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

[Fairy1]

Correct. Lots of activity on the phone (shall we say activity instead), few pings.

The actual calls have never been publicized, as (I assume) nothing "telling" was revealed.

I beg to differ. But that's just me!

 

[Fairy1]

Mario - do you have thoughts/opinions about the pings/calls?

 

[MarioM]

swjaxon and Fairy1,

Thank you both so very much for all this ping and cell phone information. Fairy1, I really appreciate that google map. But you know me, I always come up with additional questions based on the previous answers.

1)

1) Correct -- nine calls on the 13th after he left his car.

I thought after SK left his car there were nine calls/texts to and from SK's phone, from 4:36pm 12/13 till 7:04am 12/14. I'm therefore confused about swjaxon's answer that nine calls happened on the 13th.

2)

There were 3 tower pings, but there were nine calls.

I may be wrong here, but wouldn't every communication between the cell phone and a tower require a ping? I mean how do the towers and the cell phone know where they are to each other an hour later, even if the cell phone didn't move? I would think the phone would first have to be pinged to determine if the same, or a new, tower will take the next call. True, the printed documentation summarizing the calls only reports the new tower ID's and leaves the fields blank when the same tower is used for the following call, but I believe those tower ID blanks are intended to only aid the printout reader to easily identify a change in tower. Am I wrong?

3)
Fairy1, that google map helpfully summarized the timeline of calls to and from SK's phone from 12/12 till 12/14. But I counted only 5 communications after SK left his car:
4:36pm 12/13
6:58pm 12/13
6:59pm 12/13
6:04am 12/14
7:04am 12/14

What happened to the other 4, since there were 9? What happened to the one swjaxon mentioned at 7:58pm on 12/13? And what about the two voicemail checks on 12/13, also mentioned by swjaxon?

But I did get one of my main questions answered, which was that there wasn't any communication to or from SK's cell between 10am and 4:36pm on 12/13. Unfortunately this silence in communication is not helping us track the progress of SK's cell phone.

Thank you both again for all this info. This is old news to you two, but whole new material for me to play with.

 

[MarioM]

The actual calls have never been publicized, as (I assume) nothing "telling" was revealed.

I beg to differ. But that's just me!

So, those 30 calls from the morning of 12/14 till the evening of 12/16, those were never released? We, the public, don't know who made them and when, since the LE thought none of that info was important to this case? I guess there was some talk on here about the LL and GW making a significant number of those calls, correct? I still don't know what to make of them, but like I stated before, I surmise that both the LL and GW needed to get a hold of SK, who wasn't returning their calls, and they just kept calling SK, either out of anger (LL) or panic and worry (GW).

 

[Fairy1]

swjaxon and Fairy1,

Thank you both so very much for all this ping and cell phone information. Fairy1, I really appreciate that google map. But you know me, I always come up with additional questions based on the previous answers.

1)I thought after SK left his car there were nine calls/texts to and from SK's phone, from 4:36pm 12/13 till 7:04am 12/14. I'm therefore confused about swjaxon's answer that nine calls happened on the 13th.

Don't confuse the pings with the calls - to or from Steven.

(2)I may be wrong here, but wouldn't every communication between the cell phone and a tower require a ping? I mean how do the towers and the cell phone know where they are to each other an hour later, even if the cell phone didn't move? I would think the phone would first have to be pinged to determine if the same, or a new, tower will take the next call. True, the printed documentation summarizing the calls only reports the new tower ID's and leaves the fields blank when the same tower is used for the following call, but I believe those tower ID blanks are intended to only aid the printout reader to easily identify a change in tower. Am I wrong?

No. Not every call/text/VM would create a new ping - if the phone owner remained in the same general area.

3)
Fairy1, that google map helpfully summarized the timeline of calls to and from SK's phone from 12/12 till 12/14. But I counted only 5 communications after SK left his car:
4:36pm 12/13
6:58pm 12/13
6:59pm 12/13
6:04am 12/14
7:04am 12/14

What happened to the other 4, since there were 9? What happened to the one swjaxon mentioned at 7:58pm on 12/13? And what about the two voicemail checks on 12/13, also mentioned by swjaxon?

I posted the PING map, not the actual phone activity. There is a difference.

But I did get one of my main questions answered, which was that there wasn't any communication to or from SK's cell between 10am and 4:36pm on 12/13. Unfortunately this silence in communication is not helping us track the progress of SK's cell phone.

Thank you both again for all this info. This is old news to you two, but whole new material for me to play with.

Honestly, if there was any smoking gun with the phone activity, it would have been discovered and acted upon by now. What I would like to make people see is that, it's not a smoking gun. IMO, it's an explanation disguised as an innocent call/text.

 

[MarioM]

Don't confuse the pings with the calls - to or from Steven.

Well I guess I'm still confused then. Some mentioned there were 9 calls after SK departed from the vehicle, between the two days of 12/13 and 12/14, while others stated there were 9 calls after SK departed from the vehicle on 12/13 alone.

I posted the PING map, not the actual phone activity. There is a difference.

Is there a timeline out there of all the calls to and from SK's phone made on 12/13 and 12/14, a timeline with dates, times, type of call, to/from, and which tower took the call?

Honestly, if there was any smoking gun with the phone activity, it would have been discovered and acted upon by now. What I would like to make people see is that, it's not a smoking gun. IMO, it's an explanation disguised as an innocent call/text.

A smoking gun? What is the smoking gun in this case? We don't even know what happened to SK, so a smoking gun may be finding the body in the case of suicide or accident, or finding the killer in the case of murder. I believe SK's cell phone movement was, and still may be, very critical, and could have been used to locate SK's remains. And then, depending on the condition of his body and the cause of death, one could stop the investigation at that point or continue searching for the culprit, if there was evidence of one. The cell phone activity could have been the smoking gun early on in the game as to locating SK's remains, or it could have been nothing. But since there was no search around the area of SK's cell pings after his disappearance, we will not know which of those two it could have been.

You know my theory, and I was hoping that the more detailed cell phone activity would have strengthened it, or it would have weakened or completely obliterated it. But with the new, to me, details in SK's phone activity, my theory still stands, as it did yesterday.

 

[Fairy1]

Well I guess I'm still confused then. Some mentioned there were 9 calls after SK departed from the vehicle, between the two days of 12/13 and 12/14, while others stated there were 9 calls after SK departed from the vehicle on 12/13 alone.

What difference does it make?

Is there a timeline out there of all the calls to and from SK's phone made on 12/13 and 12/14, a timeline with dates, times, type of call, to/from, and which tower took the call?

No, there is not. But the phone records have been made available to some folks.

A smoking gun? What is the smoking gun in this case? We don't even know what happened to SK, so a smoking gun may be finding the body in the case of suicide or accident, or finding the killer in the case of murder. I believe SK's cell phone movement was, and still may be, very critical, and could have been used to locate SK's remains. And then, depending on the condition of his body and the cause of death, one could stop the investigation at that point or continue searching for the culprit, if there was evidence of one. The cell phone activity could have been the smoking gun early on in the game as to locating SK's remains, or it could have been nothing. But since there was no search around the area of SK's cell pings after his disappearance, we will not know which of those two it could have been.

I do believe there is a smoking gun in the cell phone activity. LE just hasn't drilled down on it. And shame on them.

If you could see the area of the last PING, perhaps you would understand why there has been no search. And I really think LE on this case do not believe Steven has been harmed.

You know my theory, and I was hoping that the more detailed cell phone activity would have strengthened it, or it would have weakened or completely obliterated it. But with the new, to me, details in SK's phone activity, my theory still stands, as it did yesterday.

Well, we all have our own theories. If LE doesn't work them we are stuck.

 

[MarioM]

What difference does it make?

Well, to me it makes a difference. I would like to compile SK's cell phone activity timeline from noon on 12/13. I'm hoping the timeline will aid in my theory, by either solidifying it or telling me to move on to a different one. Such a timeline may also hint on whether one person was responsible for the voicemail checks at those three ping locations, or possibly two people.

If you could see the area of the last PING, perhaps you would understand why there has been no search.

Is that last ping search area identified as Whitney Ranch Area on that ping google map? Yeah, that's a pretty large and complex, two square mile, area to be searched, due to all those developments there.

Well, we all have our own theories. If LE doesn't work them we are stuck.

Please see the following map I developed before all the recent talk about the phone activity was posted. I was working only with very limited phone activity info and aerial photos. I view the Pittman Wash channel as the link between the three different ping locations and would like to update the map with the most precise details.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=214166475823961701888.0004a63137dc7312267ef&msa=0

Although a significant time has passed from when SK vanished, and probably a great amount of drainage has passed through that channel compromising the ability to locate SK's remains in the wash, there may still be some clues left behind. I don't know how sealed with concrete that channel is, but if there are small inlet pipes on the channel walls such as retaining wall weep holes, crevices, or if there are elevated ledges beneath the roadway bridges, those might have been used by SK to stash his phone, car keys, wallet, and that 8.5"x11" material in/on in the case of a suicide or voluntary disappearance. Who knows, maybe a hanging noose or some blood spatter on the channel wall may also be found. But I guess we will not know, since no one has searched the channel near the third ping. There may be many theories out there on what might have happened to SK, but how many of them actually have a narrowed down search area?

 

[Fairy1]

Well, to me it makes a difference. I would like to compile SK's cell phone activity timeline from noon on 12/13. I'm hoping the timeline will aid in my theory, by either solidifying it or telling me to move on to a different one. Such a timeline may also hint on whether one person was responsible for the voicemail checks at those three ping locations, or possibly two people.

Without knowing whether or not the phone was actually in Steven's possession at any given time, the pings are kind of a moot point. The many calls from certain folks are what need to be investigated......by LE. Obviously, that information has been made available to them.

Is that last ping search area identified as Whitney Ranch Area on that ping google map? Yeah, that's a pretty large and complex, two square mile, area to be searched, due to all those developments there.

I'm pretty certain Whitney Ranch is larger than two square miles. It's also quite heavily populated.

Please see the following map I developed before all the recent talk about the phone activity was posted. I was working only with very limited phone activity info and aerial photos. I view the Pittman Wash channel as the link between the three different ping locations and would like to update the map with the most precise details.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=214166475823961701888.0004a63137dc7312267ef&msa=0

Although a significant time has passed from when SK vanished, and probably a great amount of drainage has passed through that channel compromising the ability to locate SK's remains in the wash, there may still be some clues left behind. I don't know how sealed with concrete that channel is, but if there are small inlet pipes on the channel walls such as retaining wall weep holes, crevices, or if there are elevated ledges beneath the roadway bridges, those might have been used by SK to stash his phone, car keys, wallet, and that 8.5"x11" material in/on in the case of a suicide or voluntary disappearance. Who knows, maybe a hanging noose or some blood spatter on the channel wall may also be found. But I guess we will not know, since no one has searched the channel near the third ping. There may be many theories out there on what might have happened to SK, but how many of them actually have a narrowed down search area?

There are washes and channels all over the city. In fact there is a huge channel adjacent to the area of the April 2010 search.

I do want to point out that we had heavy rainfall over an extended period a couple of months after Steven disappeared, and plenty more since. Personally, I believe if he had been in a wash or channel, he would have been found by now.

Can you narrow down a search area? Do you know that he is no longer living? <modsnip>?

There is NO new information. There is only OLD information that needs to be investigated by officials.

 

[MarioM]

How so very strange.

I pointed out that the drainage channel which originates at the golf course next to where SK's vehicle was found drains past the three cell ping locations, linking those four areas, and I'm given the comment that there are many drainage channels in Henderson.

I identified a narrow, although somewhat lengthy, search corridor, later adding to be on the lookout for certain subareas, and I'm asked to narrow down the search area further.

I questioned whether SK's filled out job application forms were analyzed and followed on, and the disinterested answer was that the location of those forms is unknown and so is the status of the review, if there ever was one.

Although none of the info I tried to work with is new, I attempted to view the limited existing evidence from a new angle, which resulted in nothing but disappointment from the crowd.

<Mod Snip>

 

[swjaxon]

How so very strange...

Hey Mario,

I appreciate your opinion in all of this. I think your idea is just as plausible as anyone else's, so keep it up. When I saw your map, I said, "This is absolutely plausible."

My only question with your theory is why park the car where he did? It's really remote/out of the way, and I would question his motives in parking there if he planned on hiking out and heading out the wash. That's the only thing I think needs a little fine-tuning.

I think there's a little bit of frustration going on here because nothing new has popped up. Without something new, we're kind of at a standstill pitching theories. But I will agree with you, the bank robbery theory is pretty laughable.

 

[Fairy1]

This was breaking news yesterday afternoon:

Metro police are investigating after a hiker found a decomposed body in a wash area behind Sam Boyd Stadium Sunday. Police say the decomposition indicates the body has been there for some time. Metro's Violent Crimes Unit is investigating.


Location-wise, very plausible. I don't have time to do it now, but you can check out Sam Boyd Stadium in relation to the last phone ping.

 

[renogirl]

I looked on Google Maps and it does look close (if I did this correctly)...
There were two suggested routes from last ping to Sam Boyd Stadium.
1. E. Russell Road 1.9 miles/ 7 minutes (driving) or 37 minutes (walking)
2. Hwy & E. Russell Road 2.7 miles/ 8 minutes (driving)- Since it was a highway it did not let me choose the walking option.

 

[swjaxon]

Location-wise, very plausible. I don't have time to do it now, but you can check out Sam Boyd Stadium in relation to the last phone ping.

It's close. But I've heard it's been there for days or weeks, rather than months or years.

 

[Fairy1]

It's close. But I've heard it's been there for days or weeks, rather than months or years.

You would certainly know better than I! The location freaked me out, though.

 

[MarioM]

<mod snip>

It's close. But I've heard it's been there for days or weeks, rather than months or years.

I wonder whether the mud and silt covering the body acted as a preservative.

The following quotes were taken from news report regarding Sunday's discovery:
"Police say the body was found by a hiker who saw the lower half of the body sticking out of the muddy debris."
"It wasn't immediately clear if the dead person was a man or woman."

Based on the above statements, I'm making the following assumption:
Since it appears the remains have been there for only days or weeks, hence not completely decomposed, and the lower half was sticking out of the muddy debris, yet the gender was still unclear, I'm assuming the body was not nude. But the clothes didn't hint of the gender either, unlike a woman's skirt, dress, or shoes would have. The body was therefore probably dressed in unisex clothes, such as jeans and sneakers. I guess we'll just have to wait for the positive identification.

I am also curious about that hiker who discovered the remains. Maybe he was a completely unaware hiker who wandered off the path and ended up in the wash, noticing something muddy buried under some debris and vegetation. But I would like to believe that this "hiker" knew why he was there, regardless whether the remains are of SK or not. I'm hoping someone (LE, PI, family, WS member) has accepted the channel theory and did their own search for the purpose of elimination. For that, Mr. Hiker, I thank you.

 

[cloudajo]

A little more info...

====

A body was found Sunday in a wash area near Sam Boyd Stadium, said Las Vegas police.

A hiker came across the decomposing human remains and notified police, Lt. Tom Roberts said.

The body, found near Russell Road and Broadbent Boulevard, was covered in vegetation and other debris, he said. It was unknown whether the body was a man or woman.

"It's apparent the body washed down the wash," Roberts said Sunday afternoon. "It's probably been there a week or so."

http://www.lvrj.com/news/body-found-in-wash-near-sam-boyd-stadium-125303878.html

 

[renogirl]

You would certainly know better than I! The location freaked me out, though.

Me too! It seems too recent but I will feel better once we have confirmation it is not him.

 

[Jessicaleanne1992]

cases like this make me want to go into a field of where i can work with missing persons cases. there is no reason this case shouldn't be solved. it's an outrage that this family cant even have answers to what happened to their son/brother/uncle. i'm guessing the lv investigators are just sitting on their tails? it makes me sick.

 

[OldSteve]

You would certainly know better than I! The location freaked me out, though.

Even if it turns out to be a recent homicide - it might still relate in some way to what happened to Steven (for example, if it turns out to be the work of a serial killer... or who knows what).