NV NV - Steven T. Koecher, 30, Henderson, 13 Dec 2009 - #20

[Fairy1]

IIRC, he had been taking something holistic at one time. That was mentioned by his friend gsmith. I'm going to have to go back and check if he said what it was for. I do recall he didn't know the name of it.

This is the only reference to "drugs" I can find. Not very specific:

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - NV NV - Steven T. Koecher, 30, Henderson, 13 Dec 2009 - #7

 

[sophieness]

Fairy1 and Laytonian (or anyone who may know or have access to this information)--

In a prior post, there was mention of having received an education about cell towers. Could you please tell me the average or approximate range of the cell phone towers that SK's phone pinged off of?

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/33302-39-tower-range

">Does anyone have an idea of the average or maximum range of a cell tower --
>say in a suburban environemnet with trees and 2 story houses?
>
>Thanks.
>
>Stan
>
There are three issues that drive cell tower range.

1). Height. Cell phone is line of sight, so ultimate range is rougly
the square root of the height the tower is about the surrounding land
in miles. 400 feet = 20 miles. In urban areas, you tend to run out of
transmit power before you run out of line of sight range.

2). Power output. GSM defines several power output classes, depending
upon the requirements. There is a minimum signal strenght required to
maintain an acceptable call. These are typically in the 5-20 watt
class, although up to 200 watts is defined. You may find a 200 watt on
top a big hill in a rural area.... The 5-20 watts effectively limits
the range to something in the 5-8 mile range, somewhat more in open
country. "

gsm= "Global System for Mobile Communications, or GSM (originally from Groupe Spécial Mobile), is the world's most popular standard for mobile telephone systems."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM

http://www.gsmworld.com/newsroom/market-data/market_data_summary.htm

sounds pretty complicated. probably only an expert or the company itself might know...but I do think they tend to ping off ones that are the closest and then go to the next tower available if that one is too "busy"? if it pinged in that region several times, which I think it did, it must have been somewhere close to the whitney ranch area? within a couple miles maybe?

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone1.htm this site says about ten square miles in an urban area?

whereas this article says closer to one mile in urban area

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region...en-mother-to-continue-at-east-fork-state-park

 

[Lady LEO]

Thanks Sophieness. I've used google earth to map an average 8 mile radius around each cell tower that SK pinged. I was hoping that the overlapping area might reveal something helpful, but the overlap is significant and nothing stands out.

 

[laytonian]

Fairy1 and Laytonian (or anyone who may know or have access to this information)--

In a prior post, there was mention of having received an education about cell towers. Could you please tell me the average or approximate range of the cell phone towers that SK's phone pinged off of?

No (sorry), because our education told us that it's not as easy as it looks in more recent cases or on TV. We didn't even know the exact location of all the towers. We have tower names, and a list of AT&T towers -- but not all towers belonged to his cell company. With shared towers, you don't know the tower "name" given by a particular company.

I'm sure you've already seen swjaxon's map of the cell tower hits 12-14 Dec 2009....and see the problems we all encountered.

Also - Steven's phone was very basic, without some of the newer locator capabilities.

We do not know if LE subpoenaed his phone records; we have only basic info available to us.

 

[Lady LEO]

I'm not LDS, but live in Utah among the LDS.

I have known several strongly-religious LDS men, throughout the years, who've committed suicide. One was a just-graduated schoolmate, three were neighbors, and two were coworkers. None were over 35.

I agree with Laytonian on this. Being a SLC native and after 18 years in the LDS religion including 6 years of seminary during school, the church doesn't seem to address suicide directly like some other religions do. There is an understated message that someone who is struggling should reach out to their bishop, home teachers, or LDS Family Services which provides informal therapy and support groups. Otherwise, the act of suicide or suicidal individuals are not provided with much direction from the pulpit or religious leaders regarding the gospel's message about God's view on those who take their own life.

 

[Lady LEO]

No (sorry), because our education told us that it's not as easy as it looks in more recent cases or on TV. We didn't even know the exact location of all the towers. We have tower names, and a list of AT&T towers -- but not all towers belonged to his cell company. With shared towers, you don't know the tower "name" given by a particular company.

I'm sure you've already seen swjaxon's map of the cell tower hits 12-14 Dec 2009....and see the problems we all encountered.

Also - Steven's phone was very basic, without some of the newer locator capabilities.

We do not know if LE subpoenaed his phone records; we have only basic info available to us.

Thanks for the info Laytonian. The FCC keeps a list of all registered cell phone towers which identifies the location, owners, and providers. Is there enough information on the records that were used to obtain SK's pings to be able to compare to the FCC list? If there is, we might be able to home in on the exact towers.

 

[sophieness]

http://www.cellreception.com/towers/towers.php thanks!!!

 

[sophieness]

it looks like he placed the markers really well! there is one right on I95/russell road. only a few whitney ranch towers, right on the south side...a mile around each of these towers would put the cell perhaps right in the middle of whitney ranch area or in the neighborhood just to the east of it...

 

[Fairy1]

Thanks for the info Laytonian. The FCC keeps a list of all registered cell phone towers which identifies the location, owners, and providers. Is there enough information on the records that were used to obtain SK's pings to be able to compare to the FCC list? If there is, we might be able to home in on the exact towers.

If I remember correctly, we also learned that over high volume weekends, temporary cell towers are added in certain areas, which are not identified on the FCC list. The weekend Steven went missing, the National Finals Rodeo was in town. That is a HUGE event in Vegas.

 

[Lady LEO]

Hey Sophieness--

I would be interested in your opinion of my theory in post 283 which stemmed from your response itemizing your 6 possible reasons that someone would take a spontaneous 13 hr trip like the one SK did to RV.

When you have a moment, give me your take.

Thanks--

 

[sophieness]

has anyone tried contacting att? we aren't asking for personal cell phone information, just the location of the towers nicknamed whitney ranch etc.

 

[Fairy1]

Hey Sophieness--

I would be interested in your opinion of my theory in post 283 which stemmed from your response itemizing your 6 possible reasons that someone would take a spontaneous 13 hr trip like the one SK did to RV.

When you have a moment, give me your take.

Thanks--

IMO, that theory would imply that the trip to Ruby Valley was a stop on his way to Sacramento. So, why would he then have driven all the way back to St. George and, eventually, to Henderson to get to Sacramento?

 

[sophieness]

Let's run with #1 for a minute. If we believe that SK wasn't just making conversation when he told AM's family that he was going to Sacramento and that he really intended to, this could change some scenarios.

The trip to RV certainly appears impulsive and spontaneous in nature. Knowing that he would drive 13 hours and leave at an odd hour without letting anyone know or packing anything of importance to take with him, let's apply that same behavior to the following days.

If we look at where his last cell phone pings were registered, they are right next to Hwy 93. Follow 93 north and it turns into Hwy 95 which has several junctions heading west that go directly to Sacramento.

Then, let's take a step back and look at his previous cell phone pings. The one that occurred Saturday a.m. at Overton could have been on outbound trip to Henderson with the evening ping at Mesquite being the return trip. The neighbor said he saw SK arrive home at 10pm and leave 30 mins after. What if that is when he got his toiletry bag, pillow, blanket, etc and then returned to Henderson, perhaps staying with someone in the SCA neighborhood after he had already spent the day in Henderson.

If he was staying with someone in Henderson or in SCA, SK would have already been in Henderson when the Sunday a.m. call happened and he stated that he could go back to St. G if needed, but that wasn't in his plans for the day. He might have been with people who were staying with a family member who lived in SCA, but were traveling back to Sacramento within the next day or so and he intended to travel with them. Remember, the time frame of this incident occurred during college semester break and right between two holidays.

When the second call from his church member happened, SK stated he couldn't attend. It could be that the departure time for Sacaramento was approaching. If he had already stayed Saturday night in the SCA neighborhood, he would have been familiar with it and may have parked his vehicle in the driveway of his traveling companions which is why he wasn't seen on camera before. When the time to depart was approaching, that's when he might have moved his vehicle to the cul-de-sac. When watching him on the surveillance video, he didn't look as though he was searching for an unknown address or location. His head was down and he appeared comfortable with his surroundings.

Maybe SK planned on only being gone for a day or two and given his impulsive spontaneous trip in the days prior, and that could be why he didn't pack or take more essential items. If one of the family members was in college in Henderson, but were Sacramento natives, and were staying in campus housing or nearby apartments, leaving his vehicle there may not have seemed as safe compared to parking it in the SCA neighborhood where someone known to the individual might have been residing and could keep an eye on it.

Then, SK and his unknown companions started off for Sacramento in their car the following day, bright and early and he checked his voicemail before he lost his signal. And, given that he didn't like the cold weather, he may have looked at this as an opportunity to do some job searching in Sacramento which may be why he was carrying a folder that may have contained his resume.

That would explain why no one in the SCA neighborhood seems to know much about anything. The search for SK may actually be somewhere along Hwy 95 towards Sacramento or Sacramento proper. It would also provide some explaination as to why no one has come forward if his traveling companions are actually residents of Sacramento, where this disappearance might not have made the news.

In reviewing all the prior threads, there's been no talk about SK possibly experiencing an unexpected medical situation that resulted in his passing and his companions, for whatever reason, failed to report it to the authorities and instead, improperly disposed of his body. I've encountered a situation exactly like this twice in my profession when otherwise upstanding law abiding citizens can panic and improperly dispose of a body even though they didn't cause the person's death and didn't do anything wrong or have anything to hide.

What are everyone's thoughts?

ok...well my initial questions on this theory are thus:
1) we don't know a motive to go to sacramento...no calls to sacramento area (of course there weren't calls to henderson either so this may not mean much with steven)
2) if this is an innocent trip with a fellow young person, why no calls? texts? that we know of. steven's motives in his final days seem either desperate or furtive, explaining the no calls from him. but the other person, unless it was a boring appointment set up ahead of time or a furtive motive, would generally call or email before a trip like that? hey still coming? etc...so I would think, maybe the trip is not innocent.
3) seems like he would have had a bigger bag with him, even if only for a couple day trip
4) disposal of a body. this is a possibility...I see it more as maybe an accident that they felt like they could be implicated in? a medical condition that is not a drug or alcohol overdose, seems like most normal, nonnefarious people would call for help. it is more common to not do so (if there is no foul play) due to something like an overdose, related to fear. but if an accident occurred...I have no idea what kind of accident would occur. steven is not known to have any serious medical condition, although sometimes people do have heart issues that go unnoticed and then seem to get them out of nowhere. most of those young people seem to be athletes though. if there was more than one person involved, no foul play, no drugs, and no alcohol, someone would have either stopped the disposal or their conscience would have gotten to them and one of them would have said something to someone eventually? who would report it to police. he had his blanket, pillow, and shaving kit in the car...maybe he did make plans to take another long trip, and then never had the chance to go get them?
5) phone pinged in las vegas several times in the whitney ranch/ russell road area, many hours apart...this is a little ways from SCA area...so his cell phone got dumped there or tossed, he got dumped there, or he went up and stayed there for an unknown period of time before leaving? the first two point to either foul play, or him tossing his own cell phone (for reasons of suicide or disappearance, not an innocent trip). the last one makes me think, he did not intend to leave from henderson on the 13th, but after staying in LV on the 14th. why stay the night in LV if you leave your car in henderson the day before? possible but I just can't quite make the pieces fit...so we have an accomplice with multiple connections to LV or whitney area, henderson, and sacramento. their family or anyone else in SCA has not admitted to seeing this missing person or hearing about him at all. if he did have a companion, I think they were secretive. meaning they were helping him do something "bad" (disappear or commit suicide) or they did something to him.

things I like about this theory:
1) I do think it is likely he made a prior trip to LV or henderson, likely same day as overton/mesquite ping/gas charge.
2) I like thinking that maybe he WAS at a house, but just moved his car out of the way. this could point to anyone in the whole loop (maybe laurel I think it is called? since he drove from that direction) explaining why everyone on EL said they never met with him. I'm sure they questioned people on EL/portsmouth prob more closely than the further streets.
3) timeframe for someone else to make a trip- you're right it is around xmas break.

 

[Lady LEO]

ok...well my initial questions on this theory are thus:
1) we don't know a motive to go to sacramento...no calls to sacramento area (of course there weren't calls to henderson either so this may not mean much with steven)
2) if this is an innocent trip with a fellow young person, why no calls? texts? that we know of. steven's motives in his final days seem either desperate or furtive, explaining the no calls from him. but the other person, unless it was a boring appointment set up ahead of time or a furtive motive, would generally call or email before a trip like that? hey still coming? etc...so I would think, maybe the trip is not innocent.
3) seems like he would have had a bigger bag with him, even if only for a couple day trip
4) disposal of a body. this is a possibility...I see it more as maybe an accident that they felt like they could be implicated in? a medical condition that is not a drug or alcohol overdose, seems like most normal, nonnefarious people would call for help. it is more common to not do so (if there is no foul play) due to something like an overdose, related to fear. but if an accident occurred...I have no idea what kind of accident would occur. steven is not known to have any serious medical condition, although sometimes people do have heart issues that go unnoticed and then seem to get them out of nowhere. most of those young people seem to be athletes though. if there was more than one person involved, no foul play, no drugs, and no alcohol, someone would have either stopped the disposal or their conscience would have gotten to them and one of them would have said something to someone eventually? who would report it to police. he had his blanket, pillow, and shaving kit in the car...maybe he did make plans to take another long trip, and then never had the chance to go get them?
5) phone pinged in las vegas several times in the whitney ranch/ russell road area, many hours apart...this is a little ways from SCA area...so his cell phone got dumped there or tossed, he got dumped there, or he went up and stayed there for an unknown period of time before leaving? the first two point to either foul play, or him tossing his own cell phone (for reasons of suicide or disappearance, not an innocent trip). the last one makes me think, he did not intend to leave from henderson on the 13th, but after staying in LV on the 14th. why stay the night in LV if you leave your car in henderson the day before? possible but I just can't quite make the pieces fit...so we have an accomplice with multiple connections to LV or whitney area, henderson, and sacramento. their family or anyone else in SCA has not admitted to seeing this missing person or hearing about him at all. if he did have a companion, I think they were secretive. meaning they were helping him do something "bad" (disappear or commit suicide) or they did something to him.

things I like about this theory:
1) I do think it is likely he made a prior trip to LV or henderson, likely same day as overton/mesquite ping/gas charge.
2) I like thinking that maybe he WAS at a house, but just moved his car out of the way. this could point to anyone in the whole loop (maybe laurel I think it is called? since he drove from that direction) explaining why everyone on EL said they never met with him. I'm sure they questioned people on EL/portsmouth prob more closely than the further streets.
3) timeframe for someone else to make a trip- you're right it is around xmas break.

Thanks for your input. Though I haven't worked out all of the wrinkles, I think that this theory deserves more exploration.

 

[Lady LEO]

IMO, that theory would imply that the trip to Ruby Valley was a stop on his way to Sacramento. So, why would he then have driven all the way back to St. George and, eventually, to Henderson to get to Sacramento?

Not necessarily. Refer to post 285. He may have known or had been making his plans to go to Sacramento just prior to his RV trip, which would explain why he told AM's family that he was going to Sacramento. The RV trip was for a different purpose, to seek out AM prior to his Sacramento departure.

And, if he knew that he wasn't going to be driving his own vehicle to Sacramento but was traveling as a passenger with other people and on their schedule, not his own, this would explain why he returned to St.G rather than continuing his journey to Sacramento from RV. This would be further supported if he was relying on these people to provide him with a place to stay while he was in Sacramento.

With limited funds and limited job prospects, a ride to Sacramento where it is warm and there are potentially greater job prospects would be favorable to his situation. Especially if he thought he could scout jobs in Sacramento and would be able to return to St. G after a couple of days.

Also, let's not forget how SK may have been influenced and conditioned from his experiences as a missionary. Missionaries are essentially door to door salesman (no offense intended to anyone). They are accustomed to meeting strangers and striking up conversation.

Missionaries also are invited to dinner and to stay overnight with LDS ward members. This is not an uncommon practice. In fact, my grandparents have missionaries stay at their house for dinner and overnight on a fairly regular basis. As a result, SK may have been more trusting and not out of his element if relative strangers offered him a ride and a place to stay.

 

[Fairy1]

Not necessarily. Refer to post 285. He may have known or had been making his plans to go to Sacramento just prior to his RV trip, which would explain why he told AM's family that he was going to Sacramento. The RV trip was for a different purpose, to seek out AM prior to his Sacramento departure.

And, if he knew that he wasn't going to be driving his own vehicle to Sacramento but was traveling as a passenger with other people and on their schedule, not his own, this would explain why he returned to St.G rather than continuing his journey to Sacramento from RV. This would be further supported if he was relying on these people to provide him with a place to stay while he was in Sacramento.

With limited funds and limited job prospects, a ride to Sacramento where it is warm and there are potentially greater job prospects would be favorable to his situation. Especially if he thought he could scout jobs in Sacramento and would be able to return to St. G after a couple of days.

Also, let's not forget how SK may have been influenced and conditioned from his experiences as a missionary. Missionaries are essentially door to door salesman (no offense intended to anyone). They are accustomed to meeting strangers and striking up conversation.

Missionaries also are invited to dinner and to stay overnight with LDS ward members. This is not an uncommon practice. In fact, my grandparents have missionaries stay at their house for dinner and overnight on a fairly regular basis. As a result, SK may have been more trusting and not out of his element if relative strangers offered him a ride and a place to stay.

Okay. So, how does that explain the trip to RV? Do you REALLY think he drove north all that way to possibly see a girl who wasn't even there only to turn around and go back home again? And then later drove SOUTH to Henderson, NV just to go back NORTH to Sacramento?

Why would anyone do that?

ETA - Sacramento isn't warmer than St. George. His missionary days were long over and his visit to RV wasn't exactly to "strangers." They were LDS people he had met before and they weren't offering him anything more than lunch.

 

[Fairy1]

ok...well my initial questions on this theory are thus:
1) we don't know a motive to go to sacramento...no calls to sacramento area (of course there weren't calls to henderson either so this may not mean much with steven)
2) if this is an innocent trip with a fellow young person, why no calls? texts? that we know of. steven's motives in his final days seem either desperate or furtive, explaining the no calls from him. but the other person, unless it was a boring appointment set up ahead of time or a furtive motive, would generally call or email before a trip like that? hey still coming? etc...so I would think, maybe the trip is not innocent.
3) seems like he would have had a bigger bag with him, even if only for a couple day trip
4) disposal of a body. this is a possibility...I see it more as maybe an accident that they felt like they could be implicated in? a medical condition that is not a drug or alcohol overdose, seems like most normal, nonnefarious people would call for help. it is more common to not do so (if there is no foul play) due to something like an overdose, related to fear. but if an accident occurred...I have no idea what kind of accident would occur. steven is not known to have any serious medical condition, although sometimes people do have heart issues that go unnoticed and then seem to get them out of nowhere. most of those young people seem to be athletes though. if there was more than one person involved, no foul play, no drugs, and no alcohol, someone would have either stopped the disposal or their conscience would have gotten to them and one of them would have said something to someone eventually? who would report it to police. he had his blanket, pillow, and shaving kit in the car...maybe he did make plans to take another long trip, and then never had the chance to go get them?
5) phone pinged in las vegas several times in the whitney ranch/ russell road area, many hours apart...this is a little ways from SCA area...so his cell phone got dumped there or tossed, he got dumped there, or he went up and stayed there for an unknown period of time before leaving? the first two point to either foul play, or him tossing his own cell phone (for reasons of suicide or disappearance, not an innocent trip). the last one makes me think, he did not intend to leave from henderson on the 13th, but after staying in LV on the 14th. why stay the night in LV if you leave your car in henderson the day before? possible but I just can't quite make the pieces fit...so we have an accomplice with multiple connections to LV or whitney area, henderson, and sacramento. their family or anyone else in SCA has not admitted to seeing this missing person or hearing about him at all. if he did have a companion, I think they were secretive. meaning they were helping him do something "bad" (disappear or commit suicide) or they did something to him.

things I like about this theory:
1) I do think it is likely he made a prior trip to LV or henderson, likely same day as overton/mesquite ping/gas charge.
2) I like thinking that maybe he WAS at a house, but just moved his car out of the way. this could point to anyone in the whole loop (maybe laurel I think it is called? since he drove from that direction) explaining why everyone on EL said they never met with him. I'm sure they questioned people on EL/portsmouth prob more closely than the further streets.
3) timeframe for someone else to make a trip- you're right it is around xmas break.

Your posts are hard to read! Can you use some spacing for us older folks???

 

[Weygand]

Perhaps he joined the French Foreign Legion. Good way to push the reset button on life. Shows up in Vegas and meets the recruiter who flies him out and he has a French passport and off to Sardinia under a new name.

 

[Weygand]

Perhaps he joined the French Foreign Legion. Good way to push the reset button on life. Shows up in Vegas and meets the recruiter who flies him out and he has a French passport and off to Sardinia under a new name.

Or for that matter he may have joined a monastic order or has become a religious ascetic? His restlessness belies some sort of schism in his lifestyle that seems like he was considering a move and had about a week to go before he left and was going nuts with anxiety.

 

[Lady LEO]

Okay. So, how does that explain the trip to RV? Do you REALLY think he drove north all that way to possibly see a girl who wasn't even there only to turn around and go back home again? And then later drove SOUTH to Henderson, NV just to go back NORTH to Sacramento?

Why would anyone do that?

ETA - Sacramento isn't warmer than St. George. His missionary days were long over and his visit to RV wasn't exactly to "strangers." They were LDS people he had met before and they weren't offering him anything more than lunch.

Yes, I believe that there is a possibility that he drove to RV strictly to see AM. No other motive fits and the time line doesn't allow for much else. She was the most recent or most well known woman in his romantic life. With locating a wife as one of his two primary goals, I think that it is entirely possible that he may have still been holding out hope for his relationship with AM or that he needed to find closure from the relationship. His early morning departure for a relatively secretive13 hr round trip drive rings more of a decision of emotion, not logic.

SK's missionary days may have been behind him, but the habits and/or lifestyle he had learned from those days were not. He was not living a life greatly advanced or removed from the missionary lifestyle. He didn't have strong ties to his current residence in St. G besides his involvement in his church. His employment was a door to door job which is very similar to missionary work.

And, missionaries do not have a great deal of money and live in a very frugal manner. Missionaries will frequently only have one or two suits and five shirts that they wash and re-use each week. He would be accustomed to making journeys or trips and packing very little in the way of clothing. Additionally, traveling to Sacramento would not be daunting to someone who lived for 2 yrs in Brazil while serving a mission. Foreign or new places would not present the same to SK as it would to someone who had not lived in a foreign country when they were age 19-21.

Not to mention, missionaries do not use the internet, phones, or e-mail on a daily basis. Their access to communication devices and computers is very limited and is restricted to a single e-mail session on their "P" day (Personal day). He would be very accustomed to a more face to face style of communication and making arrangements through in-person conversations.

Simply look at his cell phone usage before he disappeared. It would be considered rather sparse when compared to your average user. If he was more reliant on technology and cell phones, he would have left a greater call record, more text messages, and had more e-mail contact. But, the records just don't support that.

SK was living more of a missionary lifestyle than he was of your typical all American 30 yr old, established, adult single man. When examining his actions and making conjectures about his decisions prior to his disappearance, I think that recognizing how his life really hadn't progressed since he was a missionary could be very useful to understanding him.

In doing so, his actions become more reasonable if we factor in his strong desire to be a typical 30 yr man with a wife and a steady job, completely independent from his family. That was his focus and that would have been driving his decision making.