NV NV - Steven T. Koecher, 30, Henderson, 13 Dec 2009 - # 2

[paris_paris]

Probably a long shot but anyone willing to question any of the homeless in the area if they recognize the picture of Steven?

Are there groups that go down to these camps to help the homeless? I'd be contacting them to show his picture around and keep an eye out for Steven.

 

[Fairy1]

Good job!
Now....is that black case a previously-known "clue" to his identity?

He was said to be carrying a black "portfolio" type thingy in the SC Anthem video.

 

[Fairy1]

Probably a long shot but anyone willing to question any of the homeless in the area if they recognize the picture of Steven?

I would not recommend it be anyone other than LE and said as much to Naegle. She has the exact address and a description.

This isn't one of the finer areas of our fair city, particularly at night. I wouldn't venture out to speak to the homeless folks - even with my son and my husband. PLUS, if Steven is there, it will be best handled by professionals who know what they're doing.

FYI - this area is referred to as the Boulder Strip. The casinos are perfectly fine and safe. I would not say the same about the surrounding area.

 

[laytonian]

He was said to be carrying a black "portfolio" type thingy in the SC Anthem video.

I've looked and looked, and don't see it in the video....but maybe it looked like THIS?

Franklin Day Planner-Organizer

When you said "black case", I imagined a small suitcase. Now, I'm thinking of the most common item an ex-missionary uses. Heck, I even use one.

NAEGLE: what say you?
Did Steven have one of these?
Was it located?

 

[dreamweaver]

So, if the IHOP man is there at night, sleeping with his head on the counter, maybe that is where he does get his rest.

Then during the day, he is walking or taking the bus.

And if he was asked to not come back, then maybe he is at another restaurant, maybe even Denny's.

 

[laytonian]

Are there groups that go down to these camps to help the homeless? I'd be contacting them to show his picture around and keep an eye out for Steven.

Naegle mentioned that the homeless shelters have been periodically checked, and that flyers were left.

I don't know how much luck you'd have, getting the homeless to snitch on one another; most are protective of their lifestyle.

 

[dreamweaver]

I've looked and looked, and don't see it in the video....but maybe it looked like THIS?

Franklin Day Planner-Organizer

When you said "black case", I imagined a small suitcase. Now, I'm thinking of the most common item an ex-missionary uses. Heck, I even use one.

NAEGLE: what say you?
Did Steven have one of these?
Was it located?

The original news info, said, portfolio.
I would think the Franklin Day Planner qualifies.

 

[laytonian]

For all I know, they took Steven's poster down as soon as I left. But I'm comfortable with it being there. IF this is Steven, he seems not to be himself. KWIM? That poster may not even register with him.

I mean, he doesn't even seem to know he's not supposed to be drinking tea...

You could be correct; Elizabeth Smart walked right into Whole Foods on 400 South in SLC, when her poster was hung on the front door.

But it's RASPBERRY tea. Maybe he thinks it's not real tea. Actually, it's probably tea-flavored chemicals mixed with fake raspberry odor.

 

[Fairy1]

Guys - I want to mention something I told Naegle earlier. Our weather has been very mild for the majority of the past few weeks. This week was mostly mid-60's and sunny. But it sounds like we're in for a lot of rain next week. That, coupled with the fact that if this person is Steven and he is experiencing any type of mentally compromising situation, he needs to be off the streets ASAP.

 

[Fairy1]

Naegle mentioned that the homeless shelters have been periodically checked, and that flyers were left.

I don't know how much luck you'd have, getting the homeless to snitch on one another; most are protective of their lifestyle.

What I've referred to here is not a shelter. It's a camp that has been set up by the homeless at an abandoned car wash. And in fact, it's behind a locked fence, so it's not possible for just anyone to wander inside & start showing Steven's picture around! Now that I think of it, I'm not really sure how the homeless folks are getting in & out of there. :waitasec:

Anyway, IF Steven is staying at this camp, they won't need a snitch. They could actully find Steven. If it IS Steven they've seen at that IHOP, and his condition IS as they described, it makes sense that he could be staying at that camp.

 

[renn3434]

I didn't see a portfolio either in the beginning watching the tapes but if you pause it in video that doesnt show the cars you can see something under his arm. If LE is able to zoom in and clean it up maybe they are right that it is a portfolio. To me, a novice, it looked like it could have been a jacket.

 

[lost at sea]

Also looks to me like his left arm swings less than his right which would jive with having something underneath your arm.

 

[laytonian]

I didn't see a portfolio either in the beginning watching the tapes but if you pause it in video that doesnt show the cars you can see something under his arm. If LE is able to zoom in and clean it up maybe they are right that it is a portfolio. To me, a novice, it looked like it could have been a jacket.

I see it now - at the 36 second mark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abSZetr42Gc

I think it's tucked under his arm, and his left hand may be in his pocket.
It's definitely a self-contained item.

ALSO:
I just figured out why his car slows down: it's doesn't.

Play the video, and watch how the car moves slowly until it gets close, and then seems to speed up when it emerges from behind the tree.
THEN
Play it again, and see how Steven seems to be walking quickly....then takes forever to walk out from behind the tree, and seems to be walking at half-speed when he emerges.

Why?
Because it's a fish-eye camera!
Look at the drainpipe on the left side, and how it appears to be curved.

I don't know why I didn't figure this out before; I'd been bugged about why it took him so long to walk behind the tree.

 

[believe09]

Thanks Fairy-will Naegle be reporting this to LE? Because the local PD may have a good idea of where he is likely to be squatting during the day. If he is sleeping at the IHOP, I suspect then that he has no "digs" in the area.

If this is Steven, then I am going to harken back to the Jody King case from June last year-Jody disappeared after a car accident in CT and washed out of a drainpipe, deceased, where he hid himself in the midst of a paranoid episode. It was not until the day before his remains were discovered that we had all of the pieces on Jody that would have led to a conclusion like that-what is terribly hard in situations like Jody's is that no one wants to air their laundry or someone else's on the WWW.

I reviewed Steven's threads (quickly I confess) and I see while we asked about depression and hinted at mental illness, no one seems to have run a check for any past history that might indicate he was chemically imbalanced or even schizophrenic. Jody was 28-but it turns out, of course, that the incident that took his life was not the first incident where he had shown signs of a troubled mind.

Has anyone applied this yardstick to Steven and have I missed it? I do not want to cause his family undue stress, but if Steven is not well than he is especially vulnerable to the Vegas streets I would think....

 

[renn3434]

Here's my :twocents: after watching this again for the hundredth time. IMO he has a... call it a portfolio, notebook, whatever. It looks to me like his left arm is holding it tight to his body and his arm is bent holding something in his hand that he is looking at i.e. cell phone or paper with directions that he is reading. After watching it again he looks like his looking down texting, dialing or reading something when the s.u.v. passes which is why he didnt look up. I text a lot and when I am in the middle of texting or dialing I'm focused on that and it doesnt matter what is going on around me. (my wife hates it) We have all seen people walkling and texting. To me it hit me watching this again that he looked like someone not just loooking down to not be noticed but looking down like he is looking at something the way his left arm is bent.
Not sure that it brings us any closer to where he is. Just an observation

 

[Fairy1]

Thanks Fairy-will Naegle be reporting this to LE? Because the local PD may have a good idea of where he is likely to be squatting during the day. If he is sleeping at the IHOP, I suspect then that he has no "digs" in the area.

If this is Steven, then I am going to harken back to the Jody King case from June last year-Jody disappeared after a car accident in CT and washed out of a drainpipe, deceased, where he hid himself in the midst of a paranoid episode. It was not until the day before his remains were discovered that we had all of the pieces on Jody that would have led to a conclusion like that-what is terribly hard in situations like Jody's is that no one wants to air their laundry or someone else's on the WWW.

I reviewed Steven's threads (quickly I confess) and I see while we asked about depression and hinted at mental illness, no one seems to have run a check for any past history that might indicate he was chemically imbalanced or even schizophrenic. Jody was 28-but it turns out, of course, that the incident that took his life was not the first incident where he had shown signs of a troubled mind.

Has anyone applied this yardstick to Steven and have I missed it? I do not want to cause his family undue stress, but if Steven is not well than he is especially vulnerable to the Vegas streets I would think....

Hi believe09 and thank you. The issue of mental illness has been discussed here. Steven does not seem to have any history, according to his family. He made quite a few seemingly odd road trips prior to going missing that we've struggled to make sense of. If this IS Steven they've seen at IHOP and IF he is roaming the streets of Vegas, I'm inclined to believe those trips may have been signs of some type of an impending mental breakdown.

I recommended that Steven's family call whatever LE they're in contact with and relate what I learned today. I will be using an alternate route coming home from work which will take me through the area daily - just so I can keep an eye out and have told Naegle to contact me if there's anything I can do to help.

 

[CONCRNED CTZN]

Here's my :twocents: after watching this again for the hundredth time. IMO he has a... call it a portfolio, notebook, whatever. It looks to me like his left arm is holding it tight to his body and his arm is bent holding something in his hand that he is looking at i.e. cell phone or paper with directions that he is reading. After watching it again he looks like his looking down texting, dialing or reading something when the s.u.v. passes which is why he didnt look up. I text a lot and when I am in the middle of texting or dialing I'm focused on that and it doesnt matter what is going on around me. (my wife hates it) We have all seen people walkling and texting. To me it hit me watching this again that he looked like someone not just loooking down to not be noticed but looking down like he is looking at something the way his left arm is bent.
Not sure that it brings us any closer to where he is. Just an observation

I believe it has been varified he there were no texts or calls after the last one from his bishop. So...he was not texting and his phone did not have email or the internet.

 

[Fairy1]

I believe it has been varified he there were no texts or calls after the last one from his bishop. So...he was not texting and his phone did not have email or the internet.

Now see, this is another question I have. Wasn't it mentioned that there was activity on Steven's phone on the 14th? Or am I looney toons?

 

[lost at sea]

I believe it has been varified he there were no texts or calls after the last one from his bishop. So...he was not texting and his phone did not have email or the internet.

He could have been reading a text just as easily as sending one.

 

[webrocket]

If this guy at the IHOP is Steven:

then it is imperative that he be found ASAP. I am not going to describe what I think happened here, other than to say that whatever plans he had when he left his vehicle in Sun Anthem City went terribly awry. That being the case, he is totally alone emotionally. Having made this bad decision, he feels he cannot go back in time as he burned a bridge with his family, friends and church people.

The burning of a bridge is perception on his part, not necessarily a reality. So long as he perceives he has no future or no past to fall back on, he is in a very dangerous place (psychologically speaking).