Please continue here!
liz b.
That makes the phone conversations much more clear ; it was Steven's dad who said that Steven had hung up on him.
But, as I was looking at the timeline, I noticed something else. KC Naegle said that Matchbin may have asked Steven to move down to St. George ; if so, he had not met anyone in the area, either online or face to face.So, if this holds true it was job related that Steven moved to St.George, not that he had an urge to get away from his family ? Then Matchbin let him go a month later ....
Laytonian,
Couple of things. Steven would not have needed an internet connection at his house.He could have used an aircard with his laptop. I use one,because my house isn't wired either.The aircard is great, it just plugs into the laptop,and you can use it to get connected to the internet anyplace you go. He could have just paid a monthly fee,and no one would have been any the wiser.
About the money, he could have called the customer service number of his bank to get his balance; most banking transactions, I think, are credited and debited right away now. I'm saying it is possible that he could have known the money was there very soon after his mom deposited it.
His case is shocking, but not rare in the illegal world of predatory lending where intimidation, brutal assault and even murder are par for the course. As one expert put it: All cases we come across are extreme.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6742115.ece
loan shark needed asap
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/cropwell-al/TCUEHQAGUHUAFTDFM#comments
Read the comments this is everyday people, desperate for money. I don't know if they even realize how scary it is, to borrow from loan sharks.I remember it was speculated that Steven could have been afraid of someone. Just another thought.
Hi, I haven't posted here before, but this case is so strange and sad that I keep coming back to it.
Based on the information that has been made public, no scenario makes total sense. Given what I've learned about Steven though, I just get the impression that whatever he ultimately did, he did on the spur of the moment. He just doesn't sound like a devious, plotting kind of guy. He sounds like a kind, goodhearted man who had been rudderless for awhile. I know when I graduated from college things didn't start out exactly as I had planned--I wasn't married and had no prospects, I didn't fall into the perfect, high-paying job, I had to live with my parents for awhile while I saved money... I can see how Steven's similar situation could make him depressed.
He travels aimlessly for a few days trying to make a connection with anyone really. Now here is where I think several things could have happened. Maybe he has met someone online who lives in the Vegas area--a girl, a job opportunity, a friend. I know he didn't have internet at home, but internet cafes aren't that hard to find.
He finally finds himself in Vegas, and impulsively makes contact with this unknown person out of desperation to a. make some money or b. make an emotional connection.
Something goes awry. He ends up either getting taken advantage of and harmed; things don't go well with a romantic meeting, and he goes out in the desert to find some solitude, think things through etc. and gets injured and is unable to return or impulsively takes his own life. It's possible too that he hooked up with someone--again impulsively, and naively gets sucked into something that he feels very ashamed/guilty about, and is alive but not sure he'll be welcomed back again.
I just don't get the impression that whatever he did was planned meticulously from beginning to end. I think he was flying off the cuff and got into trouble.
Laytonian,
What's strange is having a laptop with no internet access ; I wonder if he had an aircard at one time,like when he first moved down to St.George ? Most laptops do have the aircard capability. If he checked his balance by calling an 800 customer service #, would that show up ?
That payday loan stuff is scary... Do you happen to know if they make loans to people who are not employed, or marginally employed,like Steven ? How would Steven have gotten a loan, I wonder ? You would think he would have needed to give them a reference,like a parent, so that they would know they could collect from someone. The political aspect is interesting, and those places are everywhere.
But, I have NO idea why Steven would take the Matchbin job without an internet connection, and NO idea why he would use the public computers at the library. This part of the narrative is sooo confusing.
But, I have NO idea why Steven would take the Matchbin job without an internet connection, and NO idea why he would use the public computers at the library. This part of the narrative is sooo confusing.
Laytonian: You need to stick around. It's good to see new names here.
Canyon1: Thanks! I will. Here's hoping for some new information or insight so we don't just spin our wheels.
Steven used the computers at the St George public library. We don't know if they've been analyzed, but they're probably the least private thing you could use, if you were trying to be sly (something we agree Steven's likely not).
I read that he used the public library for internet when he was in St. George, but in his travels he could still be in contact with people by email, and in that case, there are plenty of places to access internet while traveling.
You need to stick around. It's good to see new names here.
software copyright © 2009 matchbin, inc.
content copyright © 2009 Davis County Clipper
NO WONDER, when "Today In Dixie" finally published an article about Steven's disappearance last week, they mentioned "former employee".
http://snurl.com/ucnri [www_todayindixie_com]
I don't think LE would go after the hard drives on public libraries absent some compelling reason. Trying to track the history of a nobody like Steven is never going to happen.