NV NV - Steven T. Koecher, 30, Henderson, 13 Dec 2009 - # 1

[laytonian]

According to KC Naegle's timeline:

It was parked on the 13th, and on the 15th, "the parking authority" (HOA enforcers) left a message on Steven's cellphone <----------(correction).

Steven's mother didn't call them back, so they left another message for her the next day (Dec 16th).

On the 17th, she retrieved her messages and the alarm went out.

 

[dreamweaver]

Steven has been missing over a month now.
Whatever theory seems likely to you/us/WS,
he has made no contact with family or friends in that time.

He either does not want to or he cannot. Not any longer.

IMO: Steven is still in the area where his car was found.
There was that p/c after that noon video of him walking away from the car.
He said he was in Las Vegas, but maybe saying Las Vegas easier than saying Henderson and then explaining where Henderson is.

At least that is my opinion for 6:30pm Thursday.

 

[laytonian]

But WHY was he that far away from home? If you're down on your luck and don't have a lot of $$$, why in the world would you take a long road trip, alone and to visit someone who doesn't even live there anymore?

How much would it have really cost? About two tanks of gas (according to my infamous mapping software, on the route I suspect). He evidently slept in his car, and fast food's not expensive.

He had $1,000 in debt...but he may have had a credit card, and he may have had some cash.

 

[Fairy1]

A new news story just popped up:
http://www.kcsg.com/news/local/81609012.html

A psychologist told the family it doesn't look like a suicide, and they believe no one would "want to try and hurt him". So...the operative theory is purposeful disappearance and he'll be home soon.
I dunno about that; even the Runaway Bride couldn't stay away for five days.

I, personally, don't believe it was a suicide either. But I'd like to know on what information the psychologist based their opinion.

 

[renn3434]

Could he have been naive and gotten involved with something that he shouldn't have and is now in over his head. Could he now be scared for his life and or his loved ones? Maybe something happened on the 12th that caused him to hurry home , take 20 minutes to pack up what he would need "right now" and took off into the night.

The only problem I have with this idea is that he told someone where he was. I wouldn't 1. answer my phone if a friend was calling and 2. If I did answer I sure wouldnt tell them where I was if this truely was my plan.

Neagle-I really want to know more about Webb. What can you tell us about him. I cant find much on my own.

 

[Fairy1]

How much would it have really cost? About two tanks of gas (according to my infamous mapping software, on the route I suspect). He evidently slept in his car, and fast food's not expensive.

He had $1,000 in debt...but he may have had a credit card, and he may have had some cash.

It was reported that his power was about to be shut off. Does that sound like the time to take a road trip on a whim? If he had cash from a dubious source, why not pay his power bill? Also, his Mom gave him money, which he reportedly didn't use. Is that because he knew he wouldn't be needing it? Then again, why even tell Mom that he was strapped for cash?

Jeez, this is making my head hurt!

 

[liz b.]

We have all been assuming that Steven left the area of Evening Lights Ave., and went somewhere else. But, the most obvious thing is that he is possibly still there. He could be staying with someone ; perhaps he just needed some "space " to think and clear his head ? And he might not know exactly how to "reappear" -- he could be embarrassed by people going through his life with a fine tooth comb. In public. I just don't get the feeling that he's not alive.

 

[ella's mom]

The only problem I have with this idea is that he told someone where he was. I wouldn't 1. answer my phone if a friend was calling and 2. If I did answer I sure wouldnt tell them where I was if this truely was my plan.

Neagle-I really want to know more about Webb. What can you tell us about him. I cant find much on my own.

You are right Renn. It's not a great theory. I just don't know what to think anymore. I hope LE knows something we don't.

 

[Fairy1]

You are right Renn. It's not a great theory. I just don't know what to think anymore. I hope LE knows something we don't.

1. I am quite sure LE knows much more than we do!
2. I have a neice named Ella!

 

[webrocket]

so many posts today and I can't comment on most of them individually.

I think it is beyond far fetched to connect Steven to Susan Powell and IMO is a waste of time to discuss. The car was sniffed by drug detecting dogs and it was clean so he was NOT transporting drugs. Human trafficking seems to me to be outside the realm of probable.

Trying to figure out the timeline is very difficult for me and I just can't get into the minutia of it, not that it is not important. However, it is clear that he was doing alot of unexplained driving. Unless we find him, we will never know where he was going.

I still think that he intended to drive to that destination and he had been there before. He knew who he was meeting however, I do not think that person lived in Sun Anthem City, otherwise he would have abandoned the car away from his actual destination.

 

[fasteddy4]

I have gone back and started from the beginning reading all the posts to this forum regarding Steven Koecher. I'm trying to find some new angles, things that have not been brought up or have been overlooked. I have also scoured the Internet looking for any new angles, leads, etc.

These are some new thoughts:

-I wonder, if we were to see the entire video tape from that day, what would we see? What other cars? What other people?
I wonder this because I think we can all agree he is no longer in the Sun City Anthem area. And if he is, he is not alive. But let's say he is alive. Then, he left that area somehow. . .truck, car, motorcycle, RV, taxi, etc. Would be see that vehicle on the tape? Granted, there is another way to get out of that area without going past those cameras but it would be the long way around. But that brings me to my next thought:

-Did the neighbors know the guy on the corner had cameras on his house? I think I am the only person on this forum that has gone out to the actual street where this happened. I live 4 miles from it. I can tell you that from the street Video Cam #1, where we first see Steven walking, cannot be seen from the street unless you are really, really, really looking for it. However, Camera #2 is to the right and above the garage door. It can easily be seen even though it is fairly small. If I am on Evening Lights for a some bad reason and I don't know there are cameras there, I am going to come down Savannah. But, if I know the cameras are there. .. meaning. . .I have been there before. . .I go the long way around and I make it a point to leave going the long way around. So, did any cars. . .that are foreign to the neighborhood leave by going in front of the cameras. If they did, they do not know the cameras are there. If you do not see any non-neighbor cars go past the camera, then we know that whoever took Steven knew the cameras were there and were avoiding them. . .for obvious reasons. I would love to watch those cameras for the entire days of Dec. 12 and 13. I'm sure the police already have but I would like to see it for myself. I am a filmmaker so I tend to notice things in a frame more than the average person. . . just sayin'.

-Why does the guy have cameras on his house in the first place? I live here, I know. . .Sun City Anthem is one of the safest areas in Las Vegas. But this guy has cameras pointed at a side entrance to his house and a camera pointed at his cars. Is there something about that street that we don't know about? I believe in keeping your house secure as the next guy but cameras? Really? In Sun City Anthem? It just seems strange. An additional point to this: I worked for 7-11 when I first moved to Las Vegas. And the first thing they tell you is that the cameras in the stores are not there to "catch" robbers. They are there to deter criminals from even thinking about robbing the place. So, I am wondering if something happened to that guy's house and now he has the cameras out there to "deter" anyone from doing it again. And now on top of that, the guy has a disappearance on his street. That seems like A LOT of activity in a community where it is supposed to be 55+.

-I wonder if the neighbors have been asked if Steven's car had ever been seen on that street before? I am sticking to my idea that that was his first time in the neighborhood but I am open-minded enough to think I might be wrong. It is just a question I would like asked and answered: Have you ever seen this white car parked in this cul de sac before? Once again, I am sure the police have asked everyone. . .especially the guy with the cameras because his house is right next to the cul de sac and he seems to be gungho about surveillance and security. . .but I want to hear their answers.

-The whole Susan Powell thing at least catches my attention but I think it is just a coincidence. . .and not much of one at that. Plus, if Steven is REALLY such a good guy. . .why would he have anything to do with helping a mother of children escape her life? For that fact alone, I think the cases are totally unrelated.

-This whole stuff about him being a human trafficker, trafficking drugs, etc. seems a bit outrageous to me. He is making money doing that but he is not paying his rent. Really? That makes no sense. I'm not saying he would go out and buy a Porsche but I think he would least get everything back to even with his expenses.

All of this is why I keep coming back to him being lured there. He could been lured there for bad reasons. . .as I said in a previous post. Or, he could have thought he was doing someone a favor and it wasn't a favor. My only thing is that it's not like he was some 20 year old 5 foot tall 100lb. girl. And he obviously got around. . .driving here and there. . .so he was not TOTALLY naive to going to new places. Someone is taking a real big chance luring a 30 year old, decent sized guy to a house and then doing whatever to him. Even Jeffrey Dahmer who lured guys back to his house kept it to men who would not be missed. . .homeless, drug users, etc. . .and younger men. But then we come back to Steven going to one of the houses, was invited in, maybe a drug got put it in a drink. . .he was attacked by more than one guy. . .whatever happened. . .and the police have canvassed the area and I have complete confidence in their abilities to smell a rat.
As for his friend Webb, I don't think he had anything to do with it. What. . .he set his friend up to vanish? He helped him disappear? He was waiting there on Evening Lights? Then how the heck did he get back to St. George for church? (He did go back, right?) I once again think those ideas are going nowhere. I look at him very much like I look at the friends of Morgan Harrington who disappeared at a Metallica concert. . .they just weren't insightful enough to see at the time that something strange was going on. That's it. And that's not a crime. That's all I got for tonight.

 

[lost at sea]

I agree its unlikely that Steven could be involved in hardcore immigrant moving. But if he were to be referred to this job by someone he knew or trusted and was led to believe it was no big deal and these guys were easy to do a quick job for, I think he'd go for it.

As for him making all this dough but not being able to pay rent: This could have been the first time. And I doubt guys doing runs that dont cross the border itself are getting paid booku bucks.

Steven has been repeatedly said to be nice, caring, etc. I know a few people who are like that and are regularly taken advantage of or are slightly oblivious to the ramifications of their actions. Im not saying Steven was dumb. Im saying he was in unfamiliar territory if he was involved in a situation like this. It is possible he could have gotten in over his head unknowingly.

As for lying to cover something like this up it would be a bit out of his character. People do things out of character when theyre up against a wall. He was behind on payments and now his family was getting involved. He could have felt like a charity case which at 30 could be sobering. Maybe he was embarassed. Maybe he was self concious about not being able to get his family Christmas presents. Who knows.

Im entirely willing to move on to other theories but I will wait to do so until I see something which I get a stronger feeling about. Itll be very interesting to see what is posted in response to my earlier questions.

I get frustrated when I think that for every day that passes those who may be responsible for any harm to Steven, if there ever was any, are getting further away and are thinking of new ways to isolate themselves from the search.

 

[CONCRNED CTZN]

Naegle-

When did Webb talk to Steven about church?

I ask this b/c I have these follow-up thoughts in regards to that...Why did Webb call Steven if Steven usually calls him if he is going to be gone? The time when Webb called would not allow Steven to get to church correct?

Where there messages on Steven's phone? Where the authorities or family able to retrieve any?

Follow up...AGAIN. Someone wanted to get a message OFF the voicemail so no one would hear it. Possibly the person who he ended up with Steven tried to get the messages.

Or...Maybe Steven wanted to see if anyone had tried to call him and see where he was at. One last chance or reason to stay if people actually cared.

Who was he working for? Any contacts or information there? Maybe the window washing was a cover for something else???? I would like information on that.

Webb, the phone message being checked, and his current employer. THREE things that could put legitimate theories to rest...

 

[lost at sea]

-Why does the guy have cameras on his house in the first place? I live here, I know. . .Sun City Anthem is one of the safest areas in Las Vegas. But this guy has cameras pointed at a side entrance to his house and a camera pointed at his cars. Is there something about that street that we don't know about? I believe in keeping your house secure as the next guy but cameras? Really? In Sun City Anthem? It just seems strange. An additional point to this: I worked for 7-11 when I first moved to Las Vegas. And the first thing they tell you is that the cameras in the stores are not there to "catch" robbers. They are there to deter criminals from even thinking about robbing the place. So, I am wondering if something happened to that guy's house and now he has the cameras out there to "deter" anyone from doing it again. And now on top of that, the guy has a disappearance on his street. That seems like A LOT of activity in a community where it is supposed to be 55+.

He was ex LE. Years of doing police work can make you paranoid no matter what neighborhood you live in.

As for his friend Webb, I don't think he had anything to do with it. What. . .he set his friend up to vanish? He helped him disappear? He was waiting there on Evening Lights? Then how the heck did he get back to St. George for church? (He did go back, right?)

As for Webb going back; we don't know. So far all the info we have on Webb is what he reported. Frankly, not much.

I feel that if I went missing and there was record of someone from my ward calling me just hours before I was last seen and they just happened to be in the same state as I, he'd have a lot more questions asked of him than Webb has. I've felt all along that his answer was poorly crafted (especially the phrase "do whatever it was he had to do", nobody says that in normal conversation) to make it sound like he knew especially little about what Steven was doing in Vegas. IMO, that's almost as concerning as saying he knew plenty about what he was doing there. He labored the point. He could have much more easily said, "I called him to ask if he would be at church but he said he wouldnt make it that day. I said I'd see him next week and hung up".

I could be GROSSLY overanalyzing his phrases here. I understand that. Webb could be completely uninvolved. But it needs to be double checked.

 

[fasteddy4]

One more thing. . .for those of you that don't know: Las Vegas is notorious for being the most transient city in the US. It is not unusual to know someone pretty well and then never see them again. It's not like they have been kidnapped or murdered. . .they just pick up and move. Go to LA. Go back to wherever they are from.

The best story I have in this vein is back in like 2000. I knew a girl who had just bought a house and was looking for some roommates to help pay the mortgage. She got two. . .a girl that she did not know and a guy that she had known for a while. The guy lived there for like 6 months. One day, my friend wakes up, sees the guy's door is open, she goes in, and everything of his is gone. He didn't steal anything. He didn't damage anything. He just picked up and left. . .with no warning. And she had been friends with him for a while. She thought she knew him well. And she never heard from him again. True story. That was my introduction to how transient this town could be.

The reason I say this is that although the police in Las Vegas are more than capable they have more disappearances on their hands than the average city. Something to keep in mind.

 

[sallysueannie]

Naegle - Here are ALL the questions from today. I tried to leave out the duplicates and ones that we answers through other people. Sorry if I missed any. If you copy and paste this - you can just add the answer after each question. I think it would even be valuable to say - you don't know and can't find out - or that is information you cannot share at this time (due to the fact it is a police investigation)

&#8226; OK, I know I got in on this late, but I see NO discussion about Steven's cousin Jeff Bradshaw, who lives in Las Vegas. Is this a coincidence, or is Steve's cousin the same Jeff Bradshaw whose realty office is at 10120 S Eastern Ave, Henderson, NV 89052...an office Steven would have driven right by, if he'd traveled the logical route.
&#8226; Good point, did he contact his cousin out there? i know he had presents but who were they for, his cousins kids?
&#8226; Anyways, I would be interested in the cell tower ping locations for Webb and Stevens calls as well.
&#8226; Where is the list of potential employers Steven sent his resume to?
&#8226; Like it has been stated, it seems he (GW) is making points to cover that he is in contact with Steven often. They are probably EQ teachers and he wanted him to cover teaching that Sunday. Was he at church on the 10th since he was in Springville and if not, did Steven call that Sunday and tell Webb he would not be there? EQ teachers probably alternate Sundays and if the 13th was GW's day to teach, did Steven make it back from Ruby/Springville area to teach Sunday the 10th?
&#8226; has Steven's info/pic appeared on the Anderson Dairy milk cartons yet?
&#8226; This phone call was on Sunday was it not? If Steven and Webb spoke on the phone, and they determined that Webb would return to St. George and not Steven... then wouldn't Webb know that Steven wasn't going to show up for church? Why would he say Steven never called if he'd already talked to him that day? What time is church?
&#8226; So what we think is two trips to norhtern Utah on the 8th and 10th could very well be one trip. Which leaves the big question. Who did he stay with on the night of the 7th, 8th, and 9th?
&#8226; Could his mention of Sacramento to AnneMarie's family be a cover to explain his passing through so far from home?
&#8226; I wonder if the police have confirmed where Steven's ex roommate was on the day he dissapeared.
&#8226; Could what he have been carrying have been plane tickets and a travel itenary? How far is where he parked the car from the Henderson airport?
I know that theory doesn't really fit the clues either but if the mission president there could put the word out, it couldn't hurt right?
&#8226; Have the police checked all flights and bus tickets?
&#8226; Suppose for a moment Steven was involved in illegal human trafficking of illegal immigrants.
&#8226; Certainly, people saw Steve *other* than at those occasions noted on her timeline. Remember, that timeline starts on Nov 13th -- and doesn't even list when he went to church. It'd be significant if he missed it. Maybe Naegle can clarify.
&#8226; Half a tank of gas would have been 7.6 gallons. Do we know it was found exactly "half full" or someone just looked at the gauge and saw it was kinda-halfway?
&#8226; If he had NO connection to SLC at any point during that trip to Ruby Valley why did he come home that way and stop in Springville for gas?
&#8226; It'd be nice to have a complete inventory of the car's contents, including all receipts. Even if he paid cash for things, there could be receipts in the bags....and they have information.
&#8226; could anyone mention where Greg Webb is from?
&#8226; Have people in Ruby Valley been questioned? Steven went there, most likely, for a reason other than to visit AM. Maybe someone knows something.
&#8226; I think that something happened or started when he was living in Salt Lake. Does the family REALLY know what made him quit his job and move? I think his previous co-workers and friends need to be interviewed. Maybe they already have?
&#8226; ut my biggest suggestion is this: hire a psychic/medium. I know lots of people don't believe in them but I do. Chip Coffey is one of my favorites. Here is a link to his site: http://www.chipcoffey.com/ If anything, he could at least refer you to someone reputable in the Las Vegas/St. George area. Lots of leads have been found using psychic/mediums! It might get things moving again.
&#8226; What kind of coats were found. Were they different sizes? Were they odd colors for a man to be wearing? Pink, teal, etc? ANY info on these coats is helpful.
&#8226; Did Steven ever work for or spend extended periods of time working at AnneMarie's families ranch?
&#8226; Does he speak any other languages, to your knowledge, besides Portuguese and English?
&#8226; Are there records/receipts available, for the 7-10 days before he disappeared?
&#8226; Any receipts in the car, however meaningless they'd seem?
&#8226; What date/time/address is on the Mesquite, NV gas receipt?
&#8226; Does anyone know his route to Ruby Valley, NV?
&#8226; Can we assume he came back from there, through SLC and then St George (since he stopped for gas in Springville?)
&#8226; Is there any chance he went to SLC to see Annemarie before he returned from the Ruby Valley trip? Did they have a deep, previous relationship?
&#8226; Has he been to Sacramento before?
&#8226; How close is the nearest bus stop to where that car was parked?
&#8226; I wonder, if we were to see the entire video tape from that day, what would we see? What other cars? What other people
&#8226; Did the neighbors know the guy on the corner had cameras on his house?
&#8226; Why does the guy have cameras on his house in the first place? I live here, I know. . .Sun City Anthem is one of the safest areas in Las Vegas. But this guy has cameras pointed at a side entrance to his house and a camera pointed at his cars. Is there something about that street that we don't know about?
&#8226; I wonder if the neighbors have been asked if Steven's car had ever been seen on that street before?
&#8226; Did Webb make it back to church that Sunday?
&#8226; Who was he working for? Any contacts or information there? Maybe the window washing was a cover for something else?
&#8226; Where there messages on Steven's phone? Where the authorities or family able to retrieve any?

 

[webrocket]

just one point to expand on fasteddy's reference to Jeffrey Dahmer. While it might seem odd to people who are over 50 and married for many years, people who hook up for sexual encounters are usually safer going to someone else's home.

Why do I say that? If you invite someone into your own home, they could harm you and walk out the door. If they invite you into their own home and they harm you, then you know where they live and even if they killed their guest, they have a body to dispose of. Of course Dahmer was as crazy at they get and he is an exception. I do not, however, think any of his victims drove a car to his neighborhood, parked it, then was murdered. A killer would not want his victim's car parked in his neighborhood.

For these reasons, among others I have stated, I do not believe that his intended lived on Evening Lights or that harm came to him on Evening Lights. I think he and this other person went elsewhere and it was just a rendezvous point.

 

[CONCRNED CTZN]

None of the theories I have read seem to "fit".

I have said numerous time that when I was a single LDS woman, before Kids and Husband, there were ALOT of things that my family had no idea about. There was/is no need. If I had been injured or harmed at the places I went to at times, my family would be SHOCKED and probably would have sworn that it was impossible. Aside from a few friends, everyone would probably have agreed with them. Nothing illegal, just not in harmony with how I was raised.

I think this is the case with Steven. I think he got into "something"...was trying to get out of "something", and "couldn't". Drugs nor smuggling fit. I think there is something sexual that we are missing here. Do we know what he was buying at the gas stations? Liquor and condoms???? He doesn't seem like a cheap beer guy. But a bottle of tequila can run in the 20's, especially if you include the extras.

The last thing that the police do not want the family to share...confuses me, especially since there doesn't seem to be any real investigation by them. Naegle, do you know when you might be able to make this information public??

 

[Fairy1]

I also believe we are working without at least one key detail.

I don't feel Steven was lured to the Sun City location by someone wishing to harm him. There are a number of facts that indicate, to me anyway, that he had something covert going on well prior to going missing. Him quitting a perfectly good job in the middle of a recession. moving away from his family, taking road trips that don't seem to make any sense....

It does bother me that Steven, if he did willingly walk out of his life, has allowed his family to worry about him for this long. By all accounts, that does not sound like something he would do. However, based on what we know, he really didn't have much in his life to stick around for. If he did walk away and has purposely not contacted his loved ones, it would have to be because he's into something he feels they wouldn't approve of. IMO.

I just don't know what to think.

BTW, I don't believe he is a gambler. Information I have access to in my professional life leads me to believe that is not a factor here.

 

[liz b.]

Hi FastEddie,
I for one am beginning to believe that Steven has not left the Anthem area. There is nothing to say that he did. The simplest explanation is that he's staying with someone there. Let's not forget : he's a 30 year old man. * Only my opinion *