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

[sophieness]

Good article on The Missing. I can not find the stats on murdered men alone, but guessing it may be lower than women. Now I'm curious. But the missing men in one year out number the total for yearly murders of both male and female.

Slightly more than half—about 25,500—of the missing are men. About four out of 10 missing adults are white, three of 10 black and two of 10 Latino.

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/americas_missing/2.html


In 2008 there were about 14,180 according to FBI statistics. However, it should be noted that some jurisdictions don't report to the FBI, and many felony manslaughters aren't tallied as "murders" in these DOJ reports.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_murders_are_committed_in_the_US_each_year#ixzz1Kw6cSdfM

one last thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_person statistics are HORRIBLE out there, but assuming someone is never seen again that is only about 10 percent or less of missing persons cases filed (remember most are found!).
"During 2005, 834,536 entries were made into the National Crime Information Center's missing person file, which was an increase of 0.51% from the 830,325 entered in 2004. Missing Person records that were cleared or canceled during the same period totaled 844,838."
so 10 percent of 50,000 equals verrry roughly 5000 adults go missing forever in this country every year (remember almost five thousand unidentified bodies so obviously the number is higher due to spotty reporting and bad statistics)...known murders (identified victims) around 15 thousand per year...so I think statistically foul play is the most likely option in MOST (not all) very long term missing persons cases- esp those with lack of drug abuse hx, significant mental illness, history of homelessness, etc.

that is why I think we should focus on bringing JUSTICE to the person who may have brought steven harm...while never giving up hope that he might be one of the few long term missing, that are alive and maybe even doing ok out there.

 

[hollyblue]

one last thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_person statistics are HORRIBLE out there, but assuming someone is never seen again that is only about 10 percent or less of missing persons cases filed (remember most are found!).
"During 2005, 834,536 entries were made into the National Crime Information Center's missing person file, which was an increase of 0.51% from the 830,325 entered in 2004. Missing Person records that were cleared or canceled during the same period totaled 844,838."
so 10 percent of 50,000 equals verrry roughly 5000 adults go missing forever in this country every year (remember almost five thousand unidentified bodies so obviously the number is higher due to spotty reporting and bad statistics)...known murders (identified victims) around 15 thousand per year...so I think statistically foul play is the most likely option in MOST (not all) very long term missing persons cases- esp those with lack of drug abuse hx, significant mental illness, history of homelessness, etc.

that is why I think we should focus on bringing JUSTICE to the person who may have brought steven harm...while never giving up hope that he might be one of the few long term missing, that are alive and maybe even doing ok out there.

We need to have a workable hypothesis from the facts known to start sleuthing it out. No one has done that yet. ????? LE has stated no foul play involved and they aren't releasing any further info....if they have any; and family is saying they know nothing more.

ETA: No evidence of foul play has been found.

 

[Sleuthster]

Is it significant that he didn't disappear from Las Vegas, he left the car in Henderson, which is quite a different city?

The main reason I've doubted the job/victim scenario is that Steven's contacts with his friends from church sound like whatever he was doing was optional. He could head back to St. George for the church obligation and it wouldn't matter.

I have wondered if this visit might have been similar to the Ruby Valley one -- that he went there trying to track down a (girl)friend's parents or grandparents who used to live there. And if the old girlfriend had a new jealous husband...

From my visits to Vegas, Henderson is just a suburb of Las Vegas. Just like Summerlin where I go. I have not been to that part of the city but it is on the east side near Lake Meade.

I think what is significant is that he picked THAT subdivision. What's around it? ie; bus station, train, hotels, people he could have known? Im confident that LE has totally analized his cell phone, computer, mail indicating if he was in contact with someone in that area. I have not seen any mention that he did just something about a mystery woman.

Ive been following this case somewhat, and IMO he's alive and has dropped out of society for some reason, financial, personal what ever. I think he's alive.

edit- one of the reasons that I think he is alive is because he did seem to have many issues that could make a man (or woman) just take off.

 

[Lady LEO]

For the purposes of this evaluation, the assertions that SK lived in agreement with his religious beliefs, was heterosexual, and had positive connections to family and friends will be accepted as factual as there is no compelling evidence to the contrary.

Risk Appraisal for SK:

Homicide
SK had no known criminal associations, he was not engaged in criminal activity, he was not involved in a volatile relationship, he is not described as being violent, he was not wealthy, and he had no known enemies. The aforementioned eliminate the predominant motives for homicide.

The theory has been put forth that SK may have been murdered because he was witness to something criminal or incriminating. To support this theory, several questions need to be asked: 1. What could SK have witnessed that was so egregious that the actors had to commit homicide to conceal their original criminal act? 2. What original criminal act is worse than homicide or would put the actors at an elevated risk that exceeded that of homicide? 3. What in SK’s lifestyle would have introduced him into a situation of such criminal severity?

Door to door solicitation is not enough to meet this level of risk. Most crimes in which homicide is utilized to conceal the original crime are not going to be occurring on an outside door step or within view of the front door of a private residence. Answering the door to an unknown person is optional. If you’re in the middle of committing or covering up a crime, you don’t stop to answer the door.

Illicit Drug Activities Either Directly or Indirectly
SK is at low risk because he was not a known drug user and he didn’t purposefully affiliate with hard drug users. His roommate is excluded since SK didn’t select his roommate and SK was bothered by the seemingly recreational usage that his roommate engaged. To further exclude the roommate, the roommate moved out well in advance of SK’s disappearance and the roommate has not gone into hiding.

SK would not be a strong candidate for being an unwitting drug mule because he didn’t have notable and reoccurring encounters in the drug subculture. Most dealers are also users and if you don’t know users, it’s unlikely that you would know a dealer. Dealers won’t take unnecessary risks when moving product. Drug mules are more commonly used to move product through areas where there is a high risk of detection. There is not a high risk of detection moving between Henderson, St. George, SLC, or Ruby Valley. Though law enforcement have conducted traffic stops in this section of I-15 which have resulted in the recovery of large quantities of illegal narcotics, this is a rare occasion and because of the rarity, the event usually garners news coverage.

Unlike the frequency that Hollywood portrays, drug dealers seldom utilize an unwitting drug mule. Drug users, and by default drug dealers, are not highly motivated and will not go to extravagant lengths to achieve their goals. Scenarios such as publishing ads for delivery people under the guise of a legitimate business is rare and more strongly associated with moving large amounts of product great distances and/or over borders. In these cases, the unwitting mule happens to be a long-haul trucker who is driving a semi tractor with a trailer of legitimate good and concealed inside the legitimate goods would be the drugs. DEA and Narcotics officers are highly aware of this method of transportation.

Looking at the converse, if SK was a drug mule, he would have had to receive enough compensation to make the risk worth the reward. There is nothing in his financial standing that would reflect that he had come to have noticeable amounts of money in lump sums nor is there indication that he was pursuing income from questionable means.

Predation by Serial Killer/Homicidal Sexual Sadist
For simplicity, the category of serial killer and homicidal sexual sadist shall be combined and will both be inferred when referencing the singular title of serial killer. Though another popular story line in Hollywood, serial killers with or without a sexual motive are a relative anomaly which is part of what makes them so interesting to the public. Statistically speaking, the average person is at greater risk for being killed by a coconut falling on their head or from a bee sting than they are from a serial killer. SK’s lifestyle and demographics would put him at an even lower risk for encountering a serial killer since SK was an adult, Caucasian male, in good health, and not engaged in high risk behaviors that would expose him to a possible serial killer.

Going door to door does not necessarily elevate SK’s risk since serial killers usually target individuals who are otherwise invisible to other people and will go unnoticed if missing, i.e. prostitutes, hitch-hikers, runaways, chronic high risk drug users, members of low socioeconomic minorities in crime laden areas, and so forth. A clean cut, well groomed, wholesome adult male is not an attractive target because there are too many unknown variables for the serial killer to compensate for. An adult male has a stronger likelihood that he is connected to family, employers, and socially; all of which would accelerate the rate at which this person’s absence would be noticed and the number of available people who would attempt to locate the missing person.

There is also the obvious element that being a healthy adult male deters to this type of opportunistic killer. A potential victim who has greater abilities to physically resist and defend against an attack will be passed over for a more vulnerable target. Even though SK was not large in stature, he would not be a prime target of opportunity that an attacker could easily subdue.

Conclusion
It is both reasonable and logical to deduce that SK’s disappearance is not due to an intentional homicidal act, high risk criminal lifestyle, or victim of an opportunistic killer/sexual sadist.

 

[hollyblue]

LadyLeo, Thank you. Curious what you think may have happened to SK. Walk away....suicide?

TIA

 

[Sleuthster]

What's in this area?
http://maps.google.com/maps?source=...42,-115.102136&spn=0.002701,0.004597&t=h&z=18

where car found


Also trying to post US 95/ I515 and Russell Rd but its not working.
That's where he checked his cell phone messages the next day and the signal stayed there until the phone died 2 days later.

 

[sophieness]

For the purposes of this evaluation, the assertions that SK lived in agreement with his religious beliefs, was heterosexual, and had positive connections to family and friends will be accepted as factual as there is no compelling evidence to the contrary.

Risk Appraisal for SK:

Homicide
SK had no known criminal associations, he was not engaged in criminal activity, he was not involved in a volatile relationship, he is not described as being violent, he was not wealthy, and he had no known enemies. The aforementioned eliminate the predominant motives for homicide.

The theory has been put forth that SK may have been murdered because he was witness to something criminal or incriminating. To support this theory, several questions need to be asked: 1. What could SK have witnessed that was so egregious that the actors had to commit homicide to conceal their original criminal act? 2. What original criminal act is worse than homicide or would put the actors at an elevated risk that exceeded that of homicide? 3. What in SK’s lifestyle would have introduced him into a situation of such criminal severity?

Door to door solicitation is not enough to meet this level of risk. Most crimes in which homicide is utilized to conceal the original crime are not going to be occurring on an outside door step or within view of the front door of a private residence. Answering the door to an unknown person is optional. If you’re in the middle of committing or covering up a crime, you don’t stop to answer the door.

Illicit Drug Activities Either Directly or Indirectly
SK is at low risk because he was not a known drug user and he didn’t purposefully affiliate with hard drug users. His roommate is excluded since SK didn’t select his roommate and SK was bothered by the seemingly recreational usage that his roommate engaged. To further exclude the roommate, the roommate moved out well in advance of SK’s disappearance and the roommate has not gone into hiding.

SK would not be a strong candidate for being an unwitting drug mule because he didn’t have notable and reoccurring encounters in the drug subculture. Most dealers are also users and if you don’t know users, it’s unlikely that you would know a dealer. Dealers won’t take unnecessary risks when moving product. Drug mules are more commonly used to move product through areas where there is a high risk of detection. There is not a high risk of detection moving between Henderson, St. George, SLC, or Ruby Valley. Though law enforcement have conducted traffic stops in this section of I-15 which have resulted in the recovery of large quantities of illegal narcotics, this is a rare occasion and because of the rarity, the event usually garners news coverage.

Unlike the frequency that Hollywood portrays, drug dealers seldom utilize an unwitting drug mule. Drug users, and by default drug dealers, are not highly motivated and will not go to extravagant lengths to achieve their goals. Scenarios such as publishing ads for delivery people under the guise of a legitimate business is rare and more strongly associated with moving large amounts of product great distances and/or over borders. In these cases, the unwitting mule happens to be a long-haul trucker who is driving a semi tractor with a trailer of legitimate good and concealed inside the legitimate goods would be the drugs. DEA and Narcotics officers are highly aware of this method of transportation.

Looking at the converse, if SK was a drug mule, he would have had to receive enough compensation to make the risk worth the reward. There is nothing in his financial standing that would reflect that he had come to have noticeable amounts of money in lump sums nor is there indication that he was pursuing income from questionable means.

Predation by Serial Killer/Homicidal Sexual Sadist
For simplicity, the category of serial killer and homicidal sexual sadist shall be combined and will both be inferred when referencing the singular title of serial killer. Though another popular story line in Hollywood, serial killers with or without a sexual motive are a relative anomaly which is part of what makes them so interesting to the public. Statistically speaking, the average person is at greater risk for being killed by a coconut falling on their head or from a bee sting than they are from a serial killer. SK’s lifestyle and demographics would put him at an even lower risk for encountering a serial killer since SK was an adult, Caucasian male, in good health, and not engaged in high risk behaviors that would expose him to a possible serial killer.

Going door to door does not necessarily elevate SK’s risk since serial killers usually target individuals who are otherwise invisible to other people and will go unnoticed if missing, i.e. prostitutes, hitch-hikers, runaways, chronic high risk drug users, members of low socioeconomic minorities in crime laden areas, and so forth. A clean cut, well groomed, wholesome adult male is not an attractive target because there are too many unknown variables for the serial killer to compensate for. An adult male has a stronger likelihood that he is connected to family, employers, and socially; all of which would accelerate the rate at which this person’s absence would be noticed and the number of available people who would attempt to locate the missing person.

There is also the obvious element that being a healthy adult male deters to this type of opportunistic killer. A potential victim who has greater abilities to physically resist and defend against an attack will be passed over for a more vulnerable target. Even though SK was not large in stature, he would not be a prime target of opportunity that an attacker could easily subdue.

Conclusion
It is both reasonable and logical to deduce that SK’s disappearance is not due to an intentional homicidal act, high risk criminal lifestyle, or victim of an opportunistic killer/sexual sadist.

I would like to challenge your statement about the coconuts: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2405/are-150-people-killed-each-year-by-falling-coconuts

RELATIONSHIP OF MURDERER TO VICTIM

MALE FEMALE
Intimate 5.3% 30.1%
Family 6.7% 11.7%
Acquaintance 35.5% 21.8%
Stranger 15.5% 8.8%
Undetermined 37.1% 27.7%
Total 100.1% 100.1%

males are more likely to be killed by acquaintence than a volatile relationship, unlike women. http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/murder.html

taxidrivers have the highest rates of murder by job, not wealthy men: HOMICIDE RATES FOR OCCUPATIONS, 1980s
OCCUPATION
PER 100,000
Taxicab driver/chauffer 15.1
Law enforcement officer 9.3
Hotel clerk 5.1
Gas station worker 4.5
Security guard 3.6
Stock handler/buyer 3.1
Store owner/manager 2.8
Bartender 2.1

most murders involve men killing other men not men killing women:

GENDER RELATIONSHIP OF KILLERS AND VICTIMS
RELATIONSHIP
PERCENT
Male kills male 65.2%
Male kills female 22.6%
Female kills male 9.7%
Female kills female 2.4%
Total 99.9%

If murders involved easily found motives and thus suspects, I doubt forty percent would go unsolved! the interesting thing about stevens case is he seems like someone, who wouldn't disappear at all, being young, apparently levelheaded, non drug abusing, churchgoing invidividual. these factors are also protective against disappearing as many adults who disappear have drug or alcohol problems or mental illness according to statistics. that is why we are all so intested in it. why would he want to disappear on his own? why would someone hurt him? so many unanswered questions.

 

[Sleuthster]

East Russell Road, Henderson, NV - Google Maps

This is where the last cell pings where.

 

[laytonian]

From my visits to Vegas, Henderson is just a suburb of Las Vegas. Just like Summerlin where I go. I have not been to that part of the city but it is on the east side near Lake Meade.

I'm sorry, but the Sun City Anthem neighborhood is far from Lake Mead.

I think what is significant is that he picked THAT subdivision. What's around it? ie; bus station, train, hotels, people he could have known? Im confident that LE has totally analized his cell phone, computer, mail indicating if he was in contact with someone in that area. I have not seen any mention that he did just something about a mystery woman.

There's no bus station, train, hotels or known friends in the SCA area. If he wanted to take a bus, he'd have had to walk several miles AND wait until the next morning. There are no bus stops on SCA.

LE could not analyze his cellphone, because it's never been fgound.
His computer was forensically analyzed and nothing has been found connecting Steven to that neighborhood .

Ive been following this case somewhat, and IMO he's alive and has dropped out of society for some reason, financial, personal what ever. I think he's alive.

edit- one of the reasons that I think he is alive is because he did seem to have many issues that could make a man (or woman) just take off.

 

[laytonian]

East Russell Road, Henderson, NV - Google Maps

This is where the last cell pings where.

Not exactly; they just hit a cellphone tower in that area.

You can find a map of the cell phone pings on the timeline pages.

 

[Sleuthster]

Thanks. Like I said not real familar with that part of town. Usually stay in Summerlin. Actually going there next Friday for a few days.

Where the car was found, where the pings lead up to Russell/US 95 the most direct route would have had to Anthem Pkwy to the belt way and then up Veterans Hwy if I am looking at the map correctly. That would be a longway to walk. Are there buses on Anthem Pkwy? Someone could have picked him up also.

 

[Sleuthster]

BTW, on the map there's a Uhaul storage facility near the intersection of US 95 and Russell and it gave me goosebumps although I am still thinking he left on his own accord.

 

[Jobu]

I’ve read and re-read a lot of the data on this case over the past 2 days. The FAQ’s, the cell maps, the sightings, videos, the nearby houses and owners, and the timelines. I want to share some things running through my head about the case and also some life experiences about being homeless and dropping off a homeless friend in Las Vegas.

The following is observation and opinion only. I’m not stating where I think Steven is, only trying to give a glimpse into thinking patterns that may or may not be relative to the case that I experienced 16 years ago going through what I think may be similar.

About the case – I can’t help but notice patterns of desperation on the part of Steven Koecher in the weeks leading up to his disappearance. It appears Steven was down on his luck, big time. There was back rent, the frustration of trying to find a job, facing family values and expectations, being single when you feel you’re supposed to be married. Try to imagine how heavy the weight of it was on a young guy from a religious family comprised of members that are successful and whom life seems to offer little resistance. The statement that Steven acted younger than he was leads me to believe he had not matured as much as other members of his family. This tied to the fact that he had no children, marital responsibility, or homeowner responsibility further enforce my belief. I believe the trip to see AN at the family ranch was also a desperate move of trying to fill one void with the quick fix of another, or perhaps he just needed to be held and talk with someone whom he was able to be vulnerable with. Someone he knew wouldn’t judge him. Someone who’s eyes didn’t reflect his failures. I’m sure we can all think of a time when we dwelled on something in our heads so much we had to act on it. Sometimes we build up the idea of something more than the actual thing it is. I believe in his desperation he did this concerning A.N. and convinced himself to go up there. Once he arrived, reality and defeat probably kicked in and he high tailed it back home.

3 months (if I remember correctly) of back rent and a landlord that is calling you about it often can be a lot of weight on top of an already sinking ship. Having to face friends that are rooting for you and look them in the eyes and admit in coded words that “, I am failing at life” can also be too much for someone who is down on their luck. I’ve been through it myself. I ended up on the streets slowly just like Steven. There would be a definite attraction to relocation and leaving it all behind. It’s hard to explain what it feels like when your world keeps crumbling in on you. It’s like quicksand. The more you struggle the more it sucks you in. Your paralyzed one moment then you lash out and do something desperate the next. You become a victim of your own distorted thinking patterns. Friends, family and support become burdens that remind you that you’re not living up to your potential. The instinct is to run away, and reconnect with these people in the future once you’re standing on your own 2 feet. There is also the foolish pride of a young 20 something (what I consider Steven to be via his naivety). “I have to do this on my own. I know I can do it, I will not take any handouts, I got myself into this and I am the only one who can get myself out”. Thoughts like these take over all rational thoughts about the people you love and whom love you. Priority becomes that you have to do it this for yourself. That you will never be able to move beyond this point in your life until you prove you can do persevere, that you can recover. Make no mistakes; it becomes a personal challenge which trumps everything and anyone else in your life. The funny thing is your convinced your next move will bring you triumph.

I am aware this may sound a little over the top, however I am trying to instill emotions into the reader that they most likely have never had to deal with. I am trying to put you there by being overly dramatic. I’ve had many conversations with homeless people and personal “friends on the streets” and those conversations were always about us and our personal struggle and hopes. We didn’t talk about our families, because they didn’t matter. We had hit the bottom, the place where you abandon everything and every day is a struggle to hold your head up. Your friends and family have no nor any way of knowing the dark demented thoughts of self pity and absolute despair you’re experiencing. Family and friends can’t relate, it isn’t possible; it becomes painful to even talk to them. It isn’t their fault and there are no ill feelings towards them. They become a reminder of what we should be and have the potential to be, but for gods sake we can’t seem to get there. Even on the streets the homeless can’t relate to each other. I can listen to my brother but I can never be him, there is a road block in his mind that only he can get around. We can only help one another or team up for ideas, security and survival. We are to stuck in our own ruts. We don’t sit and talk about how we got there, we talk about how we are going to get out, and I swear to you, my next move will be the one that gets me back on track! Little do we know that it isn’t going to be our next move that gets us back to the top, or the next one, or the one after that. The only way is going to be calling our friends and family and leaning on them. That is a hard fact to face and we might damage our silly ego. Childhood issues scream “Oh god, getting bailed out is not an option”. We can’t face it. How can I continue in life if I can’t rely on myself and need hand outs like a baby?

The above is kind of what it feels like when your falling in. If you end up on the streets you better hope your street smart and have common sense or it’s going to be a rough ride. Falling in this deep can even be comforting because you feel alive while it’s happening. Ok, yea it’s painful as all hell watching your life slip away but the emotions even if they aren’t positive ones are so strong there is no doubt your alive, your still standing. It is empowering. Things can’t get worse, what a great feeling. It’s all downhill from here.

Time on the streets (it slips by) - A year is nothing in time living on the streets. It is a life of future projecting and survival. Days spent finding safe places to sleep, people you can survive with, finding food. Getting kicked out of those places and doing it again and again. Why don’t homeless go to the library, why don’t they watch TV, why don’t … BECAUSE we smell, people don’t want to be around us and we don’t particularly want to put ourselves in front of the disapproving glances. We feel bad enough as it is, reminders of how far down we’ve gone don’t help. Why don’t we call our families? For the same reasons we didn’t contact them on the way out of our normal lives, shame. Should we get a job? Hmm what will I use for a phone number, an address? No one is going hiring the homeless, I’ve tried it, desperately.

My theory is that Steven was heading towards this life slowly over the past few months. Sinking, making last ditch efforts, running from the landlord, from having to face people who remind him more is expected of him. Why leave the laptop and his belongings behind? It all happens in slow motion. He probably planned on going back for his belongings. “Maybe I will go in a few more days” he probably thought. It just wasn’t worth it, the laptop is useless where he was heading. If and when he lands a job he can go back, pick it up and pay his landlord off. Why ditch the car? Well I have a theory on that as well.

After being homeless in MA for 6 months I broke down and finally called family. My high school buddy and part of my fellow homeless group hitchhiked and hopped trains to come visit me 2 years later in AZ where I relocated. He stayed for a few days and informed me he was heading to Vegas. I offered to drive him. 4 of us headed out from Sedona, AZ and arrived in Vegas that eve. I had a touch of nostalgia and wanted to hit the streets for a day or so, before heading back. The problem was there was nowhere to leave my car. We searched for most of the day from old town to the strip for a place to leave the car and not pay outrageous fees or risk towing. The truth is a car is a burden for a person who wants to be on the streets. Signs everywhere threatening that parking here will cause impounding. I could easily see myself parking it in a safe neighborhood thinking it would be safe for a few days to a week. Convincing myself that I can come back and get it when I need it. I actually did this in MA with all my belongings. I asked a friend to store my stuff in his basement, then came back 4 months later wondering what he did with it all. Those 4 months to me were like a week. We tried to sleep in the car in Vegas, we went into the mgm grand parking structure and drove up to the top level. It was quiet there, we had passed a man in a booth that appeared to be sleeping on the drive up. An hour later we awoke to 4 security guards or cops (can’t remember) with pistols drawn on us. Turned out we were in the VIP area of parking and full searches of us and the car was made. I asked the officer where we could sleep in the car. He said if your not 21 and you don’t have money you don’t belong in Vegas, no get the F out of the city. I didn’t sleep in town but we walked a bit in old town and had a guy break a bottle and threaten us with it. Vegas sucks 

Why doesn’t he call knowing his father is dead? He probably has no idea. I didn’t watch TV or read papers when I was homeless. There is no place to do it. Sure in the beginning you can still get into diners or fast food joints. I tried to think of ideas to make money or feed myself instead of catching up on current events. In the beginning you can still look decent at a job interview, you can still keep a schedule to come back and follow up. As time slips by there is a tendency to hibernate to get more reclusive, to find a routine that doesn’t involve mainstream society. Once the watch is sold, traded or lost, the wallet is taken, you run out of job applications.

The cell phone map and sighting map leave a trail, going in one direction. From the neighborhood where the car was left, to the Whitney Ranch area and continuing on until the cell phone dies. I find that interesting. I think he might have been going to those thrift stores looking for jobs. Did fairy1 ask if applications were kept on file? Beyond the thrift stores it is a mystery. I can also say I lost my ID living on the streets. Didn’t care, didn’t need it then. Surprisingly if you tell the cops in my area you don’t have any ID and you look like a homeless person, they aren’t going to take you in.

A thought - when I dropped my friend off in Vegas, they said he could not get a job in the city without getting a permit to work, I think it was called work card. Did Steven apply? Is one still needed?

Follow up: My friend Dave came back about 4 months later to AZ heading off in another direction. He told me some stories about life on the streets in Vegas. Some scary stories. One that sticks out in my mind is a story where Dave and his friend were offered 100 bucks to be in a video. When he went to the house the girls that were brought in were not of age. He claims he doubted they were even 16 yrs old. When Dave and his friend refused to follow through with the sex, the employer ( director or whatever he was) pulled a gun out and told them they were going to do it. I get hazy here, but I believe there was a fight, and Dave and his buddy ran out of the house and stole the “employers” car to get away. The streets of Vegas are no joke.

If there are thoughts of him still being on the streets then posting flyers at homeless shelters and soup kitchens throughout the city with 10k in reward money posted in bold could help.


My story:

I was living in cape cod MA attending community college and working nights at a restaurant. A call from a high school buddy came one night with him in need of a rescue. He got kicked out of his place and was sleeping on the beach. Things were going pretty well for me so I told him he could come stay with me. I rented a room at the time and the landlord who lived in the house with me wasn’t happy about having a friend of mine staying. I offered to pay more and we worked out a deal. The added costs of housing and feeding my friend “Dave” started straining my measly paycheck. About a month beforehand I told my father who was helping me through college that I would be happy to pay for my own books out of a student loan I had taken. In hindsight I should have let him pay, but pride got in the way. I wanted to carry my own weight. Some men just need to make their own way sometimes. My buddy wasn’t able to find a job and I was to kind to kick him out on his . I dropped out of school soon after due to not being able to afford books. Called my father in NH for help, he said no, due to not hearing from me for 3-4 months until I needed money. After that exchange, I didn’t call my parents until 6 months later, even my mother who is living in AZ and not judgmental in any way. The 6 months flew by.

Soon I was fired from my job for turning down a promotion. Moved out of the place I was living owing back rent and started looking for another job. Found a hotel room that was 75 bucks a week. Dave and I at this point picked up another group member, Tony. Tony had a car. My car died. Tony abandoned his car for lack of place to park it a couple of weeks later. Would have sold it if we had a title. No one would hire me anywhere. I was pushing my homlessmates to get jobs, and trying desperately to find one myself. I couldn’t even get a job at McDonalds for god’s sake. No one would hire me. Money ran out, and the crime started. Days would go by without food. Sure I thought about calling family for help but I knew that lifeline was always there and it came with a price that I wasn’t willing to pay. 6 months of sleeping in abandoned buildings, crime, scams, and selling drugs came and went in the blink of an eye.

There was an upside to it being homeless. There was nowhere to go but up. I was at the bottom! Also there was a freedom from responsibility and expectation. There would be no disappointed voices or faces. Honestly my family wasn’t really like that, it was all in my head. The disappointment I feared was really from my high expectations of myself. I was on the edge of the dark and the light. Hell I am the type of person that always likes adventure. I find adventure in everything I do and this to me was just more of the same. The ups and downs were intense. Feast and famine. One day you have 2 bucks in your pocket and 3 days later you have $500 and you’re in the hotel for another week. I never went to a soup kitchen or shelter during my 6 months on the street. Also didn’t hang out with any other homeless people unless they ended up in our group. I knew I could end it anytime I needed, with a phone call but I was waiting until I really got in trouble because I didn’t want to take the hit to my pride. Being young and having nothing of monetary value makes you feel your pride is worth something. There were many times and situations where things could have gone wrong. We had some scares. Our group went through many changes with additions and subtractions of people joining and disbanding. We were never involved in any violent crimes while I was living with these people. Finally it became too much for me. I woke up from being passed out in a laundry mat with the cops screaming at me. I said “Dave, that’s it, I’m out”. At 2am I called my mother in AZ and my father came down from NH to pick me up 4 days later. Why did I have to wait 4 days? I’ll never know. It was a 3 hour drive. Parents are strange even mine who I consider great.

Do I regret it? NO. I would do it all again if I were at that stage in my life. I learned lessons that I would never trade. It is a large part of who I am and I miss the excitement of it all. I find life mundane compared to those months living with such high risk. Having my boys to support me and vice versa. I imagine it is similar to what troops experience on deployment.

Dave didn’t have the option to get out. His parents had kicked him out, so he had no exit plan, no one to call to help get away from the craziness. I talked to Dave for the first time in 15 yrs, the first time since he came back from vegas and left again, (thank you facebook) about 2 weeks ago. He is a recovered herion addict who takes methadone and has spent time in state prison in NY. His wife OD’d about 5 months ago.



And.... I know I just wrote a freaking book :great:

 

[Lady LEO]

I would like to challenge your statement about the coconuts: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2405/are-150-people-killed-each-year-by-falling-coconuts

RELATIONSHIP OF MURDERER TO VICTIM

MALE FEMALE
Intimate 5.3% 30.1%
Family 6.7% 11.7%
Acquaintance 35.5% 21.8%
Stranger 15.5% 8.8%
Undetermined 37.1% 27.7%
Total 100.1% 100.1%

males are more likely to be killed by acquaintence than a volatile relationship, unlike women. http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/murder.html

taxidrivers have the highest rates of murder by job, not wealthy men: HOMICIDE RATES FOR OCCUPATIONS, 1980s
OCCUPATION
PER 100,000
Taxicab driver/chauffer 15.1
Law enforcement officer 9.3
Hotel clerk 5.1
Gas station worker 4.5
Security guard 3.6
Stock handler/buyer 3.1
Store owner/manager 2.8
Bartender 2.1

most murders involve men killing other men not men killing women:

GENDER RELATIONSHIP OF KILLERS AND VICTIMS
RELATIONSHIP
PERCENT
Male kills male 65.2%
Male kills female 22.6%
Female kills male 9.7%
Female kills female 2.4%
Total 99.9%

If murders involved easily found motives and thus suspects, I doubt forty percent would go unsolved! the interesting thing about stevens case is he seems like someone, who wouldn't disappear at all, being young, apparently levelheaded, non drug abusing, churchgoing invidividual. these factors are also protective against disappearing as many adults who disappear have drug or alcohol problems or mental illness according to statistics. that is why we are all so intested in it. why would he want to disappear on his own? why would someone hurt him? so many unanswered questions.

Sophieness your correction was not actually a correction. Based upon the numbers you cited, males are killed more often by an individual of undetermined association, 37%, with acquaintance murders occurring second to that at 35%.

As far as my reference to volitle relationships, you presumed that I meant intimate relationships. The only quality I ascribed to this risk factor was a relationship of any making that had potentially violent characteristics. This is not limited to romantic relationships but can include all types of relationsips, i.e. familial, business, recreational, social, etc.

With regards to the fatalities caused by coconuts, the rebuttal provided didn't compare apples to apples. It didn't address the statistical occurrence of fatalities attributed to serial killers vs. that of fatalities cause by dropping coconuts.

Your reference to "40%" of murders go unsolved is likely correct. I've been in attendance at training conferences where studies have been presented that reflect that approximately only 17-42% of all crime (property and violent) are solved and successfully prosecuted. However, with that being said, better training of investigators and advancements in technology should gradually start to improve the successful closure rate.

And lastly, the fact that taxi cab drivers are at greatest risk for homicide doesn't correct anything that I put forth in my post. If you were demonstrating that wealth or monetary reasons for possible homicide were invalid based upon the murder rate by occupation, that also isn't quite reflective of what I was stating.

Taxi drivers typically will have cash on hand, their career is transient in nature, they travel to high risk areas, they can have passengers who may have a high level of dangerousness or criminality, and taxi drivers work at all hours of the day and night. All of these factors would put taxi drivers at an elevated risk for opportunistic crimes, including murder.

When factoring money as a possible motive for homicide, SK cannot be compared to a taxi driver because he didn't have all of these same risk factors. He didn't have much money and wouldn't be expected to be carrying around large sums of cash, he didn't travel to high crime areas, he wasn't providing services to a possible criminal population, and he didn't work at all hours of the day and night. The other consideration for money driven murder is if someone would have benefitted monetarily from SK's death, which there wasn't or at least doesn't appear to be.

I stand by my original evaluation and assertions, though I do appreciate your willingness to utilize other resources and statistics. Research is almost always fruitful and beneficial in some way. One of the greatest mistakes that I have observed is when people are quick to come to conclusions or presumptions rather than objectively and carefully considering what is actually presented.

 

[Fairy1]

Jobu - thanks for your insights and welcome to Steven's thread!

I have always been a proponent of the "walk-away" theory, just based on what was happening (or not happening) in Steven's life when he went missing. Some of us here have explored the underground world and, if I'm not mistaken, laytonian remains in contact with someone who has connections to that world. It has been argued that even the homeless would turn up on the radar somewhere after this length of time. I'm not so sure I agree.

That said, I have to take issue with some of your Vegas observations, having lived here for 36 years. I also worked at the MGM Grand for 17 years and can tell you that the public parking garage does not have manned security booths nor would it be possible to access a "VIP" parking area there. In addition, there are literally thousands of public places to park a car here for free and without risk of being towed. A residential neighborhood in a retirement community on the farthest southeast side of town isn't the most logical, no matter how you look at it. Heading anywhere, from that point, on foot would have been quite a hike.

I'm quite sure the seedy characters your friends came across are plentiful in Vegas, though I'm happy to say, I have not met them. But the very fact that they do exist causes me to question why someone would have to "lure" a nice Mormon boy from Utah here for anything; and that has always been one of the reasons I find it difficult to get on board with the "lured for murder" theory.

IDK, I still question everything about this case, everyday. So many possibilities. :banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[Sleuthster]

I agree that the homeless can stay away from the radar for a long long time. it was not so long ago that there was a case where a guy was declared dead over a decade ago and had been living in Las Vegas they only discovered him when he was wanted for kidnaping a mom and daughter and they found the daughter dead in Alabama I think it was. Yes this guy was not homeless but Las Vegas has a large population not only of tourists,residents, but the homeless and I can see where someone can blend in and get lost for a long long time unless they do something that attracts the attention of LE.

edit-btw Elizabeth Smart's pic was plastered all over the media, she and her captors lived among the homeless and interacted with many people yet no one recognized her and I believe LE had even had contact with the group at one point for panhandling or something.

 

[believe09]

You all are making my head hurt.

 

[Fairy1]

We need to have a workable hypothesis from the facts known to start sleuthing it out. No one has done that yet. ????? LE has stated no foul play involved and they aren't releasing any further info....if they have any; and family is saying they know nothing more.

ETA: No evidence of foul play has been found.

I'm curious, hollyblue, with the information we have, what do you feel has not been sleuthed here? There are 20 threads and a meticulously constructed timeline related to Steven and based on what has been learned in the past 16 + months. Other than Steven, what do you feel is missing?

 

[believe09]

I also want to share a sleuthing technique that people may not know.

Tax assessors offices of most counties or cities depending on size have an online resource called GIS. It allows you to view interactive maps of land parcels and see who owns them, when they were bought or sold, how much was paid, and usually gives a contact address. Figured some of you die hards could use this tactic to look a little deeper into neighborhoods and also perhaps contact locals without door knocking.

You should be able to find these maps via google by searching
"insert City or town name, GIS map"

(BE RESPONSIBLE WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE! Don't go harassing people because you've been sitting at your laptop and convinced yourself they are killers )
Henderson, NV GIS comes up as this

I find this GIS easier to use for Henderson
http://gisgate.co.clark.nv.us/openweb/?getParcel=19113899008

Googling turned up this and others, here is GIS for city of
http://maps.cityofhenderson.com/public/zoning/zoning.html



To use GIS maps, zoom in on the area your interested in, select identify from the menu, then click the land parcel.
On the second link you need only click the property

If you use google instead of my link you will also find sex offender maps and other maps in the city.

I can't post in the sleuthing tips area so if this is deemed a good tool for sleuthing perhaps someone can get it added for me.

Jobu, I had an admin weigh in on this tool-you can reference the parcel of land, such as T-12, but we cannot reference this is John Smith's property at T-12....unless they have been named in MSM or a verified source as a person of interest in the case.

Is that helpful?

 

[Fairy1]

Not for nothin', but all of the addresses in the area can be accessed via the Clark County Assessor's website. We have done that.