Hi all. I followed Steven's case for a long time, including reading here, but life took me away from it for a while. Yesterday, I noticed my milk carton contained his picture which led me back to this board. I live in LV and I'm LDS, so if anyone has questions along those lines feel free to ask. Also, I'm married, but I attended several singles wards as a young adult.
My theory agrees with many of yours, that he had some business in Anthem, which he thought was legit, and that he met with foul play instead.
On the point that it seems people in the neighborhood are not being forthcoming and/or are covering something up, to be honest, I doubt that's the case (well, except for the one person who might be responsible for his disappearance). Vegas is weird like that. Neighbors aren't really friendly with each other and people keep to themselves. I'm not from her originally, so I've definitely noticed this trait of the area. I think because there are so few native Las Vegans and everyone is a transplant, people are just suspicious of others. The fact that this is a very transient place may also play a role. People don't want to invest in a relationship that might end in a couple months or a year. Honestly, my neighborhood looks like a ghost town most days, including weekends, because people don't spend time outside and when they come home from work, their car goes right into the garage never to be seen again. So, I guess the point I'm making, is that I don't find it hard to believe that no one saw him and that no one knows what's up in the homes of others either.
With regard to Steven's travels, personally I wonder if he was bipolar and in a manic phase with all the driving. Going to see AN and/or her family would have been a very bold move, something that I don't think shy Steven would do normally unless emboldened by mania.
As far as why some good Utah boy would go to seedy Vegas, well, there are lots of LDS singles here. I helped with a single adult conference here a while ago. There were hundreds of adults who came to attend workshops, a dance, dinner and just mingled and got to know each other (I saw lots of phone number swapping!). The attendees weren't just from LV, they came from CA, UT and AZ, too, even though it was mainly for LV area singles. The LDS singles scene is very word-of-mouth. There are local events that happen within your ward or stake, but it is VERY common to go to other wards, stakes, even other states to meet someone. Plus, there's a growing LDS "Mid Singles" movement for people age 30 to 45 to do social activities. You can look on facebook to see examples of their get togethers, etc. For example, see
this one for LV.