NV NV - Steven T. Koecher, 30, Henderson, 13 Dec 2009 - #21

I am still leaning toward Steven meeting up with Big Daddy Warbucks and starting his life anew as a post-Mormon gay man.

As time goes on I’m finding it harder and harder to believe that a random stranger lured him by offering him work and then killed him. What would be the reason? I can’t think of a good one. I think that whatever happened to Steven didn’t happen in the SCA neighborhood, I think it was merely a place to meet up with someone.

Up until very recently there was a google map that showed Steven’s cell phone pings but I can’t locate it now. Anyone know where it is?

SassyBenton said:

As time goes on I’m finding it harder and harder to believe that a random stranger lured him by offering him work and then killed him. What would be the reason? I can’t think of a good one. I think that whatever happened to Steven didn’t happen in the SCA neighborhood, I think it was merely a place to meet up with someone.

Up until very recently there was a google map that showed Steven’s cell phone pings but I can’t locate it now. Anyone know where it is?

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Okay, found the link to the map from an old post on here. Strange because up until last week I was able to just google "Steven Koecher phone calls" and the map would come up but now it doesn't come up.

I’ve been hard at work today (on websleuths, my boss is gone) :angel:and decided to go back and look at posts by gsmith, someone who was a co-worker and friend of Steven’s before he moved to St. George. My overall feeling after going thru all of gsmith’s postings is that before Steven moved to St. George was definitely struggling with some personal issues. I bolded the comments that really stood out to me. I think Steven was searching not only for a job, but for his place in this world. While some would say it sounds like he could have been so depressed that he committed suicide, I wonder if maybe he decided the life he was leading wasn’t filled with success and sought a different lifestyle completely. Some of the comments make it plausible that he could have gotten mixed up with the wrong people and was taken advantage of.

Gsmith Quotes:
He is the nicest guy I know. He really couldn't hurt a soul. In fact my mom recently reminded me that when I first met him that I was concerned for his safety because he seemed a bit naive to the evils of the world. He just finds the good in people and I felt someone could take advantage of him.

He was one of my groomsmen. In fact he arrived an hour late to the events even after I reminded him a number of times of the correct place and time. He is very smart but needs time to gather his thoughts. Sometimes he would be in the middle of a story and all of a sudden pause for up to 20 seconds. (Apparently this was quite common for Steven. Have never heard of Steven having any kind of issues that may cause this.)

We had similar situations since we both had degrees and worked crappy jobs. He seemed concerned in our conversations that he wouldn't be able to support a family even if he could find the right girl to marry.

He is very tuned to spiritual matters. Within a year before he moved to St. George he broke up with a girl because he felt god didn't want him to be with her. He was very troubled by it since she was just so perfect for him. During that time he told me he thought he had already missed the chance to be with god's chosen girl for him. He had had the chance but didn't go for her when she was available.

Once we met at a restaurant and he parked his car down the block. I thought it was so strange. He said he had missed the turn. I couldn't understand why he didn't just make a U turn since the street wasn't that busy.

He was pretty happy till 2008. That year is when he started mentioning these emotional conflicts. He had a good job at salt lake tribune but he wanted to quit for spiritual reasons. He said his coworkers where more worldly than he preferred. It hurt his spirituality for some reason. He knew it would affect him financially but it was worth it for his total well being.

Quitting his job at the sl trib caused him a lot of money problems. His inner battle made him want to quit. I tried to convince him to not quit or at least wait till he had another job lined up. He tried to bare working there a few more days but couldn't take it. (What was so bad he had to quit?)

I just know that he made some foolish decisions trying to better his situation. What that means in his disappearance I'm not sure. I'm just trying to let you know more about him. I've never met someone that stops like he does in the middle of a thought. It is just part of what makes him Steve. I'm also 100% sure it's him in that surveillance video. No one else walks like that with that appearance

I just think it's interesting that he went to the temple one night and then drove more than a thousand miles over the next couple days. Knowing his history with decision making and his spiritual feelings. It makes me wonder. (This one really stood out to me.)

I always drove to his house and drove us places when hanging out since he didn't want to spend gas money. I know he travels a lot sometimes but if he does it must be for a purpose.

Someone in Utah knows why he went to Las Vegas. He was there for a reason.

And yes I know this isn’t new info but some people may not have seen gsmith’s posts and sometimes going back over old info brings new ideas…

Thank you for compiling those together. It was very thought-provoking to read them together like that.

renogirl said:

Thank you for compiling those together. It was very thought-provoking to read them together like that.

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Thanks, I thought so too. We were lucky to have a friend of Steven's come here and give us some insight.

Yes we were. That being said and I know that the conversation about SK's family is 3 weeks old-unless you have had a loved one actually disappear from your lives, it is hard to say what you would do. It is easy to speculate and judge. Just ask Reality Orlando, whose daughter disappeared but was eventually recovered.

There is little right and wrong here. I think the fact that they point sleuthers to websites such as ours shows a serious interest in finding out what happened to Steven. As SW indicated, the FB page was beyond cumbersome to try and manage, so streamlining makes complete and utter sense to me.

Steven's family has quietly pursued an answer for all of this time. They have been battered in so many ways, certainly with all of the speculation regarding Steven and the Powell case. Debunked and utter nonsense.

IMO, when it comes to families of the missing it is like inviting the devil in the door...you beg for help and you turn yourselves inside out. As time passes, it is harder and harder to let people in when there has been no solid result. They have had a lot of contact with strangers, some positive and some incredibly negative. I think the double blow of losing Rolf and Steven was too much to bear-it would have been for me.

I have not been here in a long time, but was doing a quick online search for Steven, and there is a Steven Koecher listed in Las Vegas area with writing and editing experience on Linked In. It states that he works at a place called Match Bin, and that he interned for the governors office in UT. If it is a coincidence, it is an odd one!

Julessleuther said:

I have not been here in a long time, but was doing a quick online search for Steven, and there is a Steven Koecher listed in Las Vegas area with writing and editing experience on Linked In. It states that he works at a place called Match Bin, and that he interned for the governors office in UT. If it is a coincidence, it is an odd one!

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I believe he created this profile before his disappearance. If anything, it does tell us what kind of work he was probably looking for when he went to Las Vegas. If we could just figure out how his job search ended up taking him to SCA…

LE and both families debunked this in no uncertain terms. Additionally both familes consider any ongoing speculation to be a source of pain.

I cannot believe this is continuing, frankly.

Sleuthster said:

I received an email today from another WS member that directed me to a website called postmoron and a post on their forum regarding meetings in Las Vegas. Apparently this group is for people who have left or want to leave the Moron church, ironically they had a meeting at a secret location (a members house) in Las Vegas Nov 15th 2009. No posts for a meeting in December. Looking through some other posts now. Interesting stuff mostly about how these former members feel "free" and that they "escaped" the church but dont know if they're ever really free from the church and their families.

Thank you for the link!

I wonder where SK was on Nov 15th 2009 just weeks before he disappeared. Did he attend this meeting? Is this why he went on the long drive and visited the former gf parents in N. Nevada? He wanted to make sure he wanted to leave the church and knew it meant leaving his family too?? This would make sense why he left the car there, a safe neighborhood near where one of these postmormon members lived or could pick him up. This scenario actually makes sense to me.

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Doubt it. He was a committed member of the L.D.S. Church. People don't generally leave their faith like that. It's usually a long process and people who attend meetings like that have usually long left their faith and attend just to reinforce their decision.

Kelly

Sleuthster said:

Why arent they trying to find him anymore?? On their fb page they diliberately are deleting any post with ideas to find him or thoughts directed in any manner other then words of support towards the family.

This is a snipit of their main post on the fb "find Steven Koecher" page.

This Facebook page was established by Steven's family, as a place to welcome him home alive and well. If you want to investigate and speculate, this is not the place. There are many appropriate websites (Websleuths.com is excellent, and Steven's case has been discussed there for over two years in thousands of posts.)The Q&As were developed by several people, who have deep knowledge of the case.
STEVEN, YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME HOME. YOU ARE LOVED, RESPECTED AND WHATEVER HAS GONE ON, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHARE. Just come home. Your Mom needs you now more than ever.

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They are deleting them for two reasons; One is that they had tons of crazy people with crazy conspiracies that they got fed up with and secondly there were tons of arguments like this one on how he disappeared. I don't blame them.

Kelly

SassyBenton said:

As time goes on I’m finding it harder and harder to believe that a random stranger lured him by offering him work and then killed him. What would be the reason? I can’t think of a good one. I think that whatever happened to Steven didn’t happen in the SCA neighborhood, I think it was merely a place to meet up with someone.

Up until very recently there was a google map that showed Steven’s cell phone pings but I can’t locate it now. Anyone know where it is?

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I don't think it was random and I don't think that he went there to meet someone for work. I have a theory but until I have some evidence I am just going to keep my mouth shut as I subscribed to the employment theory at one time. But the more that I thought about it, it made no sense. Who goes on an interview wearing jeans or kaki's on a Sunday.

I think that he was there for a perfectly rational reason. But I have to do some more work on it. I will say that it's not some wild conspiracy theory, or has to do with drugs or any of that nonsense, and I have never believed this guy walked away from his life. I am sure that didn't happen.

I subscribe to what the well known atheist Anthony Flew said when he stated that he finally was able to believe in a Creator, "I have always gone where the evidence leads me."

Given his character of a pretty normal guy who was struggling with the economy like many of us have been doing you take it to the most logical step,

We know that he wasn't kidnapped by men from outer space. He didn't just, poof, vanish into thin air. He didn't do drugs, he didn't run off with some girl and very doubtful that he was gay and ran off with some guy.

But it's only a theory and until I there is solid proof or evidence that is where it stays in the theory category. With respect to the Susan Powell theory, I really think that has been pretty much been debunked and run completely into the ground. Give it a rest.

Kelly

Kelly

Sleuthster said:

There are 2 fb groups that are for Steven, one is family and the other is a discussion page.

On the other (nonfamily) fb there is alot of negativity IMO about the family's intentions so I hope we dont start doing that too. But my only point is that I too believe that they have not released anything about SK's disappearance that would be negative to their family and the LDS. It's pretty apparent when they dont want anyone posting about suggestions or ideas, just support for "the family" that they have a pretty good idea about what has happened to Steven or it could be that in their hearts they have accepted he's not with us anymore. I still believe he is and they know something that could help and we'll leave it at that.

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You have a right to your opinion but I have to really ask you if you are kidding? I have had contact with the P.I. in the past and I have to say there is no reason to believe that Steven just up and took off. There is nothing to indicate that at all. But you have a right to your opinion. I just think that it creates false hope.

Kelly

Sleuthster said:

I was thinking tonight about the flyers being found on the dash board of his car. They could have been in the folder and then he took them out to put other papers in the folder. But what was in the folder??? That's the big question. With this new scenario it would not be out of the ordinary that he was dressed nicely as he was to rendevu's with a member of this group.

One more thing....the fb group on behalf of the family, when I have posted possibilties that he is alive they respond why would he do that to his parents?? Basically, that would make him a horrible person and they have rules on the page that it's become more of a support page for the family they dont really want to hear any thoughts or ideas on where he could be or what happened to him, it is not open for discussion on there apparently.

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Maybe.

There is no evidence that Steven is alive and there is no evidence that Steven is not alive. So you can call them crazy conspiracies but many people (including myself) have spent alot of time trying to help find the truth and bring Steven home one way or another.

I myself have stepped away from this case because it's really too much drama for me and I'm not a PI nor LE so I really dont have to deal with it. I am just a person who became involved with helping find the missing because I have 2 close friends that have been missing for decades. It has always been my hope (even if it's false hope) that they would appear one day with some amazing story of where they have been all this time but I know it's improbable at this point. Yet, there is no evidence that they are not alive, only too much time passed.

I hope one day that there is closure for his family in some form and I hope that it is Steven walking in one day alive.

Sorry, I did not mean to cause the family any distress. I truly was just trying to help.

believe09 said:

LE and both families debunked this in no uncertain terms. Additionally both familes consider any ongoing speculation to be a source of pain.

I cannot believe this is continuing, frankly.

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Julessleuther said:

I have not been here in a long time, but was doing a quick online search for Steven, and there is a Steven Koecher listed in Las Vegas area with writing and editing experience on Linked In. It states that he works at a place called Match Bin, and that he interned for the governors office in UT. If it is a coincidence, it is an odd one!

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That's him and it's old.

believe09 said:

LE and both families debunked this in no uncertain terms. Additionally both familes consider any ongoing speculation to be a source of pain.

I cannot believe this is continuing, frankly.

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I can't, either. It does nothing but perpetuate a flat out lie started by Josh and Stephen Powell to take the heat off themselves for the murder of Susan Powell.

Since that lie was started, I believe we've all seen these people for what they are/were.

For those questioning Steven's family, you may find this enlightening:

http://mormon.org/faq/life-after-death/

Try to keep in mind also that since Steven has been missing, they have lost their patriarch and the driving force in the search for Steven. Maybe they've had enough?

Kelly_Robinson said:

Doubt it. He was a committed member of the L.D.S. Church. People don't generally leave their faith like that. It's usually a long process and people who attend meetings like that have usually long left their faith and attend just to reinforce their decision.

Kelly

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Probably not likely that he attended a PostMormon gathering, it might have been a possibility. In my family and husb. family there were a few LDS that appeared to be committed to the LDS church but were not. They just went along with the program to keep their families happy. And from what I have seen, sometimes people just leave their faith. Plenty of people have attended Ex-mormon, PostMormon, Mormon Stories conferences that are becoming rather popular amongst Mormons that are struggling with some aspects of their faith. These groups are not necessarily people that have long left the LDS faith.