NV NV - Steven T. Koecher, 30, Henderson, 13 Dec 2009 - # 5

[CONCRNED CTZN]

I was watching an interview with one of Susan Powell's friends tonight. She, with the help of others, has organized a very complete "search party" that posts heavily on Facebook and Twitter. Friends in her ward participate in activities weekly that promote her name and situation. These are people with husbands, children, jobs, wives, deeply established and BUSY lives. I know how busy they must be, I am one of those people. BUT, when I was in a student ward or a Singles Ward in college, we were always planning activities and hanging out b/c we had few "established" commitments aside from work and school.

SOOO...with that observation in mind, why is the same kind of searching and organization not taking place for Steven? I have not heard more than a few sentences from anyone in the ward, other than the Elders Quorum leaders, about Steven. Weekend searches, media blitzes, twitter discussion or any of the like are virtually absent from Steven case. People in his ward would seem to have more "expendable" time. And if you read the articles were GW is quoted, he calls himself a "good friend". Why has he virtually disappeared as well? He should be like Susan's friends, out there every day in some manner, getting the word out.

Is there something that people know that deters them from spending time of this? Did they know something that the rest of us don't, that would make us want to walk away from this case?

I have 10 different, unrelated friends on Facebook living in St. George, who didn't/don't know ANYTHING about this case, and two of them go to church in the same building. They learned of it only from me suggesting they join his Facebook page.

That BOTHERS me!!!

 

[Fairy1]

I was watching an interview with one of Susan Powell's friends tonight. She, with the help of others, has organized a very complete "search party" that posts heavily on Facebook and Twitter. Friends in her ward participate in activities weekly that promote her name and situation. These are people with husbands, children, jobs, wives, deeply established and BUSY lives. I know how busy they must be, I am one of those people. BUT, when I was in a student ward or a Singles Ward in college, we were always planning activities and hanging out b/c we had few "established" commitments aside from work and school.

SOOO...with that observation in mind, why is the same kind of searching and organization not taking place for Steven? I have not heard more than a few sentences from anyone in the ward, other than the Elders Quorum leaders, about Steven. Weekend searches, media blitzes, twitter discussion or any of the like are virtually absent from Steven case. People in his ward would seem to have more "expendable" time. And if you read the articles were GW is quoted, he calls himself a "good friend". Why has he virtually disappeared as well? He should be like Susan's friends, out there every day in some manner, getting the word out.

Is there something that people know that deters them from spending time of this? Did they know something that the rest of us don't, that would make us want to walk away from this case?

I have 10 different, unrelated friends on Facebook living in St. George, who didn't/don't know ANYTHING about this case, and two of them go to church in the same building. They learned of it only from me suggesting they join his Facebook page.

That BOTHERS me!!!

Thank you. It bothers me too.

 

[My6]

SOOO...with that observation in mind, why is the same kind of searching and organization not taking place for Steven? I have not heard more than a few sentences from anyone in the ward, other than the Elders Quorum leaders, about Steven. Weekend searches, media blitzes, twitter discussion or any of the like are virtually absent from Steven case. People in his ward would seem to have more "expendable" time. And if you read the articles were GW is quoted, he calls himself a "good friend". Why has he virtually disappeared as well? He should be like Susan's friends, out there every day in some manner, getting the word out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Snipped~~~~~~~~~~~


That BOTHERS me!!!

Unless it is because the Elders Quorum President is GW!!! I still think he doesn't want people looking too hard because there is something fishy about him!! Just sayin..

 

[Fairy1]

Oh, the irony...I actually found out about Steven by looking for updated info on Nicholas Francisco! I'm in Seattle, and know he was found a few months ago...but wanted to know if there were any further details.

I, like others, think this is a different situation. Nick was running from a wife, family, dogmatic church and had a secret life he wanted to run to. I don't see any of those things with SK. IMHO

I disagree. Nicholas was obviously running away from his responsibilities, none of which Steven had. And based on the interview that was posted tonight, he seems to have lost touch with reality.

Steven had nothing to walk away from other than debt and a dead-end job. Why is it so difficult to believe he did? Nicholas' on-line life wasn't difficult to find, but if Steven had one, it wasn't on his own computer.

I just don't think we can count out the possibility that Steven just wanted to start over.

JMHO

 

[webrocket]

I watched the interview with Nicholas Francisco and wow. First of all, however much people love to hate Nicholas, he did the missing persons community a huge service by giving that interview. We rarely get any insight on why someone leaves and we are left to speculation.

He was clear - he needed to get away from everyone. The outwardly angry emotionally disconnected guy we see in that interview was probably privately stewing for some time before he checked out of the Seattle area. As we know, the family did not want to think he could up and leave but sure enough he did.

We on WS cannot know what was going on in Steven's head, we can only speculate. The family might have a better idea what might have been going on. Of course this fits with my belief that Steven up and left, just like Nicholas Francisco.

 

[carbuff]

This just hit me last night:

Steven supposedly owed three months on his rent. The roommate left with unpaid rent. Was there some kind of rent dispute going on with the landlord? Where did the roommate go when he left?

 

[laytonian]

I have 10 different, unrelated friends on Facebook living in St. George, who didn't/don't know ANYTHING about this case, and two of them go to church in the same building. They learned of it only from me suggesting they join his Facebook page.

That BOTHERS me!!!

But....do they pay attention to the news, at all?
It's not been in the news every day, but there's been regular coverage on every news outlet.

The St George newspaper has had at least two articles, "Today In Dixie" FINALLY had a story last week, Channel 4/ABC has interviewed the family twice and had stories, KSL-TV has had stories. KUTV-2 hasn't been so good. PLUS, doesn't St George also get all the Las Vegas TV stations? We've seen stories from that end, too.

...and just because you go to church in same LDS building, doesn't mean you're part of the same congregation.

BUT YEAH.....you'd think there'd be a "missing" poster in the wardhouse. Don't they have bulletin boards, or is everything announced at worship (like basketball games?)

Is there an 800 pound gorilla in the room, or what?

 

[laytonian]

I disagree. Nicholas was obviously running away from his responsibilities, none of which Steven had. And based on the interview that was posted tonight, he seems to have lost touch with reality.

Steven had nothing to walk away from other than debt and a dead-end job. Why is it so difficult to believe he did? Nicholas' on-line life wasn't difficult to find, but if Steven had one, it wasn't on his own computer.

I just don't think we can count out the possibility that Steven just wanted to start over.

JMHO

We can't discount anything, but it's so beyond his personality and ability to carry off such a deceit.....that I've (personally) got it low on my list. Just because a high-powered adman can pull it off for almost two years, doesn't mean a young man with no money or resources, can do the same.

Francisco prepared for a long time, and took his computer with him.

Steven drove around (aimlessly?), left his computer, and walked away far from a bus stop.

If Steven did pull off "the perfect disappearance", I say he's a criminal mastermind that has missed his calling and should be immediately hired by a research institute.

 

[laytonian]

"Hey, guys -- have you thought of trying this?" Wouldn't we all have jumped at that opportunity? I would have!
Why?
Because I'd previously asked if there was a secure place (some sites call them "the playground") here for us to speculate in .... and no one replied.

Navigating WS, for a newcomer, can be tough. Just the other day, down near the bottom of a page, I saw something called "read this first".

OK, I checked out the "jury room". It's not what I hoped. I was hoping for an area that was secure, where people could schedule a meeting and discuss a specific subject, not visible to all members. (Although it does look like Google doesn't pick up what's said there....)

 

[carbuff]

We can't discount anything, but it's so beyond his personality and ability to carry off such a deceit.....that I've (personally) got it low on my list. Just because a high-powered adman can pull it off for almost two years, doesn't mean a young man with no money or resources, can do the same.

Francisco prepared for a long time, and took his computer with him.

Steven drove around (aimlessly?), left his computer, and walked away far from a bus stop.

If Steven did pull off "the perfect disappearance", I say he's a criminal mastermind that has missed his calling and should be immediately hired by a research institute.

Either that, or he did it so simply that there aren't any trails to follow -- threw up his hands, said, "Screw this," and hopped on a bus/plane/cab to anywhere. If he took his passport etc. he wasn't planning on establishing a new identity or living "off the grid." If that's the case, he'll probably turn up sooner or later.

I don't think it's extremely likely, but I don't think it can be ruled out, either.

 

[carbuff]

OK, I checked out the "jury room". It's not what I hoped. I was hoping for an area that was secure, where people could schedule a meeting and discuss a specific subject, not visible to all members. (Although it does look like Google doesn't pick up what's said there....)

What about a Yahoo group?

 

[laytonian]

Naegle's answered as many of the newer questions as she could. ALSO, there's been an addition to the timeline page.

Feb 8-14

Q: Do we know if there has been any other activity for Steven in the LV vicinity in the past. Bank or credit card ties to gas purchase, etc. Phone records?

Q: Was Steven's family able to visit him in St George?
A: Yes, I don't know of every time, but I do know that sometime between Oct 6 and early November his mother and Grandmother went down there and spent some time with him.

Q: Has anyone asked Detective McKay to submit Steven's case to America's Most Wanted? We Websleuthers believe it's a compelling, different case that might just get their attention. Note: it's done through the mail, via the FAQs web page on amw.com. Some of us have sent in leads on the case, but it looks like they want a full "case file". That's why we were wondering if McKay could do that.
A: I'm not sure. Believe says she's in contact with McKay. Maybe she could ask.

(Note: I sent McKay a short email, suggestion that.)

Q: When Steven came home on the evening of the 12th and left 20-30 minutes later, is there any thought that he left out of fear? Could he have found something (or someone) in the home?
A: There's nothing to point either way really. Anything's possible. I don't think so though. He was practically living there alone at that point so someone would have had to break in or something. If Steven were scared wouldn't he go somewhere closer?

 

[laytonian]

Either that, or he did it so simply that there aren't any trails to follow -- threw up his hands, said, "Screw this," and hopped on a bus/plane/cab to anywhere. If he took his passport etc. he wasn't planning on establishing a new identity or living "off the grid." If that's the case, he'll probably turn up sooner or later.

I don't think it's extremely likely, but I don't think it can be ruled out, either.

A bus, cab and/or hitchhiking. He couldn't get on a plane, without showing his ID....and there'd be airline records of that, even if he paid cash for a one-way ticket. If he flew out of the country, his passport would have been scrutinized (and scanned).
He wouldn't necessarily have needed a passport to enter Mexico, especially if he crossed at a border.

 

[liz b.]

To enter Canada,Mexico or parts of the Caribbean you now need a passport. It is possible to obtain a passport "card",kind of a mini passport, but it would still leave a paper trail.
Does anyone happen to know when Steven last saw his father face to face ? I wonder how Rolf Koecher felt about his son quitting his newspaper job in SLC ? I have never heard anything about Steven's relationship with his father. A picture is starting to form for me,though.

 

[laytonian]

To enter Canada,Mexico or parts of the Caribbean you now need a passport. It is possible to obtain a passport "card",kind of a mini passport, but it would still leave a paper trail.

If you enter Mexico and say you're going to be within the "border area" for 72 hours or less, you don't need to show a passport or entry card. If you violate that, you're then considered illegal -- but they have to catch you.

US State Department

Now, whether that tourist card (which you can buy at the border) will be kept on file, is unknown.

Does anyone happen to know when Steven last saw his father face to face ? I wonder how Rolf Koecher felt about his son quitting his newspaper job in SLC ? I have never heard anything about Steven's relationship with his father. A picture is starting to form for me,though.

They'd have seen each other when Steven came home for Thanksgiving. That was only three weeks before he disappeared.

BUT...remember that "quitting the Trib" wasn't a new event. Although the news stories infer that he quit the Tribune and moved to St George immediately, he did not. He quit the Trib in July 2008, and didn't move to St George until April 2009....while he was working for MatchBin.

 

[liz b.]

Laytonian,
Thanks for clearing those things up. I was wondering if Mr.Koecher ever travelled to St.George to visit with Steven. I can't find anything that tells me he did. What does the family think happened to Steven ? What is their best educated guess ?

 

[carbuff]

A bus, cab and/or hitchhiking. He couldn't get on a plane, without showing his ID....and there'd be airline records of that, even if he paid cash for a one-way ticket. If he flew out of the country, his passport would have been scrutinized (and scanned).
He wouldn't necessarily have needed a passport to enter Mexico, especially if he crossed at a border.

I was thinking hitch or bus to Mexico, then plane. There'd be a paper trail, but not necessarily an obvious one.

 

[Fairy1]

I wish we knew more details about the investigation in St. George. It occurred to me today that whatever brought Steven to Las Vegas (and possibly his other stops) originated - in some way - in St. George.

I guess we'll have to assume that the church folks he spoke to the day he went missing have been thoroughly questioned. Seems his former roommate has been "cleared." Don't really know about his own computer or any he used at the library so we can't weigh in on e-mail communications. I'm wondering about friends and acquaintances outside of the church. Any co-workers other than his boss? Did he participate in any activities outside of his ward? Was he friends with any of his neighbors?

 

[laytonian]

I wish we knew more details about the investigation in St. George. It occurred to me today that whatever brought Steven to Las Vegas (and possibly his other stops) originated - in some way - in St. George.

Yup. We know of three "trips" he took in five days:
9-10 Dec: Ruby Valley +????
12 Dec: South to at least Mesquite-Overton border
13 Dec: South to Vegas

To me, it was like he was running errands.
But for who, and why?

 

[Fairy1]

Yup. We know of three "trips" he took in five days:
9-10 Dec: Ruby Valley +????
12 Dec: South to at least Mesquite-Overton border
13 Dec: South to Vegas

To me, it was like he was running errands.
But for who, and why?

Exactly. So I'm thinking we need to look deeper into where he started as out as opposed to where he ended up. I've always felt that he seemed to be rather isolated in St. George outside of his church. But maybe not.

Maybe the St. George media needs to be nudged a bit....