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

[MarioM]

MarioM -do you mean "lose focus" as in inappropriate pausing during speech????

fridaybaker,

At first I was trying to see if SK was comparable to someone with ADD/ADHD, but as the discussion continued, it appears to me that he probably suffered from Asperger's rather than ADD. ADD/ADHD people are more active and very busy, and it's coming across as if SK was not. My vote is for Asperger's or something of that order.

 

[MarioM]

I think I may have kind of an "old fashioned" approach to dating: I view it more as "courting" -a path to marriage and that neither man nor woman should even be thinking about it unless they're ready to marry, support a family, etc. However, could be I'm just a fuddy duddy.....

fridaybaker,

SK probably tried dating females he knew and looked for a relationship close to home, but without success. He was in need of love and was willing to travel great distances if it meant that love may be found there. He needed motivation to go on, and an exciting relationship would have provided plenty of it. He was beyond the point of searching for a job and his final decisions, which appear to the normal state of mind to be in poor judgment, were guided by desperation. He was willing to risk and sacrifice time and money for any possibility of a companionship. He was a desperate man, making desperate decisions. Anyone in his position would probably make similar choices. I therefore don't question his judgment around the time of his disapearance.

 

[cocomod]

I have appreciated reading the new discussions. I see how it might seem possible that SK has aspergers. The social side makes sense, and may explain a little better about the long pauses in his speach patterns.

I still lean away from him just walking away. I haven't read a compelling reason yet for SK to do this. I have not yet read where someone who actually knew him believed that his depression was deep enough for him to take his own life either.

I still wonder who has been questioned directly with intensity regarding his disappearance. Regarding the phone calls after he went missing, I wonder if one of these "persons" may have more knowledge than they are willing to admit.

Could one of these people have sent SK out on an errand or job?

Could he have ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time on this errand?

Could they be guilty of sending him into harms way? Maybe they know something, but are unwilling to share it with those that need to know. Maybe they could answer who might have taken or hurt Steven.

Could Steven have been desperate enough for money to take a risky job or to do something for someone that he owed money to in exchange for writing down some of his debt?

 

[MarioM]

"He was a family history buff and liked to do cemetery tours. We have family from the St. George area and his parents loved getting the tours," said Naegle.

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/11852528/where-is-steven-koecher

It appears family history and cemeteries were SK's infatuations. Asperger's Syndrome?

 

[Fairy1]

I would like to comment about the above statement.

I don't think SK was heading to Ruby Valley to rekindle a relationship, since there wasn't one to rekindle. To me it appears SK had trouble meeting women, and he was smitten with love, or a crush, with this female. SK tried his best at getting a job without success, and before he made his next drastic move, whatever he had in mind, he needed to prove to himself that there was no option in getting involved with this former acquaintance, just to avoid any regrets or something that may hold him back. He might have been searching for any reason to continue his current life(style), and money wasn't an object at that late point of his game. (If you're broke, spending/charging extra couple of hundred dollars isn't going to make a difference in your financial situation.) He believed in simple existence, and maybe was hoping this female would have the same outlook on life. Maybe she came across that way when he knew her back when. One doesn't need a job before he tries to pick up a girl. There are plenty of unemployed single people, male and female, looking for a relationship. Dating isn't only for the ones holding a job.
I believe people are making a bigger deal of SK's visit to Ruby Valley than what it really was, his way of searching for love.

That's my two cents.

I just can't agree. Here is a man, with extremely limited funds, who drove hundreds of miles to see a woman who wasn't even there! He didn't call ahead or even look her up on Facebook, where he would have learned she was in SLC. Who does that?

I think there was another reason for that trip. And the others.

 

[Fairy1]

"He was a family history buff and liked to do cemetery tours. We have family from the St. George area and his parents loved getting the tours," said Naegle.

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/11852528/where-is-steven-koecher

It appears family history and cemeteries were SK's infatuations. Asperger's Syndrome?

It's very common in the LDS faith to study family history and genealogy. I wouldn't necessarily consider it an unusual interest.

ETA - journaling is also the norm and Steven's journals were found in his room in St. George.

 

[MarioM]

I just can't agree. Here is a man, with extremely limited funds, who drove hundreds of miles to see a woman who wasn't even there! He didn't call ahead or even look her up on Facebook, where he would have learned she was in SLC. Who does that?

I think there was another reason for that trip. And the others.

Well, one needs to experience certain facts of life to comprehend why others do what they do. I myself did some things due to my past situation, and today I consider them completely crazy. My wife had a different life than I did when growing older, and she doesn't understand the reasoning behind my past acts. She has never experienced a serious struggle, and therefore always had the good luck of being able to make each decision in her life with a clear mind. Stress in one's life clouds one's thinking, and what may seem insane to the clear minded may make perfect sense to the one in distress. A person in depression lives day to day and doesn't care much about the next month when the bill comes in.

How about this for a nutty act from a financially broke person. I had a friend who had very, and I mean VERY, limited income, and to make himself feel better, he spent whatever cash he had on perishable items that could have been replaced by other, less expensive brands. Yet he got satisfaction from brand names and didn't care spending his last penny, or even go into debt, to get away from reality and enjoy his temporary spending trip. People with limited income still want to enjoy life, and money isn't an object. Logic would tell one that if money is short, one needs to be frugal. Yet that's not always the case, especially when the person is not responsible for taking care of a family but only himself.

 

[Fairy1]

Well, one needs to experience certain facts of life to comprehend why others do what they do. I myself did some things due to my past situation, and today I consider them completely crazy. My wife had a different life than I did when growing older, and she doesn't understand the reasoning behind my past acts. She has never experienced a serious struggle, and therefore always had the good luck of being able to make each decision in her life with a clear mind. Stress in one's life clouds one's thinking, and what may seem insane to the clear minded may make perfect sense to the one in distress.

How about this for a nutty act from a financially broke person. I had a friend who had very, and I mean VERY, limited income, and to make himself feel better, he spent whatever cash he had on perishable items that could have been replaced by other, less expensive brands. Yet he got satisfaction from brand names and didn't care spending his last penny, or even go into debt, to get away from reality and enjoy his temporary buying trip. People with limited income still want to enjoy life, and money isn't an object. Logic would tell one that if money is short, one needs to be frugal. Yet that's not always the case, especially when the person is not responsible for taking care of a family but only himself.

Totally understand what you're saying. But here, we are dealing with a man who has been missing now for over a year and a half.

IMO, we have to look at all the pieces of the puzzle we do have; the travels, the job, being behind in rent, his church life, the phone calls, etc. No singular fact really stands out as a red flag. But when you look at everything, in totality, there are some oddities.

 

[MarioM]

Totally understand what you're saying. But here, we are dealing with a man who has been missing now for over a year and a half.

IMO, we have to look at all the pieces of the puzzle we do have; the travels, the job, being behind in rent, his church life, the phone calls, etc. No singular fact really stands out as a red flag. But when you look at everything, in totality, there are some oddities.

Believe me, if SK was rolling in the dough, had a wife and children, nice house, and was having the time of his life, had he then disappeared under these circumstances, I would totally be on your side. But I see a young man struggling in life, and his behavior, which appears to be odd to the majority, is completely explainable to the ones that understand.

 

[Fairy1]

Believe me, if SK was rolling in the dough, had a wife and children, nice house, and was having the time of his life, had he then disappeared under these circumstances, I would totally be on your side. But I see a young man struggling in life, and his behavior, which appears to be odd to the majority, is completely explainable to the ones that understand.

Agree. But most young folks who are struggling do not go missing.

 

[MarioM]

Agree. But most young folks who are struggling do not go missing.

That's true.

I do wish I was aware of this case 18 months ago, no more than a few days after his disappearance.

 

[MarioM]

Hey, I nearly forgot. Earlier I posted asking about the filled out job application forms discovered in SK's room. Did the LE follow through with the more recent applications, whether there was a connection to SCA?

 

[Fairy1]

That's true.

I do wish I was aware of this case 18 months ago, no more than a few days after his disappearance.

Trust me, it wouldn't matter.

What are your thoughts at this point? Were you ever able to look at the awesome timeline laytonian built?

 

[Fairy1]

Hey, I nearly forgot. Earlier I posted asking about the filled out job application forms discovered in SK's room. Did the LE follow through with the more recent applications, whether there was a connection to SCA?

Honestly don't know. IIRC, there were job applications found in the trunk of the car as well.

 

[MarioM]

What are your thoughts at this point? Were you ever able to look at the awesome timeline laytonian built?

I still have the two main theories, the ones I posted days before but were deleted. I did modify one of them after learning more about the case. Unfortunately I was unable to locate Laytonian's timeline, since there was no link provided. But I do wish to see it to finetune my theories.

 

[Fairy1]

I still have the two main theories, the ones I posted days before but were deleted. I did modify one of them after learning more about the case. Unfortunately I was unable to locate Laytonian's timeline, since there was no link provided. But I do wish to see it to finetune my theories.

Please say, again, what you believe. If I can answer your questions about the timeline, I will.

 

[MarioM]

Trust me, it wouldn't matter.

Had I been aware of SK days after his disappearance, the search would not have been over such a large area.

 

[MarioM]

Honestly don't know. IIRC, there were job applications found in the trunk of the car as well.

Does anyone know whether those job application forms were checked for a connection to SCA?

 

[Fairy1]

Had I been aware of SK days after his disappearance, the search would not have been over such a large area.

Which search?

 

[MarioM]

Please say, again, what you believe. If I can answer your questions about the timeline, I will.

Although I have two main theories, I will restate the one that I believe is more traceable and more plausible.

The theory is that for some reason, which is difficult to determine since there were no solid clues left behind and SK was unpredictable due to life's distress, he drove to SCA on Sunday, December 13th, 2009. At noon he left his vehicle parked in the cul-de-sac of the retirement community and departed with some guiding material, such as a map or a plan. He headed for the golf course and gained access to it via one of the two utility easements between the homes. Once on the course, he followed the paths northerly and came upon one of the upstream reaches of the Pittman Wash. He followed the wash northerly downstream, sometimes taking advantage of the nearby walking and biking paths. By 5pm and over twelve miles later, he made his way up to the area of the first cell phone ping, near the Hendersons Parks & Recreation area (N. Arroyo Grande Blvd./Santiago Dr.). He continued downstream but he couldn't take advantage of the paths since they terminated shortly past the park. By 7pm he made his way another half a mile downstream, near the second ping location (N. Stephanie/W. Sunset Rd.). He continued another mile downstream, but as the night was setting in, he decided to rest beneath a bridge, somewhere by the third ping location (N. Stephanie St./US-95). He spent the night there in the cold as the temperatures dropped to the mid 30's. He might have gotten wet from his travel in the channel. At 7am he checked his voicemail, which was his last identifiable act. He then either succumb to hypothermia, ended his life, or was come upon by shady character(s) and was killed. His cell phone was therefore in that location for two more days until the battery ran out. Due to this theory, had a search been conducted in the Pittman Wash near the third ping location shortly after SK's disappearance, a body would have been discovered. But as time went by, and storm runoff passed through that wash and the downstream Las Vegas Wash, his remains were transported downstream and were scattered about over the following months. Today the search area increased from the concentrated Pittman Wash area at ping #3 to anywhere from that wash to Lake Mead.