NV NV - Steven T. Koecher, 30, Henderson, 13 Dec 2009 - #16

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Moved from previous thread, to continue the new idea:

believe09 said:
I know we have had some excitement the last week-maybe it is worth regrouping to see what every one was working on and discussing when we were, umm, disrupted. Sometimes I think it can be telling to see what might have caused someone to take a thread off the rails...if you believe in conspiracy theories.

It began back in April, after the search around the Henderson Executive airport. The point has obviously been to derail the PI's efforts, as well as creating a circular firing squad comprised of WSers, the family, at least one of SK's church friends, LE and the PI.

The only common thread I saw in the suggested scenarios (which competed with each other!) was that the scene should move AWAY from SCA.

Did things get too close for comfort, was it just clever trolling, or (my personal belief) the efforts of a person so desperate for money that they'd try to claim a reward by throwing out every scenario they could think of?
 
The thing I noticed was that most of it seemed to be targeted toward the PI -- discrediting him and even casting doubts on his professional background. I wonder if the crazy person is connected to that shooting s/he gave the pointer to, the one that the cops were supposedly involved in?
 
The thing I noticed was that most of it seemed to be targeted toward the PI -- discrediting him and even casting doubts on his professional background. I wonder if the crazy person is connected to that shooting s/he gave the pointer to, the one that the cops were supposedly involved in?

I have to admit I don't pay attention to people with a vendetta against a certain portion of society, so I didn't pay attention to that.
 
Is it at all possible that the tip that led to the April search, was purposely planted by someone just trying to jerk the PI and family around?

In the same way that the Best Buy "Super Bowl Sunday" tip suddenly materialized after the reward was offered?
 
The thing I noticed was that most of it seemed to be targeted toward the PI -- discrediting him and even casting doubts on his professional background. I wonder if the crazy person is connected to that shooting s/he gave the pointer to, the one that the cops were supposedly involved in?

Let's don't forget that some WSer's came back from that search and were not very happy with the PI nor the way his search was lead. Even before the search we had many questions regarding the tip, etc. I had always felt the reason was the resident that found where someone had been camping out in the "backyard".

ETA: I remember one poster who came on regarding the dogs in particular. This poster had ask me for certain info and then after I spent time doing searches and re-postings for them--they never bothered to comment about the information provided.....so after a few days I went back and deleted my post....I was pizzed. :(
 
Is it at all possible that the tip that led to the April search, was purposely planted by someone just trying to jerk the PI and family around?

In the same way that the Best Buy "Super Bowl Sunday" tip suddenly materialized after the reward was offered?

bbm

Out of all the tips that is the one I have been most dubious about.
 
Let's don't forget that some WSer's came back from that search and were not very happy with the PI nor the way his search was lead. Even before the search we had many questions regarding the tip, etc. I had always felt the reason was the resident that found where someone had been camping out in the "backyard".

ETA: I remember one poster who came on regarding the dogs in particular. This poster had ask me for certain info and then after I spent time doing searches and re-postings for them--they never bothered to comment about the information provided.....so after a few days I went back and deleted my post....I was pizzed. :(

It had just seemed to me that there was somebody in the mix stirring up feelings and then disappearing. I grant you there had to be feelings in the first place before they could be stirred.
 
It had just seemed to me that there was somebody in the mix stirring up feelings and then disappearing. I grant you there had to be feelings in the first place before they could be stirred.

But why? What is the motivation?
 
But why? What is the motivation?

If someone truly has evidence in this case, they'd obviously tell the police. They can call in a tip. They can report it anonymously via Crime Stoppers. There are three police agencies they can talk to.

If they know who is responsible for Steven's disappearance, they should go through proper channels.

If they have no evidence, they have no reason to stir things up.
 
We actually know more about Steven, than what's been revealed about Erick Wales. I keep going back to the Wales case, because I see some surface similarities:

Each had worked for online news media
Each was a musician (Erick more professional than Steven)
Each abandoned a car with something personal inside (Erick's contained a note, Steven's the Christmas presents)

Steven went missing south of Las Vegas, Dec 13th
Erick went missing in San Diego, Apr 19th

An interesting comment on Erick's FB page:
"...Similar situation with my older brother, many years ago, who stopped contact when he was 22. His car was found a month or so later in Poway. We prayed for his protection for many years and finally reconnected by using the address provided by the Sacramento DMV when he renewed his drivers license. He was alive, well,and married with children living in Kansas!..."
 
Right now, I'm thinking we have NOTHING to go on.

There's the crime victim theory, with plenty of tips given to LE and the PI.
If there was a valid connection, there'd have been an arrest by now.
We don't have the evidence - and apparently no one else does, either.

There's the suicide theory - but no one's found him yet. Discovery of remains would have to be accidental, like most others.

About the only thing we can actually work on, is the purposeful disappearance.
Where would he go?
What is he familiar with OUTSIDE of the Vegas area?

Come on, put on your thinking caps.
Concentrate on things like this:
Does a friend own a cabin?
Did he know anyone with a connection to SCA?
The biggie: How far would Steven actually WALK to get somewhere?
 
Well we know he has connections to Texas.
 
Right now, I'm thinking we have NOTHING to go on.

There's the crime victim theory, with plenty of tips given to LE and the PI.
If there was a valid connection, there'd have been an arrest by now.
We don't have the evidence - and apparently no one else does, either.

There's the suicide theory - but no one's found him yet. Discovery of remains would have to be accidental, like most others.

About the only thing we can actually work on, is the purposeful disappearance.
Where would he go?
What is he familiar with OUTSIDE of the Vegas area?

Come on, put on your thinking caps.
Concentrate on things like this:
Does a friend own a cabin?
Did he know anyone with a connection to SCA?
The biggie: How far would Steven actually WALK to get somewhere?


RE: the biggie --- Someone else also mentioned surrounding towns (Pahrump, etc.) I have serious doubts that Steven went to any of those places. He might have been able to hitchhike, but the desert in that region would kill a person in any season. If he left in December,that desert was cold at night and would be barely tolerable even in the day. (High winds, dehydration, etc.)

Las Vegas is a very big town and if he's gone off the grid there, it would not be hard to do.
I can't see anyone going into that desert in December. (I live in Nevada).

I really hope that there is a happy ending to all this. Like many locals, I have been following Steven's case for some time.
I pray for his safety and comfort for his family.
 
Well we know he has connections to Texas.

Brazil (mission)
Northern Nevada (Neff ranch)
Rexburg, Idaho (Rick's College/BYU Idaho)
Salt Lake City (U of U)
West Valley City (apartment)
Amarillo, Texas (birth through high school)

Wish we knew if he could communicate with anyone through the LDS.org website (if that's possible). Or if there's website where ex-Missionaries meet up. Old missionary friends back in the states, could be living anywhere now.

Does anyone have a PAID classmates.com membership? I see him there, under "Amarillo High School". Just curious if he'd been receiving and/or posting there, since he joined in 2002.
 
Idaho and Brazil. We can pretty much count out his going to Brazil unless he had a fake passport. BUT, he may have had friends there with connections in the US.

Surely he has friends from his school years in Idaho.
 
You know what? I just remembered something. Part of the sub-culture in LV, and part of the homeless problem there, is that there is a literal underground there. There are many tunnels underneath the city, once used by casino security/cash handling personnel, that have been abandoned and many homeless now use them for shelter. Cops rarely go in there.

I'll see if I can find a news article about this ---there was one I remember from a few years ago. I will try to find it and post it.
 
RE: the biggie --- Someone else also mentioned surrounding towns (Pahrump, etc.) I have serious doubts that Steven went to any of those places. He might have been able to hitchhike, but the desert in that region would kill a person in any season. If he left in December,that desert was cold at night and would be barely tolerable even in the day. (High winds, dehydration, etc.)

Las Vegas is a very big town and if he's gone off the grid there, it would not be hard to do.
I can't see anyone going into that desert in December. (I live in Nevada).

I really hope that there is a happy ending to all this. Like many locals, I have been following Steven's case for some time.
I pray for his safety and comfort for his family.

I've been reading a lot about the homeless, and they're seldom really "off the grid". They have to get food, water, have somewhere to sleep. They're really on the grid -- they're just not paying for it themselves. It's a dangerous life, and they come into contact with social services and LE quite often.

I was just wondering how far Steven would have walked, after leaving the car. We see phone pings, kind of far apart, gradually heading off towards the northwest...while he texts/takes a fes calls on Dec 13th after the car was parked.

(Note that the "Pecos tower" location is incorrect, and should be much further north.)

The nearest bus stop was about five miles away, and that bus doesn't run on Sunday anyway. So he'd either have to hoof it in some direction, have a throwaway phone to arrange transportation, or have a pre-arranged meeting with someone.
 
I understand what you are saying laytonian about "off the grid" - but in Vegas it is very easy to obtain all those things without social services. Casinos throw boatloads of food away every day. Dumpster diving in a casino is not hard to do. Water can be had in just about any public restroom (I live in Reno and it's not uncommon to see homeless filling up their water bottles in MacDonalds). Money can be had by trollling casinos and "scooping" or "credit cashing".
 
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