NV NV - Steven T. Koecher, 30, Henderson, 13 Dec 2009 - # 1

[laytonian]

If I recall correctly, the visit to the friends house was on December 8th. So it was actually less than a week before he disappeared. You bring up a good point why was he in the area at that time? You'd think that would have been brought up during conversation when he was talking to the parents.

So he was in Vegas on Dec 8th....and also Dec 13th?

If he truly did go to Sacramento on the 8th, he must have driven up there and turned right back towards St George.

My head hurts.

 

[Fairy1]

Hopefully I do not offend here. On some of the sites, and in some of the articles (especially the early ones) you see a "Leave it to Beaver" view of Steven and his life. I am not sure if this is on purpose or due to being naive. However, if it's on purpose, because certain people do not want outsiders to know they are not perfect (which none of us are) this case will not get solved. I have seen many posters (not on WS) trying to help and come up with ideas to solve this only to get a nasty reply because it does not fit the "good boy" image.

The worst part about some of these cases is that skeletons are exposed, dirty laundry is aired and people are hurt. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to expose those things to get to the truth.

I think because of that mentality, friends and family may be afraid to come forward. Lost at Sea is right, there is no way someone didn't ask Steven why he was in Vegas or going to Sacramento.

No where have I seen "callers/tips can be anonymous" when LE's numbers are listed. Believe's e-mail to the mortgage company says tips can be anonymous, but thats it. The case may get a little help if people are not afraid to come forward.

ITA ella's mom. I'm sure it's difficult to have to face the situation head-on - warts and all - when a loved one goes missing. But it is necessary if they are to be found.

Your comment (and lost at sea's) bolded above really has me thinking and I agree completely. I find it especially concerning that he didn't mention it to Greg Webb or that Greg didn't specifically ask Steven - since they were reportedly BOTH here. It's weird! Wouldn't you say "Oh that's so funny - I'm in Vegas today too to _________!" or "Wow - me too! What brings you to Vegas?" And, if Webb knew he was going to be here, why wouldn't he have contacted Steven ahead of time to cover his meeting? Why would you wait until the DAY OF the meeting? And I wonder if it's even been verified that such a meeting was actually scheduled for that day.

Taking this thought one step further.....Webb no doubt would have known that there would be a record of his call to Steven that day - AND it would show both of them were in Vegas when it occurred. He had to explain it somehow, but there is really only his account of what was said in that conversation.

I certainly don't want to paint anyone as a villain, but there's a person missing here and coincidences and odd behavior shouldn't be brushed off and left unexplored.

IMHO

 

[Naegle]

Hopefully I do not offend here. On some of the sites, and in some of the articles (especially the early ones) you see a "Leave it to Beaver" view of Steven and his life. I am not sure if this is on purpose or due to being naive. However, if it's on purpose, because certain people do not want outsiders to know they are not perfect (which none of us are) this case will not get solved. I have seen many posters (not on WS) trying to help and come up with ideas to solve this only to get a nasty reply because it does not fit the "good boy" image.

The worst part about some of these cases is that skeletons are exposed, dirty laundry is aired and people are hurt. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to expose those things to get to the truth.

I think because of that mentality, friends and family may be afraid to come forward. Lost at Sea is right, there is no way someone didn't ask Steven why he was in Vegas or going to Sacramento.

No where have I seen "callers/tips can be anonymous" when LE's numbers are listed. Believe's e-mail to the mortgage company says tips can be anonymous, but thats it. The case may get a little help if people are not afraid to come forward.

You're certainly right. Steven had his problems like he was behind on his rent and on his car payments, but honestly that's the biggest skelton that Steven has and that's only a debt of around $1,000. Yes, he may be mildly depressed about not having a steady job, but it's not like he's the minority there.

While his family and friends may not be comfortable exposing Steven's personal life to the whole world you need to acknowledge that we are the authority here. Yes, it's possible that Steven was leading two completly seperate lives, but is that the most probable explanation? Please, give his family and friends a little credit when we say he really is an honest, devout, level, kind and loving person.

That being said, please continue with your speculations. Something obviously went very wrong here.

 

[laytonian]

Steven's mom put some money in his account, so that he could pay his rent,but he never used it. So he didn't pay his rent ? And he left his cell phone in his car ? I don't understand what he was living on ; it sounds as though he had very limited funds. The trips to Vegas make no sense on the surface. I wonder if he was depressed, and maybe felt hopeless about his future ?

The cellphone was found in the car?

I'm reading that it hadn't been used.

 

[laytonian]

IMO, she's saying a perp, like from a carjacking robbery gone wrong, dumped the car there. Unless she didn't mean that, that is. lol.

Hey Laytonian, I've seen you around. Glad to have you here!

Apparently, I'm the world's most recognizable person. There go MY plans on disappearing

Yeah, I meant "dump" in the sense of just parking it and leaving.

 

[jbirddinky]

I started following the Susan Powell case first. Then I read another article on Steven Koecher missing. I started seeing similarities between the two. Thinking it would help, I posted my thoughts on Susan's missing facebook page. However, the family didn't like my thinking and deleted it. I was shocked. It made me realize that the "perfect image" was more important to them. So, I left that group and joined Steven's. I then posted my ideas about the two of them on Steven's page under the discussion section. Naegle wrote back and thought it was just coincidental circumstances, but at least she didn't delete my post. I've been seeing her on here and reading everyone's thoughts and responding.....I'm happy to see that she really wants him found. I also read everyone's blogs and will continue to put in my input if I find something good.

Somethings I found similar b/w the two were:

a. They were both living in Utah.
b. One is single and the other not happily married.
c. They both attend LDS functions/church.
d. They are both MISSING.
e. She is 28, he is 30.

I was speculating that the two of them met some kind of way, say online. And possibly ran away together. Who knows. Now, that I got that off my chest....lol, I will continue trying to find facts to help bring him home.

 

[lost at sea]

ITA ella's mom. I'm sure it's difficult to have to face the situation head-on - warts and all - when a loved one goes missing. But it is necessary if they are to be found.

Your comment (and lost at sea's) bolded above really has me thinking and I agree completely. I find it especially concerning that he didn't mention it to Greg Webb or that Greg didn't specifically ask Steven - since they were reportedly BOTH here. It's weird! Wouldn't you say "Oh that's so funny - I'm in Vegas today too to _________!" or "Wow - me too! What brings you to Vegas?" And, if Webb knew he was going to be here, why wouldn't he have contacted Steven ahead of time to cover his meeting? Why would you wait until the DAY OF the meeting? And I wonder if it's even been verified that such a meeting was actually scheduled for that day.

Taking this thought one step further.....Webb no doubt would have known that there would be a record of his call to Steven that day - AND it would show both of them were in Vegas when it occurred. He had to explain it somehow, but there is really only his account of what was said in that conversation.

I certainly don't want to paint anyone as a villain, but there's a person missing here and coincidences and odd behavior shouldn't be brushed off and left unexplored.

IMHO

My questions regarding Webb include the following which I believe are critical:

1. Did Webb go back to Utah like he said he would?
2. What was Webb doing in Vegas and where was he staying?
3. How long does the phone record indicate his call to Steven was? Shouldn't take more than 60 seconds to ask if he was going to be able to cover for him in elder's quorum. If the call record shows 2 or more minutes they discussed more than those few details Webb reported.

Im not pointing to Webb as a villian either. But a snippet left out of a conversation could mean a lot in a situation like this.

 

[higherpower]

some of these scenarios seem to point to a trip being taken if so then why did he have no bag or where were they? he also didn't bring a phone charger suggesting that he was only there for a day trip. when did he get to Vegas and where did he stay? He had snacks in the car but together with the fact he had no bags or phone charger he intended to get back to st George that day. But, the conflicting thing is why park in that cul de sac unless he was merely parking there so as to be out of the way while he was gone.

I don't think there was a trip planed to any where long distance other wise why buy snacks and not bring bags or a phone charger.

unless some old couple invited him on an all expense payed trip some where.

 

[fasteddy4]

Real quick, before I go to the dentist. . .I discovered this morning that this link: http://redrock.co.clark.nv.us/assrrealprop/site.aspx will take you to a very helpful page. Put in "Evening Lights" in the street name and pick Henderson as the city from the list. Hit "submit" and it will show every address on Evening Lights. And. . .you can find out who lives/owns each one of the houses on that street. To Naegle: Do any of those owners look like somebody Steven or someone in your family might know?

 

[fasteddy4]

Click on the blue "parcel number" and it will give you all the ownership information. . .

 

[higherpower]

Did this yesterday using the county assessor's website. A lot of the houses on the street are in the name of family trusts. For that reason its hard to know who really lives in some of the houses. Nor will you be able to see who lives in the casitas, if anyone.

 

[dreamweaver]

I started following the Susan Powell case first. Then I read another article on Steven Koecher missing. I started seeing similarities between the two. Thinking it would help, I posted my thoughts on Susan's missing facebook page. However, the family didn't like my thinking and deleted it. I was shocked. It made me realize that the "perfect image" was more important to them. So, I left that group and joined Steven's. I then posted my ideas about the two of them on Steven's page under the discussion section. Naegle wrote back and thought it was just coincidental circumstances, but at least she didn't delete my post. I've been seeing her on here and reading everyone's thoughts and responding.....I'm happy to see that she really wants him found. I also read everyone's blogs and will continue to put in my input if I find something good.

Somethings I found similar b/w the two were:

a. They were both living in Utah.
b. One is single and the other not happily married.
c. They both attend LDS functions/church.
d. They are both MISSING.
e. She is 28, he is 30.

I was speculating that the two of them met some kind of way, say online. And possibly ran away together. Who knows. Now, that I got that off my chest....lol, I will continue trying to find facts to help bring him home.

Wouldn't this be a perfect scenario?
They fall in love online, they both disappear to live together.
BUT,
I don't really think so.
Susan wouldn't leave her boys and probably not her church.
Steven does not sound like the kind of man who would want her to abandon her boys and take off with him.

 

[dreamweaver]

You're certainly right. Steven had his problems like he was behind on his rent and on his car payments, but honestly that's the biggest skelton that Steven has and that's only a debt of around $1,000. Yes, he may be mildly depressed about not having a steady job, but it's not like he's the minority there.

While his family and friends may not be comfortable exposing Steven's personal life to the whole world you need to acknowledge that we are the authority here. Yes, it's possible that Steven was leading two completly seperate lives, but is that the most probable explanation? Please, give his family and friends a little credit when we say he really is an honest, devout, level, kind and loving person.

That being said, please continue with your speculations. Something obviously went very wrong here.

Naegle: With all due respect, if Steven has a double life, it does
lead credibility to an obvious explanation.
And WS posters talking about leading a double life, whether discussing if Steven is gay or if he is dating a married woman,
does not negate the fact that he is an honest, devout, level, kind and
loving person.

For me, it means he could have chosen to disappear.
But, I don't really think so.
For me, it means a double life involving another person, means that other person's husband or wife could become very angry.
And that person could have made Steven disappear.

 

[ella's mom]

You're certainly right. Steven had his problems like he was behind on his rent and on his car payments, but honestly that's the biggest skelton that Steven has and that's only a debt of around $1,000. Yes, he may be mildly depressed about not having a steady job, but it's not like he's the minority there.

While his family and friends may not be comfortable exposing Steven's personal life to the whole world you need to acknowledge that we are the authority here. Yes, it's possible that Steven was leading two completly seperate lives, but is that the most probable explanation? Please, give his family and friends a little credit when we say he really is an honest, devout, level, kind and loving person.
That being said, please continue with your speculations. Something obviously went very wrong here.

Thanks for the response Naegle. You are right. You and the family are the authority on what is shared and what isn't. I absolutely respect that and know that a bunch of strangers on a crime forum do not have a right to Steven's personal information either.

My biggest concern is that people will feel comfortable enough to share what they know with LE. There may be friends that have information, but might not want the parents to know it came from them. Or might have information that could incriminate them as well. If there was an anonymous tip line available, you might get more leads coming in.

For example, Let's say Steven's friend Joe Smith gets high with Steven on a regular basis and knows for a fact that Steven gets his pot from Susie Jones who lives in the little house (Casista, or whatever it was called) behind her Grandparents home in Sun City Anthem. That would be extremely relevant to the case. However, Joe is afraid to come forward because he doesn't want to get Steven or himself in trouble with the law. He wouldn't want Steven's or his own family to know that he did such a thing. He might be a higher up member of LDS and certainly wouldn't want members of the church to know that he would do something like that. It might cause him to lose his position in the church and/or his job.

I hope all of that rambling made sense.

Naegle I don't doubt you or the other family members when you say he really is an honest, devout, level, kind and loving person. Everything I have read points to that as well. That's what makes this case so difficult.

 

[laytonian]

If he was lured to Vegas by someone who intended to do him harm, I would think the criminals would have taken his car keys and eliminated the car. What killer wants a vehicle from a murder victim sitting in the killer's neighborhood?

One who needed to get rid of it quickly?
Or wasn't too bright, and lived nearby?
Or thought he wiped it clean well, first?
Or whose fingerprints wouldn't be suspicious?

(Just thinking out loud)

 

[lost at sea]

I can appreciate the family not wanting to reveal any information that may be damaging or embarassing. However, I have a tough time believing much progress can be made by folks as removed as members of an online forum without all the facts. If there are additional facts the family has but won't reveal for whatever reason Im sure they would do so with the belief that they would do more harm than good.

Naegle: Would it be possible to reveal whether or not there is an additional element we dont know without giving us details? Or tell us what can or can't be disregarded based upon what you may or may not know?

 

[laytonian]

Maybe if we knew why he really left, either voluntarily or involuntarily we might find a history of past behavior that could help with this case.

That question came up on the Tribune site, and the forum moderator said that Steven left on his own accord. Yet, we've all known "quit or be fired" situations.

He worked there long enough, that coworkers should have known him well. In the interest of finding a missing person, shouldn't someone be willing to sit down and be honest? Or post anonymously here?

It's like a wall of silence. No wonder it "makes no sense" to a loving mother.

 

[laytonian]

I don't think there is a work schedule. Sounds like he was trying to find more clients to wash windows and/or blinds for. Doesn't sound like the business was going well.

Wait...I just thought of something.

His mother says he was working as an "private contractor" (washing windows and putting up Christmas decorations). BUT, he had a boss, right? You're either a private contractor or you work for someone else. Not both. Maybe she meant [http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99921,00.html] independent contractor?

But why?

Anyone can make their own flyers, post on craigslist, put notices on bulletin boards and do that kind of work on their own.
Why do they need someone else to be an intermediary for them?
To make appointments?

It's not passing my sniff test.

 

[ms_writer]

Several folks on Twitter claim to be former Tribune coworkers of Steve, and are posting messages to help find him. Just throwing it out there.

 

[laytonian]

I was speculating that the two of them met some kind of way, say online. And possibly ran away together. Who knows.

Oh, dear. No comment.