Anchorage police spokesperson Lieutenant Dave Parker. But APD is not sharing what it says is proof Samantha Koenig was kidnapped – not even with her family.

and

Police say it will not help them solve the crime. “There is an evidentiary nature to those videos that were taken in by these security cameras and they can be used later on in court,” said Parker. “But if we are to present them now it would have the effect of tainting the jury.”

I am confused about the part of tainting a jury-does this mean that LE DOES know who it is? But if they know and can't locate the person, shouldn't there be an APB out on him? And if they can't tell, how would a jury be tainted? Is it very violent?

 

[Miziree]

I am confused about the part of tainting a jury-does this mean that LE DOES know who it is? But if they know and can't locate the person, shouldn't there be an APB out on him? And if they can't tell, how would a jury be tainted? Is it very violent?

I am wondering the same thing.

 

[Mirage]

I am confused about the part of tainting a jury-does this mean that LE DOES know who it is? But if they know and can't locate the person, shouldn't there be an APB out on him? And if they can't tell, how would a jury be tainted? Is it very violent?

This is what I keep thinking... either it is violent, or it shows her being so horrified that they dont want it made public. It may cause extreme pain for her family or such. JMO of course.

 

[Fuller Malarkey]

“There is an evidentiary nature to those videos that were taken in by these security cameras and they can be used later on in court,” said Parker. “But if we are to present them now it would have the effect of tainting the jury.”

Well, if the objective is to retrieve a body and extract justice, hold the security tape. If the objective is to find and rescue this girl,......I can't believe the only evidence that will convict the kidnapper is the tape. It may well be a weak part of getting a conviction. On the other hand, the fact the family hasn't viewed the tape leads me to think family might conclude things differently than the police about who did the grabbing. If it were my daughter missing, Anchorage Police would need Seal Team Six to keep me away from that tape. So maybe I don't have main stream thinking. I couldn't allow my daughter to die to enable simplicity and policy for those unfettered by the outcome. Until family sees that tape not everything possible has been done to save this girl. We know what Dad has done, and I have confidence in what he is willing to do. The police have no such investment or concern of an outcome. Pay is the same either way. I've relied on my sense of recognition with my fellow Marines in battle zones. In the dark, I could conclude an identity by gait, posture, stride, stature. These cops are looking at someone on video they may have never laid eyes on before. A family member just might pick up on a trait, and I'm not thinking Dad, I'm thinking brother. Brother might be more apt to recognize something. Again, I don't have main stream thinking, and my motivation is for rescue, not recovery.

 

[Joe Friday]

I am confused about the part of tainting a jury-does this mean that LE DOES know who it is? But if they know and can't locate the person, shouldn't there be an APB out on him? And if they can't tell, how would a jury be tainted? Is it very violent?

I think it comes down to premeditation. The video will show that the perp went to great lengths to not have his identity captured by the camera. If Sam is found dead or alive that will prove that this crime of kidnapping or possibly murder was premeditated.

If the video is released now it will be discussed in the court of public opinion and a decision will be made that will could influence the potential jury pool. Like maybe it looks as if she was startled when he first approached but then it seems like she left willingly.

If the video showed violence I think there would have been evidence of a struggle such as items lying around and knocked over inside or possibly blood. Knowing the morning crew came in and didn't think anything was out of the ordinary other then the mess of a few cups left on the counter and maybe the sink and counter not being wiped down the night before I don't think a struggle took place.

JMO

 

[cluciano63]

Still...it doesn't seem right somehow to be worried about the outcome of a court case when someone may still be alive and needing someone to recognize her abductor...and again, if LE KNOWS who it is, why are they not putting out public word to locate him? Or is he not "missing"? Meaning he is back in his normal place, with only Samantha still missing?

 

[KrazyKatLadi]

This just doesn't add up for me.

Maybe (big maybe) the video shows her acting WITH the "abductor". I don't think so, but maybe.

I just don't know why they wouldn't want public help! :banghead:

Ive had many jobs and we either did a bank drop off or put the cash in a floor or wall safe.

 

[Knox]

Police report some progress in case of missing barista

Anchorage police say detectives are making progress in the search for abducted 18-year-old Samantha Koenig but declined to discuss specific details from the case.

"I believe they've made some pretty good strides in the last 24 hours, but they're not ready to release that," police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said late Wednesday.

Parker said the team of detectives working around the clock on the case has interviewed dozens of people, leading to more interviews and some potential evidence.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/02/08/2307318/police-report-some-progress-in.html#storylink=cpy
​

I have been watching another local story in Anchorage, not saying it is linked to Samantha's disappearance. But an abduction and a murder within a few days of each other could be related, moo.

http://www.adn.com/2012/02/08/2307120/autopsy-points-to-homicide-in.html

 

[MagnoliaMom]

Well, if the objective is to retrieve a body and extract justice, hold the security tape. If the objective is to find and rescue this girl,......I can't believe the only evidence that will convict the kidnapper is the tape. It may well be a weak part of getting a conviction. On the other hand, the fact the family hasn't viewed the tape leads me to think family might conclude things differently than the police about who did the grabbing. If it were my daughter missing, Anchorage Police would need Seal Team Six to keep me away from that tape. So maybe I don't have main stream thinking. I couldn't allow my daughter to die to enable simplicity and policy for those unfettered by the outcome. Until family sees that tape not everything possible has been done to save this girl. We know what Dad has done, and I have confidence in what he is willing to do. The police have no such investment or concern of an outcome. Pay is the same either way. I've relied on my sense of recognition with my fellow Marines in battle zones. In the dark, I could conclude an identity by gait, posture, stride, stature. These cops are looking at someone on video they may have never laid eyes on before. A family member just might pick up on a trait, and I'm not thinking Dad, I'm thinking brother. Brother might be more apt to recognize something. Again, I don't have main stream thinking, and my motivation is for rescue, not recovery.

Thank you. This is my thinking also. From a parental standpoint, I would be more concerned with getting my daughter back at this point at whatever cost than worrying about a tainted jury pool or even a conviction.

The dad's comments are discouraging.

 

[Janeumayer]

I was thinking more along the lines that maybe there IS a safe inside, that the baristas wouldn't/couldn't have checked for the $, but rather the owners, which was when they discovered it was missing. Then again, either the owners normally came in at opening each day, or it was normal to leave at least a small amount of cash onhand because otherwise I don't know how they would handle making change for cash customers early in the morning.....

Sounds about right. I used to work at a famous mall retailer and at closing, I used to put the money in a safe in the office. When I opened the store the next morning, I would open the safe and take the money to the bank to be deposited into the account.

 

[Janeumayer]

I found this part of the recent ADN story interesting:



http://www.adn.com/2012/02/08/2307318/police-report-some-progress-in.html#storylink=cpy


Does this mean that the abductor covered up the cameras with something? Maybe they covered up the outside one and then never actually entered the coffee shack so that the inside cameras wouldn't capture them either.

Only thing is, if he never came into the shack, then why would Samantha leave and close the shop without cleaning up? That would also imply that she took the money with her on purpose along with all her belongings.

I am confused.