AK - Samantha Koenig, 18, Anchorage, 1 Feb 2012 - #1

[Knox]

James Koenig's 18-year-old daughter Samantha Koenig has been missing since Feb. 1 from Anchorage, Alaska. Her distraught father posted his phone numbers on missing person flyers and now he is getting phone calls with fake leads from people looking to cash in on his pain.

"People come out of the woodwork for a reward," James Koenig told ABCNews.com.

The Anchorage Police Department is investigating his daughter's disappearance and is being flooded with calls from "psychics" claiming to have information about Samantha.

"We've never had a psychic lead that turns out to be correct," Anchorage Police Lt. Dave Parker told ABCNews.com.

The targeting of Koenig, the attempts to capitalize on his suffering, the frauds that distract police, the demented late night pranks played on grieving parents are not unique.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/families-h...rivate-torment/story?id=15508160#.TzFim8hnAtw

It's a sad world we live in, I can't imagine a person tormenting another in this way.

 

[Knox]

This is not a mainstream media source. But is an interesting perspective/opinion to read.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/132646/missing_alaska_teens_father_must

 

[Knox]

It's very quiet today. Even her daddy isn't speaking. I hope that's news... and preferably good.

He posted a few minutes ago. Apologized for not posting earlier. He and Dwayne were out working on promising leads until 5 AM. Wonder if that was in conjunction with APD?

Nancy Grace's producer is trying to get in touch with the Koenig family, good news!

 

[Janeumayer]

He posted a few minutes ago. Apologized for not posting earlier. He and Dwayne were out working on promising leads until 5 AM. Wonder if that was in conjunction with APD?

Nancy Grace's producer is trying to get in touch with the Koenig family, good news!

Wow! What a difference from other parent's actions after their kids go missing. I wish everyone a father and family like Samantha's. God Bless them and I hope and pray they find her.

 

[PlainJaneDoe]

This is not a mainstream media source. But is an interesting perspective/opinion to read.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/132646/missing_alaska_teens_father_must

I think that some of the comments were spot-on.

:candle: for Samantha

 

[dillysmom11]

I think that some of the comments were spot-on.

:candle: for Samantha

Thanks for the article, Knox! I think the *article* was spot on, and will be shocked if it's not... praying for Sam.

 

[Indy Anna]

I think that some of the comments were spot-on.

:candle: for Samantha

Agreed. I started to post something here last night (or early this A.M.) along with some of my thoughts on how the case is being handled, but I was afraid the kidnapper might be lurking here so I deleted it. I'll just say that I think there's a good reason for the withholding of info. It would only make matters worse to release it, IMO. hdear:

 

[TxLady2]

Well it seems to me that there are a variety of reasons why that might not release the tape:

- They could already know who it is and have a pretty good idea of where they are. In this case releasing the tape wouldn't help because they know the abductor's identity and don't need the public's help in finding him. I guess it is odd that their spokesperson would say that they don't know anything and that the tape doesn't show anything, but maybe they don't want the perp to know what they know.

- The cops are afraid that releasing the tape might cause the abductor to harm the victim.

- The tape really is useless and the cops have no idea who it is. Releasing the tape would only scare the public and could lead to no good. Obviously I am hoping it isn't this one.

Personally I think it is the first one. I think the cops know a lot more than they are letting on. And I get the feeling this abduction was done by someone who knows the victim. If someone was just robbing the coffee stand, why would they take her? And how would they know that they needed to do it after the stand closed but before her boyfriend got there to pick her up? And her dad sure seems convinced that he knows who it is.

Could be both of the first two. I do know that LE does everything they can to preserve the life of the victim for as long as they can. They won't do anything if it puts her life in danger.

Also I noticed most of the articles state that LE won't verify what kind of weapon he had. It's been my experience that anytime they describe a suspect as armed, they usually mean a gun. There was a blurb beside one article and underneath her picture was stated "Barista kidnapped at gunpoint." Hmmmmm... guess the media is pretty smart to figure that out.
Gosh, I hope she is found alive and safe very soon.

 

[Indy Anna]

I couldn't access this article last night, but the link is working fine today:

[snipped]

With Samantha's grandmother and cousin by her side, Christiansen described her daughter as a beautiful, bubby, and compassionate person. She says she is dealing with a situation that no mother should ever have to go through. Christiansen's own mother, Florence Milton, says when the family heard the news, no one could believe what had happened.

http://articles.ktuu.com/2012-02-06/love_31032415

 

[z560]

More details. The guy that filed a restraining order against her is not a suspect but also hasn't been cleared. And apparently the FBI is involved:

Surveillance video reveals a young woman abducted nearly a week ago in Anchorage appeared frightened by the man who took her, a detective supervising the investigation said Tuesday.

In an interview Tuesday, police said the alarmed reaction by Samantha Koenig, 18, to a man who approached the Midtown coffee hut where she was working indicates the abductor was carrying a weapon. Police continued to reveal little else about a video or collection of videos that captured the apparent abduction.

...

Detectives say surveillance video from multiple cameras shows the man, wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt, walk up to the Common Grounds coffee shack in the parking lot of the Alaska Club at 630 E. Tudor Road. The footage is too dark to tell what color hoodie the man wore, police said.

It was just before 8 p.m., near closing time. The taller man somehow entered the coffee stand and forced the 5-foot-5, 140-pound Koenig to leave with him. The video shows the pair walk out of frame, headed west, police say.

Earlier police reports that they walked east were incorrect, police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said Tuesday, adding there was no getaway vehicle seen in the video.

...

Police are not saying if they think the abductor was a stranger or someone Koenig knew.

"We don't know one way or the other whether she knew this person or she didn't know this person," Parker said.

"But if you think about it, once again, from the perspective of what her job is, she's going to have contact with hundreds of people a day. And she might know people just by recognizing them," he said. "They may have stopped for coffee once or twice. We don't know."

http://www.adn.com/2012/02/07/2305513/fbi-assists-search-for-abducted.html

So it seems that the video probably isn't very helpful at all. My guess is that it really only shows the victim and that you can see very little of the perp. In fact, if I am reading this right the only reason the cops think he was armed is the victim's reaction--they couldn't even tell from the video.

Also, the victim apparently locked up the coffee shop but didn't clean up or set the alarm. Isn't that kind of odd? Did she stop in the middle of the abduction to lock the shack??? Or had she already locked up and was taken out through the window or something?

 

[Janeumayer]

More details. The guy that filed a restraining order against her is not a suspect but also hasn't been cleared. And apparently the FBI is involved:



http://www.adn.com/2012/02/07/2305513/fbi-assists-search-for-abducted.html

So it seems that the video probably isn't very helpful at all. My guess is that it really only shows the victim and that you can see very little of the perp. In fact, if I am reading this right the only reason the cops think he was armed is the victim's reaction--they couldn't even tell from the video.

Also, the victim apparently locked up the coffee shop but didn't clean up or set the alarm. Isn't that kind of odd? Did she stop in the middle of the abduction to lock the shack??? Or had she already locked up and was taken out through the window or something?

Weird phrasing in this article:


"Detectives say surveillance video from multiple cameras shows the man, wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt, walk up to the Common Grounds coffee shack in the parking lot of the Alaska Club at 630 E. Tudor Road. The footage is too dark to tell what color hoodie the man wore, police said.

It was just before 8 p.m., near closing time. The taller man somehow entered the coffee stand and forced the 5-foot-5, 140-pound Koenig to leave with him. The video shows the pair walk out of frame, headed west, police say."


There were many videos of him? I thought they had talked about only one. Lastly, "The taller man", is it because he was taller than her or because there were two men?

 

[Advocate1]

Weird phrasing in this article:


"Detectives say surveillance video from multiple cameras shows the man, wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt, walk up to the Common Grounds coffee shack in the parking lot of the Alaska Club at 630 E. Tudor Road. The footage is too dark to tell what color hoodie the man wore, police said.

It was just before 8 p.m., near closing time. The taller man somehow entered the coffee stand and forced the 5-foot-5, 140-pound Koenig to leave with him. The video shows the pair walk out of frame, headed west, police say."


There were many videos of him? I thought they had talked about only one. Lastly, "The taller man", is it because he was taller than her or because there were two men?

I was wondering the same thing. I found this article below that eludes to the man being "significantly taller."
http://lostnmissing.posterous.com/kidnapped-samantha-koenig-18-anchorage-alaska

 

[TxLady2]

More details. The guy that filed a restraining order against her is not a suspect but also hasn't been cleared. And apparently the FBI is involved:



http://www.adn.com/2012/02/07/2305513/fbi-assists-search-for-abducted.html

So it seems that the video probably isn't very helpful at all. My guess is that it really only shows the victim and that you can see very little of the perp. In fact, if I am reading this right the only reason the cops think he was armed is the victim's reaction--they couldn't even tell from the video.

Also, the victim apparently locked up the coffee shop but didn't clean up or set the alarm. Isn't that kind of odd? Did she stop in the middle of the abduction to lock the shack??? Or had she already locked up and was taken out through the window or something?

Maybe the door has an automatic lock on it, one that locks when you close it, like they have in nursing homes and hospitals where they keep medications.

 

[bdawk20]

More details. The guy that filed a restraining order against her is not a suspect but also hasn't been cleared. And apparently the FBI is involved:



http://www.adn.com/2012/02/07/2305513/fbi-assists-search-for-abducted.html

So it seems that the video probably isn't very helpful at all. My guess is that it really only shows the victim and that you can see very little of the perp. In fact, if I am reading this right the only reason the cops think he was armed is the victim's reaction--they couldn't even tell from the video.

Also, the victim apparently locked up the coffee shop but didn't clean up or set the alarm. Isn't that kind of odd? Did she stop in the middle of the abduction to lock the shack??? Or had she already locked up and was taken out through the window or something?

In one of the early articles, it was said that the business was "boarded up" for the night, but the alarm wasn't set and she hadn't cleaned up. Looking at the Common Grounds, it seems to have two drive-up windows - one on each side. My feeling was that those windows got boarded up each night at closing, and maybe they would do that first to keep any customers from showing up thinking they were still open, and once that was done, the rest of the "closing" would take place. Whoever opened the shop the next am said there were 2 cups of coffee left out on the counter, too. I wonder if she was making those cups for she and her bf, and had unlocked the door so he could just come in with her while she would finish cleaning up?

ETA Here's a link to the article:

http://www.adn.com/2012/02/03/v-printer/2298379/police-continue-search-for-missing.html

 

[Joe Friday]

I have never heard of any place that has surveillance camera's, only having just one camera. Usually a system will have a minimum of four camera's. So I would suspect that the perp was captured on more than one camera from the system that was installed in the coffee hut. Being the coffee hut is very small I would also think that coverage inside the hut by any camera's would be very good. Two camera's inside would about cover the whole place. Likely there is one camera pointed at the door, another at the cash register and drive up window and maybe two camera's outside. Knowing from the article that the perp "somehow entered the coffee stand" I would also think that the surveillance camera's inside the hut would have gotten a relatively good picture of him because the lights would have been on inside. I think LE knows more than they are letting on to as far a video footage.

As far as the locking of the door, it could have been that the door remained locked during business hours and Sam let the guy in because she knew him or he just knocked on the door. I don't know if we are clear about if customers can walk inside the hut to order coffee or if this is just a drive up only type of business. If the door remains locked during business hours when they left the door might have been already locked so that is why the door was locked. Sam never really locked up. The owner or manager would be able to tell LE what the normal practice was as far as having the door locked.

JMO

 

[MagnoliaMom]

I have never heard of any place that has surveillance camera's, only having just one camera. Usually a system will have a minimum of four camera's. So I would suspect that the perp was captured on more than one camera from the system that was installed in the coffee hut. Being the coffee hut is very small I would also think that coverage inside the hut by any camera's would be very good. Two camera's inside would about cover the whole place. Likely there is one camera pointed at the door, another at the cash register and drive up window and maybe two camera's outside. Knowing from the article that the perp "somehow entered the coffee stand" I would also think that the surveillance camera's inside the hut would have gotten a relatively good picture of him because the lights would have been on inside. I think LE knows more than they are letting on to as far a video footage.

As far as the locking of the door, it could have been that the door remained locked during business hours and Sam let the guy in because she knew him or he just knocked on the door. I don't know if we are clear about if customers can walk inside the hut to order coffee or if this is just a drive up only type of business. If the door remains locked during business hours when they left the door might have been already locked so that is why the door was locked. Sam never really locked up. The owner or manager would be able to tell LE what the normal practice was as far as having the door locked.

JMO

http://www.adn.com/2012/02/07/2305513/fbi-assists-search-for-abducted.html

Police continued to reveal little else about a video or collection of videos that captured the apparent abduction.

Authorities have refused to make the clips or still photos from them public

Detectives say surveillance video from multiple cameras shows the man, wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt, walk up to the Common Grounds coffee shack in the parking lot of the Alaska Club at 630 E. Tudor Road.

BBM I think you are right. I don't think they know who it is or they would have arrested him. They don't have to show the public but IMO they should show family, friends, co-workers, business owners nearby...

 

[dillysmom11]

Thanks, Joe Friday!

 

[mamacita]

has anyone seen anything anywhere that says how tall CB is?

eta: he looks pretty tall in this pic: http://s214.photobucket.com/albums/cc121/whytetyson910/?action=view&current=Picture150.jpg

 

[Joe Friday]

A candlelight vigil will be held on Saturday Feb 11 at Delany Park Strip in Anchorage.

Thus according to a post on "Please Help Find Samantha Koenig." FB Page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Please-Help-Find-Samantha-Koenig/328733013838027

 

[Knox]

FBI assists police in search for abducted Anchorage barista

Anchorage police have asked for the FBI's help in solving the disappearance, a department spokesman said on Tuesday.

Hundreds of volunteers, a private investigator -- even psychics -- are now involved in the hunt. Police say an armed man kidnapped Koenig last Wednesday evening from her workplace.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/02/07/2305513/fbi-assists-search-for-abducted.html#storylink=cpy​

Relieved to hear the FBI is working with APD. Although it seems they have been involved from the beginning, according to a quote in this article. First time I have seen them mentioned though.

Snipped-
The next day, about noon, Common Grounds notified police that Koenig was missing and that nobody -- not her family, her friends nor her co-workers -- had heard from her. Officers met Koenig's father, James Koenig, at the stand.

I still don't have a feel for whether this was a stranger abduction or not. Based on what has been released it's nearly impossible to form a conclusion.

Snipped-
While police have not cleared Bird as a potential suspect in the abduction, it doesn't do any good to accuse him if he's not involved, Parker said.

"This is not a one-hour, TV cop drama. This is real life. And it takes time to work through these things," Parker said.

LE often seems hesitant to clear a potential suspect. But if there was absolute proof, he would have been cleared within a day or two. So here a week later, it would seem they are still working to clear him. Not implying anything, just sayin ...

Snipped
Police entered Koenig's name and photos into a federal missing persons database, which means agents at airports and the U.S. border are aware of her disappearance, said Parker, the police spokesman. The FBI has also been assisting since the early stages of the investigation, Parker said.

"That may expand as the need arises," he said. "They have specialized equipment that we don't have."

I've heard no mention of enhancing the video footage, perhaps that is being done now. I remember from another case, it seems to take a while.

​