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

[Fairy1]

Hello everyone,

This is my first posting on this captivating website. I came across the site after I googled Steven Koecher for his unfortunate and touching story of his disappearance. The way I came across Steven Koecher was by watching his case being profiled on the TV show "Disappeared" this past Sunday night (I think it was Sunday). I was intrigued by his mysterious disappearance, and because I had several questions the show failed to answer, I tried looking for more information online. Unfortunately the websites I visited (Charley Project, Project Jason, various news articles) that list his case answered only some of my questions. I wish I had the time to read through the thousands of posts on this site regarding Steven's disappearance. Before I ask my questions would someone please post a link or two to some informative sites that list all the known information about this case? A timeline with dates and times depicting Steven's whereabouts and activities during the last few days before he vanished would be very helpful, and so would any information about what the investigation has found out since December 13th, 2009, such as where and when the searches for Steven took place and what was discoverer? What were the findings during the search of Steven's abandoned vehicle? Before I post my questions I would like to get as many of them answered from those links so I don't need to waste anyone's time answering what was asked and addressed multiple times.

Thank you for understanding,

MarioM

The timeline for Steven's case is no longer available here. I will attempt to answer any questions you have.

I realize there are a lot of threads here and that it would be very time- consuming to read them all. But in addition to information relating to Steven's case, a great many theories have been discussed, as well.

Based on what you do already know, do you happen to have any theories at this point?

 

[MarioM]

The timeline for Steven's case is no longer available here. I will attempt to answer any questions you have.

I realize there are a lot of threads here and that it would be very time- consuming to read them all. But in addition to information relating to Steven's case, a great many theories have been discussed, as well.

Based on what you do already know, do you happen to have any theories at this point?

Fairy1,

Since my knowledge of this case is limited, some of my questions were probably answered in the past, so I apologize for that in advance. I have the following questions/comments:

1) Why are the LE and Steven's family so certain the person captured on the surveillance camera leaving Steven's vehicle was really Steven? Was there any additional info other than the surveillance videos to verify the identity of Steven's vehicle?

2) In the news reports it states Steven was looking for work in a residential area of Henderson, NV. But why would Steven be looking for a job during the weekend? He was unemployed and therefore he had a better chance handing out his resume during the business week. He could have planned the job interview during weekdays, so he could hand out his resume to other businesses around the Las Vegas area.

3) If Steven was heading to some job opportunity appointment, how did he contact this employer? Were there any questionable communications via his email or cell phone that would point to such an appointment? Did he own a car GPS, and if so, what were his recent destinations in the unit's memory? Was a map used in getting to the abandoning location and was that evident from the map? If there was no evidence of communication for an appointment nor directions to that locale, chances are the final resting place of the vehicle was not planned. If he has been there before, would it be possible to determine his cell phone usage in that area in the past?

4) In the news reports it states that Steven had a purpose and intention in his departure from the vehicle, knowingly heading to a specific location. Someone other than Steven driving that vehicle also had a purpose and intention, the purpose to distance himself from the car as fast as possible. If Steven knew where he was going, why would he park his car such a distance from the residence he was heading to? Why didn't he park in the driveway? Why didn't he park on the street in front of the destined home? Looking at the aerial photos of that housing tract, there seem to be cars parked on the street in front of several homes. If he was heading to a job interview at a place he never been to, wouldn't he first drive by the location before parking, to verify his destination?

5) In the tract where Steven's car was found, were there any other homes with surveillance systems that captured, or did not capture, the driver walking away from the vehicle? Any additional surveillance, or lack there of, of the driver's movements may indicate how far and where he has gone.

6) Did the police obtain any other surveillance video of the driver of Steven's car along any of the major streets as he walked away from that housing tract? From aerial photos there appear to be several retail stores and other public places that could have their premises monitored by CCTV surveillance systems. If the driver walked the 11-12 miles from the abandoned vehicle to the final destination of the pinged cell phone near the US-95/Russell Road interchange, his image might have been captured on other cameras elsewhere.

7) Since about seven hours have passed from the time Steven's vehicle was abandoned and the ping of his cell phone at N. Stephanie St./W Sunset Rd., and because a person on foot can cover 11-12 miles in about four hours, it is possible the driver of Steven's vehicle made a stop or two en route to that N. Stephanie St./W Sunset Rd. location. Has the police reviewed the indoor surveillance video of any such possible public stops, such as gas stations, fast food restaurant, or shopping malls?

8) Is Steven's cell phone account still active, and if so, has there been any further cell phone activity, or pinging? Has the cell phone company tried to ping Steven's cell phone after the last reported phone activity?

9) Was Steven's vehicle analyzed for foreign fingerprints and DNA? Was there any evidence of fingerprint cleanup by the driver? He had good five minutes between parking the vehicle and the abandonment of it.

10) On the inside of the vehicle, were the surfaces difficult to clean of fingerprints, such as the back of a rear-view mirror or lose plastic bags, analyzed for foreign fingerprints?

11) Was Steven's vehicle analyzed for gun powder residue possibly left behind by the driver?

12) When the car was left abandoned, were the keys in the vehicle? Was the car locked? Was the parking brake engaged? If equipped with manual transmission, was the gearshift left in gear, neutral, or reverse? Was the stereo on or off and tuned to Steven's type of station or to one of his presets? Was the air conditioning or heater on? Were the air vents angled towards or away from the driver? Were the seat and mirrors in position fitting of Steven? Were any of these observations inconsistent with Steven's driving habits?

13) When the car was left abandoned, were any valuables Steven kept in his car missing, such as CDs, flashlight, pocket knife, sunglasses, bluetooth earpiece, radar detector, portable dvd player, MP3 player, Thomas Guide, etc.? Was there evidence of rummaging through the storage compartments? Was the vehicle's interior in disarray, inconsistent with Steven's cleanliness?

14) News reports state that Steven's cell phone charger was located in his house. Was that charger the standard 110V household outlet charger? Did Steven have a car charger for his cell phone? If so, was it missing from the car? It is highly unlikely he would have taken it with him to a planned interview.

15) Did Steven own a car GPS? If so, was it present when the car was discovered? If no GPS was located, was there evidence of a GPS suction cup on the windshield?

16) Were there any signs the vehicle was driven through dirt, such as fresh dirt/dust on the outside or inside of the car. Were there small rocks jammed in the tires' tread? Was there evidence of vegetation beneath or inside the car?

17) Were any foreign hairs, including pet, located in Steven's vehicle?

18) Was there any unusual odor in the discovered vehicle, such as cigarette smoke, man's fragrance or foods not of Steven's liking?

19) Did the police use bloodhounds in an attempt to trace the departing driver's path? News reports state police dogs were used in search of Steven, but it is not specified whether these were cadaver or scent tracing dogs.

20) Was it Steven's habit to call someone and let them know of his location or destination when intending to enter an unfamiliar place, especially someone's private residence?

21) Did the driver of the white SUV (Toyota? Sequoya?) captured on the surveillance video notice where the driver of Steven's vehicle headed? Was the driver of the white SUV able to identify the driver of Steven's car, whether it was Steven or not? Based on the surveillance video of CAM3, it appears the driver of Steven's car was looking at the ground as the white SUV passed him, hinting of facial concealment. Did the driver of the white SUV notice whether the driver of Steven's car closed the door upon exiting the car with his hand or any other part of his body, such as an elbow, knee or a foot, to avoid leaving fingerprints? When the driver of Steven's vehicle made the left turn and crossed the road, did he turn his head to check for traffic, since he knew the white SUV was in the vicinity?

22) Although from the surveillance video it may appear the driver of Steven's car knew where he was heading once departing from the car, by making that left turn, the driver might have been trying to elude that white SUV and hastily made a quick left turn, hoping to appear as if he was heading to someone's residence deeper in the tract and avoid further observation.

23) Did the police investigate anyone with a criminal record living near the US-95/Russell Road interchange, matching the description of the driver observed leaving Steven's vehicle? It appears the last person to handle Steven's cell phone either discarded it in that area or possibly may actually live there and kept it in his possession for at least several days. There are couple apartment complexes and a trailer park in that area, which may be indicative of a more financially challenged and criminally inclined populous. Since Steven's disappearance occurred on a Sunday, it is highly unlikely someone involved with his disappearance was actually working in that area, yet still not impossible.

Those are my questions, at this time. I will post my theories once my questions are answered. Thank you for your help.

MarioM

 

[believe09]

:welcome5: MarioM. You are in good hands with Fairy1. I look forward to your observations.

 

[MarioM]

Fairy1,

The last sentence in question #1 should have read:

"Was there any additional info other than the surveillance videos to verify the identity of Steven's car's driver?"

My apologies.

 

[MarioM]

:welcome5: MarioM. You are in good hands with Fairy1. I look forward to your observations.

Believe09,

I'm glad Fairy1 has volunteered to answer my questions. She seems to be close to the family, if not part of it.

Since the timeline is no longer available, would you be able to at least verify when (date and time) was the last communication with Steven? From my research I was able to determine he had a phone conversation with his friends the day he vanished, but I'm unsure of the time this conversation took place. The time should have been verified from cell phone records.

Thank You,
MarioM

 

[Fairy1]

Fairy1,

Since my knowledge of this case is limited, some of my questions were probably answered in the past, so I apologize for that in advance. I have the following questions/comments:

1) Why are the LE and Steven's family so certain the person captured on the surveillance camera leaving Steven's vehicle was really Steven? Was there any additional info other than the surveillance videos to verify the identity of Steven's vehicle?

Not everyone in the family is 100% certain it is Steven in the video. The identity of Steven's car has never been in question. Why would it be?

2) In the news reports it states Steven was looking for work in a residential area of Henderson, NV. But why would Steven be looking for a job during the weekend? He was unemployed and therefore he had a better chance handing out his resume during the business week. He could have planned the job interview during weekdays, so he could hand out his resume to other businesses around the Las Vegas area.

There have never been any official reports stating why Steven was in Henderson, NV on December 13, 2009. Anything or anyone reporting otherwise is simply stating their own opinion.

3) If Steven was heading to some job opportunity appointment, how did he contact this employer? Were there any questionable communications via his email or cell phone that would point to such an appointment? Did he own a car GPS, and if so, what were his recent destinations in the unit's memory? Was a map used in getting to the abandoning location and was that evident from the map? If there was no evidence of communication for an appointment nor directions to that locale, chances are the final resting place of the vehicle was not planned. If he has been there before, would it be possible to determine his cell phone usage in that area in the past?

No electronic trail was ever discovered - on his cell phone or his personal laptop. He is known to have used library computers, which have never been searched and, most likely, never will be. Steven's cell phone records have been reviewed and there were no calls from or to people unknown to him; save the call made from his phone by two little girls who were locked out of their home in St. George. Steven came across them while working and he or they called their parents from his cell.

4) In the news reports it states that Steven had a purpose and intention in his departure from the vehicle, knowingly heading to a specific location. Someone other than Steven driving that vehicle also had a purpose and intention, the purpose to distance himself from the car as fast as possible. If Steven knew where he was going, why would he park his car such a distance from the residence he was heading to? Why didn't he park in the driveway? Why didn't he park on the street in front of the destined home? Looking at the aerial photos of that housing tract, there seem to be cars parked on the street in front of several homes. If he was heading to a job interview at a place he never been to, wouldn't he first drive by the location before parking, to verify his destination?

Again, I don't recall any "news" reports stating that Steven had a purpose or specific destination in SCA. NO one knows why he was there.

If you're truly interested in Steven's case, you're going to have to decide whether or not you believe it IS him in the video. Personally, I don't believe a retirement community in Anthem, Henderson, NV is a popular dumping ground for carjackers. And if you were familiar with this neighborhood, you would understand why his car was parked where it was.

5) In the tract where Steven's car was found, were there any other homes with surveillance systems that captured, or did not capture, the driver walking away from the vehicle? Any additional surveillance, or lack there of, of the driver's movements may indicate how far and where he has gone.

No.

6) Did the police obtain any other surveillance video of the driver of Steven's car along any of the major streets as he walked away from that housing tract? From aerial photos there appear to be several retail stores and other public places that could have their premises monitored by CCTV surveillance systems. If the driver walked the 11-12 miles from the abandoned vehicle to the final destination of the pinged cell phone near the US-95/Russell Road interchange, his image might have been captured on other cameras elsewhere.

If it is Steven on the surveillance video, he didn't walk away from the neighborhood, but deeper into it. Anthem is a primarily residential area with few retail outlets. Yes, he and/or his car could have been picked up on many other surveillance systems throughout Las Vegas in the hours between his last phone call and his sighting on the surveillance video, but it would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack to attempt to determine where. That ship has already sailed and it's too late now.

7) Since about seven hours have passed from the time Steven's vehicle was abandoned and the ping of his cell phone at N. Stephanie St./W Sunset Rd., and because a person on foot can cover 11-12 miles in about four hours, it is possible the driver of Steven's vehicle made a stop or two en route to that N. Stephanie St./W Sunset Rd. location. Has the police reviewed the indoor surveillance video of any such possible public stops, such as gas stations, fast food restaurant, or shopping malls?

Sunset and Stephanie is FULL of stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc.. It was days after his car was parked in SCA before he was even reported missing. There is NO WAY LE or anyone else would wade through hours and hours of surveillance tape to see if he turned up. And again, too late now.

8) Is Steven's cell phone account still active, and if so, has there been any further cell phone activity, or pinging? Has the cell phone company tried to ping Steven's cell phone after the last reported phone activity?

The last ping on Steven's phone was the following day at Russell Road and US-95. It has been determined that was a voice mail check. The phone died after that and has never pinged again. Yes, it has been checked.

9) Was Steven's vehicle analyzed for foreign fingerprints and DNA? Was there any evidence of fingerprint cleanup by the driver? He had good five minutes between parking the vehicle and the abandonment of it.

10) On the inside of the vehicle, were the surfaces difficult to clean of fingerprints, such as the back of a rear-view mirror or lose plastic bags, analyzed for foreign fingerprints?

11) Was Steven's vehicle analyzed for gun powder residue possibly left behind by the driver?

No, the vehicle was never properly processed. It was checked for drugs and was negative. I do not assume the vehicle was "abandoned" nor do I believe it was someone other than Steven that parked it where it was found.

12) When the car was left abandoned, were the keys in the vehicle? Was the car locked? Was the parking brake engaged? If equipped with manual transmission, was the gearshift left in gear, neutral, or reverse? Was the stereo on or off and tuned to Steven's type of station or to one of his presets? Was the air conditioning or heater on? Were the air vents angled towards or away from the driver? Were the seat and mirrors in position fitting of Steven? Were any of these observations inconsistent with Steven's driving habits?

We do not know. Again, the car was never properly processed by LE and was driven back to Utah by Steven's family.

13) When the car was left abandoned, were any valuables Steven kept in his car missing, such as CDs, flashlight, pocket knife, sunglasses, bluetooth earpiece, radar detector, portable dvd player, MP3 player, Thomas Guide, etc.? Was there evidence of rummaging through the storage compartments? Was the vehicle's interior in disarray, inconsistent with Steven's cleanliness?

I'm not sure why you seem so certain the car was "abandoned." But while there were many items found in the car, I don't believe anything was in disarray.

14) News reports state that Steven's cell phone charger was located in his house. Was that charger the standard 110V household outlet charger? Did Steven have a car charger for his cell phone? If so, was it missing from the car? It is highly unlikely he would have taken it with him to a planned interview.

We don't know if Steven had a car charger. I assume it would have been IN the car.

15) Did Steven own a car GPS? If so, was it present when the car was discovered? If no GPS was located, was there evidence of a GPS suction cup on the windshield?

No.

16) Were there any signs the vehicle was driven through dirt, such as fresh dirt/dust on the outside or inside of the car. Were there small rocks jammed in the tires' tread? Was there evidence of vegetation beneath or inside the car?

17) Were any foreign hairs, including pet, located in Steven's vehicle?

18) Was there any unusual odor in the discovered vehicle, such as cigarette smoke, man's fragrance or foods not of Steven's liking?

Again, no.

19) Did the police use bloodhounds in an attempt to trace the departing driver's path? News reports state police dogs were used in search of Steven, but it is not specified whether these were cadaver or scent tracing dogs.

They were SAR dogs.

20) Was it Steven's habit to call someone and let them know of his location or destination when intending to enter an unfamiliar place, especially someone's private residence?

No. But it was his habit to let his church fellows know if he would not be there, and he did not do that the day he went missing.

21) Did the driver of the white SUV (Toyota? Sequoya?) captured on the surveillance video notice where the driver of Steven's vehicle headed? Was the driver of the white SUV able to identify the driver of Steven's car, whether it was Steven or not? Based on the surveillance video of CAM3, it appears the driver of Steven's car was looking at the ground as the white SUV passed him, hinting of facial concealment. Did the driver of the white SUV notice whether the driver of Steven's car closed the door upon exiting the car with his hand or any other part of his body, such as an elbow, knee or a foot, to avoid leaving fingerprints? When the driver of Steven's vehicle made the left turn and crossed the road, did he turn his head to check for traffic, since he knew the white SUV was in the vicinity?

The driver of the SUV has been thoroughly questioned. She was there for a specific purpose and I doubt very much she noted anything about the individual exiting Steven's car. If she did, I'm sure LE knows all about it. Judging from the silence and lack of movement on this case, I have to assume nothing questionable was noted.

22) Although from the surveillance video it may appear the driver of Steven's car knew where he was heading once departing from the car, by making that left turn, the driver might have been trying to elude that white SUV and hastily made a quick left turn, hoping to appear as if he was heading to someone's residence deeper in the tract and avoid further observation.

Why not just turn around and drive off until no one was around?

23) Did the police investigate anyone with a criminal record living near the US-95/Russell Road interchange, matching the description of the driver observed leaving Steven's vehicle? It appears the last person to handle Steven's cell phone either discarded it in that area or possibly may actually live there and kept it in his possession for at least several days. There are couple apartment complexes and a trailer park in that area, which may be indicative of a more financially challenged and criminally inclined populous. Since Steven's disappearance occurred on a Sunday, it is highly unlikely someone involved with his disappearance was actually working in that area, yet still not impossible.

That area is HUGE. There would be NO way to narrow it down. There are also a number of self-storage locations and plenty of pockets of open desert in the vacinity.

And as far as people working on Sunday - this is Las Vegas! We work 24/7/365.

Those are my questions, at this time. I will post my theories once my questions are answered. Thank you for your help.

MarioM

And those are my answers. You clearly believe it was not Steven who parked the car where it was found. But I would add, the fellow on the surveillance tape does not fit the profile of carjackers in this area. That the criminal would be so close to the physical appearance of the victim, on a Sunday morning in a retirement community is extremely unlikely to me.

I would like to hear your theories now.

 

[MarioM]

Fairy1,

I do have one more request before I can finalize my theories. Would you please list the areas that were searched for Steven, and when. Please list all the specific locations so I can map them. Thank You.

MarioM

 

[Fairy1]

Believe09,

I'm glad Fairy1 has volunteered to answer my questions. She seems to be close to the family, if not part of it.

Since the timeline is no longer available, would you be able to at least verify when (date and time) was the last communication with Steven? From my research I was able to determine he had a phone conversation with his friends the day he vanished, but I'm unsure of the time this conversation took place. The time should have been verified from cell phone records.

Thank You,
MarioM

I am not close to the family nor am I a family member.

The phone calls that occurred the day Steven went missing were not, necessarily, with friends but with fellow church-members. IIRC, those calls were between 8 and 9 AM. Hours before he appeared on the surveillance video in SCA.

 

[Fairy1]

Fairy1,

I do have one more request before I can finalize my theories. Would you please list the areas that were searched for Steven, and when. Please list all the specific locations so I can map them. Thank You.

MarioM

No, that information is available in articles related to Steven's case.

Generally, the first search was conducted in the immediate and surrounding area where Steven's car was found. The golf course to the north and the foothills to the south. The April, 2010 search (supposedly based on a "credible" tip) was in a desert area located across from the Henderson Airport.

 

[Fairy1]

I was thinking maybe Steven was typically eager to please GW, the president. I wonder if he covered for him with other church responsibilities in the past.

GW has stated that Steven "always" called him when he wasn't going to be where he supposed to be - as far as church duties go. Steven didn't call GW that day, GW called HIM.

Makes me wonder how many church functions Steven missed and why he didn't call GW (or anyone else) the day he went missing.

 

[fridaybaker]

Hello Mario! It's nice to have a new poster here. This has been, until very recently, quite an active thread. There have been people here who've been working and posting on this site for a year-and-a-half and know an awful lot about the case. Fairy is one of them and is a great resource. I think, though, that everyone is waiting for some new information, even a tiny scrap of information, because so many theories have been discussed on the little information which originally "came with the case" --not much has been added at all after the first couple of months.

Apparently, one of the reasons for this is that LE didn't think that there was enough indication of SK being the victim of foul play so there wasn't much done toward that initially. Also, SK's family did a brief "lookever" of the car where it sat, then drove it all the way back home before doing anything else. Although they did have scent dogs in it, I do believe that nothing else was ever done at all as far as professional "processing" as Fairy stated. I also think that the car was eventually sold, although I'm not 100% on that.

The car situation, in my view, is EXTREMELY unfortunate. Although I do think that it would be amazing that a carjacker or other criminal would have a similar enough appearance to SK to be found walking away from his car, I also can't get by the strange circumstance and his family not being 100% sure it's him. One of the things that's always bothered me is the "portfolio" or whatever people think they see in his hand. Although there are different thoughts on what it is, it seems to me that most people think it's a 8 1/2" x 11" sized, flat kind of thing, like something you would put a resume in. Apparently, his family said he does use those kinds of things, or that some were found in his apartment. This would seem to indicate that maybe he was there for a job or something, but I also think that it's a great "cover". Don't know, but, again, it's just always struck me as odd. One of my early questions here was whether or not Sk, should he carry something like that, would carry it in the manner this person did. It sems to me that his arm is holding it up; whereas, I think most men carry those things down at their sides.

If you've been able to read the early threads I think you've probably realized by now that the white SUV was a realtor who, IIRC, was showing the house which she parked in front of. Some other facts of interest were that someone moved from (sold, I think) one of the houses in the immediate vicinity of SK's parked car very shortly after SK went missing. Also, there were two people who called SK, one I think up to 9 times, in the immediate hours and days after he went missing, the landlord and his boss. There were people who called in the hours and days BEFORE he went missing and then stopped calling after his car was found, but I believe there is quite a bit of differing opinion here as to the significance of that.

Some other key points: SK was pressed, very pressed, for money at the time of his disappearance (December) and owed back rent, but his Bishop at church told him he'd have some sort of job for him in January -just three weeks away.

His long car jaunt which took him up to visit the parents of a woman he apparently didn't know well all (don't know if that visit was the POINT of the trip, though) seemed to begin almost immediately after a phone call he had w/ his father on his cell while shopping at Walmart-- in the evening. The groceries he bought, IIRC, weren't "trip" groceries; rather, they seemed to be "weekly shopping trip-type things".

Okay, just a few points I thought I'd bring out. There are thousands of posts about SK and, boy, is it difficult to wade through them all, so please do ask questions.

My thoughts on this case lead me to believe that there is a small chance that he commited suicide or met the kind of accident you mention above, but more likely scenarios are that he walked away voluntarily or met foul play.

Looking forward to hearing more on this case from you!

 

[fridaybaker]

Forgot to mention something above: The phone call I reference seems significant to me because of the timing and nature of it. From "eye-witness" accounts, at about 6pm in the evening of this call, SK was at the church temple, assisting in "sealings". Then, that same evening, according to, I believe, receipts; at Walmart shopping. During that shopping trip at Walmart, SK spoke to his father via cell and, apparently, hung up on him, due to their conversation about SK's back rent due on his apartment. (His father had recently found out via SK's landlord, who had called SK's parents to complain about being owed three month's back rent and so his father called him about it.) Next up after that conversation that must have happened at 9pm or so in Walmart: An amazing, approximately 1,000 mile driving trip that took him to see the parents of a woman he didn't seem to know well at all ("just stopped by on my way to Sacramento" Sk told them). Her indication on facebook after he went missing implied that they weren't more than acquaintances!

A couple days later: SK is in the Vegas area, misses church, is seen, apparently, on video walking away from his car in a nice area (I wouldn't call it upscale, but it's definitely not downscale!) which is a semi-kind of retirement neighborhood. Then, poof! Gone. Nothing more. After the last cell phone ping a few hours later, no hits on credit cards that we know of, no hits on his social security number that we know of, no seemingly real, credible sightings. No evidence of Steven. No rumors of Steven. No hints of Steven. Nada.

 

[OldSteve]

Fairy1 - thanks so much! In answering MairoM's questions you provide a good summation of this case!

Here's a questions - could anything odd or simply curious be noted in pattern of cell phone calls to Steven's phone once it went dead?

Something you've mentioned:

"Another thing that occurs to me relating to Steven's willingness to turn around and go back to St. George; perhaps he wasn't enthusiastic about his reasons for coming here and was just waiting for any excuse to abandon his plan. That doesn't say job interview to me, either."

I agree 100% and to me suggests something of a sexual nature.

If this is the case, then his meeting someone at an odd time (noon) suggests the other person has limited free time, is most likely married... Still, I can't see why such a meeting would cause harm to Steven... unless the person was psychopath...

 

[renogirl]

I became interested in Steven's case after seeing the Disappeared episode and I began reading the threads several weeks ago in my down time. It is time-consuming and a bit overwhelming due to the amount of posts but the information in them is invaluable. Like fridaybaker mentioned above, several people have done a lot of research on this case and I am thankful there is a forum to read and discuss information. You guys have all been incredible.

I was very happy to see recent activity on here recently and MarioM’s great questions. The more I learn, the more questions I have! I don’t have a theory yet but here are some of my questions and thoughts on the case (all just speculation on my part of course).

I do believe it was Steven in the video and I believe he was going to one of the houses nearby but why at that time? It’s clear that church was very important to Steven and I believe the Sunday service was starting in St. George around the time he was last seen on video in Henderson. (Please correct me if I am wrong as I have not gotten through all of the threads yet and info may have changed or been incorrect.) If it is true, I feel he would’ve missed church only for something important, like what he believed to be an opportunity to make money. However he doesn’t appear to be the type to engage in anything illegal to obtain money. It was clear his family was willing and able to help him and I hope he would’ve accepted their help before he resorted to other means. Added to this is the comment to the bishop that he would have money in a few weeks. Maybe he had been in contact with someone about a new opportunity/job that he did not tell anyone else about.

I do not believe he went to Henderson to commit suicide. I don’t believe that is where his state of mind was based on comments from his family and friends. I also feel his plans for Christmas, the gifts found in the car, the job searching (among other things) do not indicate he was planning to stay gone for long. That leaves foul play or an accident but if it he had some type of accident after he walked away from his car, I believe he would’ve been found. If foul play, who would want to hurt Steven and why?!

Something else that I do not understand is how there was no unusual phone calls made to/ from his phone. How did he make these plans to get to that neighborhood? In my mind, it has to be that either 1) he had a 2nd disposable type of phone unknown to the family or 2) someone he spoke to regularly is somehow involved in getting him to that location in Henderson. There has been nothing to indicate a 2nd phone and since I don’t feel he was doing anything illegal, I don’t see the need to have a secret phone (especially since I don’t feel he was planning to disappear). So that leads me back to the known calls especially received that morning…

I feel the fact that GW was in Vegas at the same time is odd but it may be because I do not have any information on his whereabouts that day. It is probably in the threads that I have not gotten to read yet. GW said that he asked Steven to fill in for him at the service but when Steven said he was in Vegas, GW said he was too so he would just go back and do it. The details from their conversation seem strange but maybe they were taken out of context. Can anyone here confirm that GW did in fact make it back to the service in time? Why didn’t he try to find a substitute earlier if it was a planned absence? How long GW had been in Vegas? Did he go to Vegas often? There could be a simple explanation for all of this but if anyone can point me to the information I’d appreciate it.

I also wonder about the phone pings after he was seen on video. Someone (maybe Steven) checked the voice mail. Do we know if there was a password and do we know if it was checked successfully? I am not sure if this is something we could tell from phone records.

This case is interesting to me as I have several family members that are LDS living in St. George and I would visit often as a child. I used to live in Henderson for a short time and it was minutes from the car where Steven was found so both places are familiar to me and that was what originally peeked my interest. But reading about what a special person Steven is has kept me interested in this case. I really hope his family has answers soon because my heart breaks for them. It is apparent why so many people care about Steven and his family and I really hope he is happy wherever he may be right now.

 

[MBLover]

I've always felt that Steven was in that neighborhood for some kind of interview or to check out a potential job. Whether he heard about it from a friend, or saw info posted on a store window/bulletin board or was given a paper hand-out by someone on a street corner.

If that be the case, then there would be no paper, or electronic trail. Lots of employers taking applications state in their ads - no phone calls, one just shows up at a specified location.

Could be he wanted to surprise his family with landing a job on his own and didn't want to say anything to anyone for fear of "jinxing" the opportunity?

With Steven's travels he seemed to be "looking for something" IMHO - whether that was a job or to get his head straight, IDK. Did Steven's actions (of traveling) have intent and/or were purposeful, or was this erratic behavior of someone who may have seemed "lost" and without purpose?

I still think GW's words leave a lot to be desired and what he said just doesn't seem like the full story.

I also think in Steven's instance, that desperate times call for desperate measures. He seems unlikely to have taken a job that wasn't kosher...but then again sometimes people do things they wouldn't have normally done - especially if the job/job offer seemed to be very attractive.

One thought...we know Steven played the guitar and sang. I know here locally that we have people that set up on the street corners of what we call the City Market. Sometimes it's small groups, or just a guy on the bongo drums or a guy playing the guitar. They leave their instrument cases open and people drop in their spare change. Could Steven have been doing this anywhere in Vegas and he was approached by someone who "liked his music" and told Steven he could hook him up with someone in the music business?

 

[Fairy1]

Fairy1 - thanks so much! In answering MairoM's questions you provide a good summation of this case!

Here's a questions - could anything odd or simply curious be noted in pattern of cell phone calls to Steven's phone once it went dead?

His boss and his landlord were calling and/or texting him frequently until he disappeared. The calls from both stopped rather abruptly, IMO. It could have been because, once the phone went dead, the calls were going straight to voicemail and they just gave up. Then again, maybe one or both knew he wasn't going to answer anymore.

Something you've mentioned:

"Another thing that occurs to me relating to Steven's willingness to turn around and go back to St. George; perhaps he wasn't enthusiastic about his reasons for coming here and was just waiting for any excuse to abandon his plan. That doesn't say job interview to me, either."

I agree 100% and to me suggests something of a sexual nature.

If this is the case, then his meeting someone at an odd time (noon) suggests the other person has limited free time, is most likely married... Still, I can't see why such a meeting would cause harm to Steven... unless the person was psychopath...

If he was to be somewhere - anywhere - at noon, why did he arrive in the area four hours before that? What was he doing all that time?

 

[Fairy1]

I became interested in Steven's case after seeing the Disappeared episode and I began reading the threads several weeks ago in my down time. It is time-consuming and a bit overwhelming due to the amount of posts but the information in them is invaluable. Like fridaybaker mentioned above, several people have done a lot of research on this case and I am thankful there is a forum to read and discuss information. You guys have all been incredible.

I was very happy to see recent activity on here recently and MarioM’s great questions. The more I learn, the more questions I have! I don’t have a theory yet but here are some of my questions and thoughts on the case (all just speculation on my part of course).

I do believe it was Steven in the video and I believe he was going to one of the houses nearby but why at that time? It’s clear that church was very important to Steven and I believe the Sunday service was starting in St. George around the time he was last seen on video in Henderson. (Please correct me if I am wrong as I have not gotten through all of the threads yet and info may have changed or been incorrect.) If it is true, I feel he would’ve missed church only for something important, like what he believed to be an opportunity to make money. However he doesn’t appear to be the type to engage in anything illegal to obtain money. It was clear his family was willing and able to help him and I hope he would’ve accepted their help before he resorted to other means. Added to this is the comment to the bishop that he would have money in a few weeks. Maybe he had been in contact with someone about a new opportunity/job that he did not tell anyone else about.

I do not believe he went to Henderson to commit suicide. I don’t believe that is where his state of mind was based on comments from his family and friends. I also feel his plans for Christmas, the gifts found in the car, the job searching (among other things) do not indicate he was planning to stay gone for long. That leaves foul play or an accident but if it he had some type of accident after he walked away from his car, I believe he would’ve been found. If foul play, who would want to hurt Steven and why?!

Something else that I do not understand is how there was no unusual phone calls made to/ from his phone. How did he make these plans to get to that neighborhood? In my mind, it has to be that either 1) he had a 2nd disposable type of phone unknown to the family or 2) someone he spoke to regularly is somehow involved in getting him to that location in Henderson. There has been nothing to indicate a 2nd phone and since I don’t feel he was doing anything illegal, I don’t see the need to have a secret phone (especially since I don’t feel he was planning to disappear). So that leads me back to the known calls especially received that morning…

I feel the fact that GW was in Vegas at the same time is odd but it may be because I do not have any information on his whereabouts that day. It is probably in the threads that I have not gotten to read yet. GW said that he asked Steven to fill in for him at the service but when Steven said he was in Vegas, GW said he was too so he would just go back and do it. The details from their conversation seem strange but maybe they were taken out of context. Can anyone here confirm that GW did in fact make it back to the service in time? Why didn’t he try to find a substitute earlier if it was a planned absence? How long GW had been in Vegas? Did he go to Vegas often? There could be a simple explanation for all of this but if anyone can point me to the information I’d appreciate it.

I also wonder about the phone pings after he was seen on video. Someone (maybe Steven) checked the voice mail. Do we know if there was a password and do we know if it was checked successfully? I am not sure if this is something we could tell from phone records.

This case is interesting to me as I have several family members that are LDS living in St. George and I would visit often as a child. I used to live in Henderson for a short time and it was minutes from the car where Steven was found so both places are familiar to me and that was what originally peeked my interest. But reading about what a special person Steven is has kept me interested in this case. I really hope his family has answers soon because my heart breaks for them. It is apparent why so many people care about Steven and his family and I really hope he is happy wherever he may be right now.

:welcome5: renogirl!

The conversation between GW and Steven bothers me, too. That conversation took place as GW was leaving Vegas and Steven was arriving. They would have passed one another on the I-15.

GW reportedly was in Vegas spending the weekend with friends. I don't recall ever hearing how frequently he did that. I do believe he made it back to St. George in time to carry out his church duties.

There is no simple explanation for anything.

 

[Fairy1]

I've always felt that Steven was in that neighborhood for some kind of interview or to check out a potential job. Whether he heard about it from a friend, or saw info posted on a store window/bulletin board or was given a paper hand-out by someone on a street corner.

If that be the case, then there would be no paper, or electronic trail. Lots of employers taking applications state in their ads - no phone calls, one just shows up at a specified location.

Could be he wanted to surprise his family with landing a job on his own and didn't want to say anything to anyone for fear of "jinxing" the opportunity?

With Steven's travels he seemed to be "looking for something" IMHO - whether that was a job or to get his head straight, IDK. Did Steven's actions (of traveling) have intent and/or were purposeful, or was this erratic behavior of someone who may have seemed "lost" and without purpose?

I still think GW's words leave a lot to be desired and what he said just doesn't seem like the full story.

I also think in Steven's instance, that desperate times call for desperate measures. He seems unlikely to have taken a job that wasn't kosher...but then again sometimes people do things they wouldn't have normally done - especially if the job/job offer seemed to be very attractive.

One thought...we know Steven played the guitar and sang. I know here locally that we have people that set up on the street corners of what we call the City Market. Sometimes it's small groups, or just a guy on the bongo drums or a guy playing the guitar. They leave their instrument cases open and people drop in their spare change. Could Steven have been doing this anywhere in Vegas and he was approached by someone who "liked his music" and told Steven he could hook him up with someone in the music business?

There are street performers on the Strip. But Steven left his guitar at home.

I agree about desperate times calling for desperate measures. Or he may have unwittingly become a part of something illegal.

 

[MLE]

Coast to Coast AM will be discussing missing people in Nevada tonight. The show comes on at 1 AM eastern, 10 pm pacific.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2011/06/24

 

[Weygand]

Coast to Coast AM will be discussing missing people in Nevada tonight. The show comes on at 1 AM eastern, 10 pm pacific.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2011/06/24

I used to be a devoted C2C-AM fan, and still am somewhat...enough to know to not get my hopes up that there will be ANY discussion of missing people that doesn't involve interplanetary travel (gentleman's wager that he mentions Area 51 inside the first 2 segments.) shapeshifting, Angels, negative matter or alien abduction. And that's just Noory....not sure who will be the special guest whomever it is will be made to look normal when the listeners start calling in.

Of course I will be listening...thanks for the tip. He'll get to the missing people topic at the start of the 2nd hour.

Much thanks for the tip though!!!