My ex-detective friend says that statistically speaking, walking out is the most likely thing, by quite a large margin. Then suicide. Relatively few people get murdered, and if you aren't involved in drugs, gang activity, or an abusive relationship, the odds go down even farther.
Guys walk out all the time. Nice guys who would never do anything like that, who just can't take any more and feel like their families would be better off without them. They usually do turn up eventually, but usually not for several years, and then by accident. They just go somewhere else and go on living a normal life until they run into somebody who knew them in the other life.
And while I know Steven loved his family and his family loved him, I don't think he told them everything, and I suspect that some of the things he did tell them, they just didn't hear, because parents are like that sometimes.
(It should be noted that I'm not saying any of these things did happen -- only the possibilities.)
I know it is something that happens. but people who don't even pack their stuff? take their money? leave their car in a random neighborhood? apply for anything in their name? use their SS number? call anyone they know for over a year? nothing unusual turns up in their computer or cell phone records? are single sober nongambling avid lds members? is common? I think it's pretty rare. I know in my city, one or two people get killed every year, at least, sometimes more. but I don't hear about missing people much, unless they are kids in custody disputes, runaways, or people who are victims of crime (abused- may be killed or hiding) or criminals. it's not something regular, that happens with regular people. maybe taking off for a short time, yeah, is different. or ditching their wife and kids. a lot of missing people are found safe, but most of those are relatively soon after they go missing.
put this way, if my brother disappeared, I would KNOW something bad happened to him. granted, he doesn't have the financial problems steven had, but I think financial issues are more of a hindrance to a successful disappearance. unless you are street smart/have friends you can crash with, and none of his have heard from him.
it's not impossible. it's on the table. but you'd have to think steven was a very crafty person- not the kind of person he came of as, to everyone who knew him, it seemed like. what did he have to escape? the only answer ever seems to be, he was gay. or he was tired of...being judged for having difficulty finding a job? I don't think he had a lot to escape from. he would have the same employment difficulties any other other name just ten times more bc it is difficult to come up with a fake job history. does he have fake documents? how did he afford them? I think steven wanted to be successful. he didn't want to be a roadie for the rest of his life or have a daddy warbucks pay his way. I think he wanted to have a normal, successful life, with his own family, in contact with his family. this was eluding him a little bit but I still think that is what he wanted in his heart of hearts.
some people have said they would be shocked if he turned out to be a crime victim. I would be totally shocked to find out he was still alive.
holly blue: since his phone was not found, any camera pics would not be available to LE.
http://answers.ask.com/Society/Family/how_many_people_go_missing_each_year
9/10 people who go missing every year are children. of the portion who are adults (this site says 50,000- may be more may be less) many are found, and some (I would say many) are undoubtedly murdered. So I would say, overall, given more than 15000 people are known killed every year in the United States, that the odds, are not much more likely. JMO.
http://ask.yahoo.com/20060531.html this site says only around sixty percent of murders are ever solved (not including missing persons cases). and here,
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/...-are-there-in-the-us-what-happens-to-them.htm almost 5000 unidentified bodies are found annually of which over 1000 remain unidentified after one year, and 600 of these are buried or cremated, never being identified.
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