Found Deceased PA - Paul Kochu, 22, Allegheny County, 17 Dec 2014 - #2

[Miss Muffet]

The only other access that doesn't require significant effort to climb a fence and/or retaining wall is south 18th street that goes to a bike trail & park. While this is close to where Paul was last seen, I don't know why anyone would go down that way at that time of night, especially someone that lived in the area & was thus familiar with things.

Are drugs sold down there? We have to consider every possibility.

Regarding foul play, if it was random street violence (which is fairly rare in that area), I can't think that someone would (and I could be wrong here) go to the effort required to dispose of a body in any significant way if things turned that way.

I know you qualified that as random violence, but the overall violence in Southside is significantly high for the metro.

Check out this article titled Pittsburgh’s South Side has had largest number of violent crimes for four years running: http://publicsource.org/investigati...of-violent-crimes-for-four-years#.VP8jUOk5By0

I'm not saying Southside is dangerous, not in a way that I would avoid. I just think it's important to clarify there is a certain level of danger walking around late at night alone. It's not too dangerous to doo, but it requires street smarts. And PK looked inebriated in the video which would make him much less aware of his surroundings.

But I agree that it's not likely random violence because those types of criminals usually don't dispose of bodies. They just do their violence and take off running.

There's also the possibility PK ran into someone he knew after he left his house. He could have left to look for his roommates after the disagreement they had. Maybe he ran into his roommates while out walking around. Maybe he left the apartment first on foot and they left afterwards in their car.

So basically the river scenario makes sense as far as having found nothing yet but less so when factoring in the available access to said river.

Agreed. I believe his body would have been found already if it's in Southside. There aren't many places to hide a body there, and the area has been searched repeatedly.

Since it was clear you are from Pittsburgh too, I read your other posts and want to comment on your being perplexed by McDonalds. My children are in the same age range as these young adults. My son lives in Vermont where there are no fast food restaurants. All of the food is hip, artisan, farm to table, etc. Even the bar food is fantastic. Yet, every now and then, he and his friends get a hankering for fast food and drive 40 minutes to the closest fast food restaurant, which happens to be a McDonalds. The next nearest fast food is over an hour away in two different towns. They really do crave going to McDonalds, and it's quite the event to the point I actually hear about it---like it was a great fantastic rare adventure.

The only problem I have with PK's roommates going to McDonalds that night is they had been drinking earlier. They clearly have embraced a Southside walking lifestyle via walking back and forth from the bar, yet they'd get into a car after drinking all night and drive to McDonalds? That just doesn't make sense since it's unlikely one of them was a designated driver due to they were drinking within walking distance.

That's the reason I'm suspicious of the McDonald's trip. Not because people living in Southside are too snobby to eat at McDonalds when there are other great alternatives closer by, but because these roommates got into a car after a night of drinking after they had been responsibly walking to/from the bar earlier.

Maybe Paul left the house after the disagreement, and the roommates got in the car to find him. That seems to be a more likely reason they'd get into their car after drinking. People are more irrational when fighting and make decisions like drinking and driving they normally wouldn't do. The fact they didn't drive while drinking at the bar makes me feel it's unlikely they suddenly decided get food at McDonalds.

I wonder when the roommates told the police about PK cutting himself with the "glass or something." Did they tell that the very first time they were questioned in the disappearance? Or did they give this excuse after police found evidence of blood and re-questioned them?
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[Miss Muffet]

To reiterite my thinking, when Paul left his residence, I believe he was either going to a hospital or going to commit suicide.

He wouldn't walk to a hospital from where he lived. Presby would be the closest via the Hot Metal Bridge, but he would be more familiar with the way to Mercy since he attended Duquesne. I can understand his not driving to the hospital since he was intoxicated, but I can't imagine him setting out to walk to Mercy that late at night. The area near Mercy can be very dangerous at night. I think he'd call a taxi if he wanted to go to the hospital. Also, wouldn't his friends drive him to the hospital if he was bad enough to need the hospital.

Your embracing suicide is mostly based on his roommates saying he was upset. Well, upset doesn't necessarily mean sad and depressed. It can mean angry. PK's father said he declined going to McDonalds because of a disagreement earlier. That indicates anger, not depressed and suicidal.

I can think of no other reason he would leave that makes sense.

His being angry at his roommates makes sense to me. He was angry enough to leave the bar early. Why wouldn't he be angry enough to leave the house?

For those that believe that he is in the water, would you share your theory as to how he got there? I mean..did he just wade in from the bike trail? If you think he accidentally fell in the water, explain how? A couple cases I've followed here in the past had people claiming that the missing was in the water, but could never come up with a reasonable theory of how they got there.

I think he's in the water because someone disposed of his body in the water. Since a car would need to be used, he may have been dumped further away from Southside. He could have been dumped in any of the three rivers. He could be in the Allegheny River since the McDonalds is close to that river.

All the details leading up to Paul leavining his residence are of interest, but I don't think they help shed any light on where he was headed and where he ended up. After reading about that Naib little boy they just found deceased, they had a couple hundred people, FBI, airplanes, etc. looking for him and it still took them almost 4 days. The street searches that were done looking for Paul were done by family and volunteers. They could have missed him, and I think we will find out they did.

You're not familiar with Southside. If he was in the neighborhood, residents would have found him if searchers missed him because everyone has postage stamp size yards. It's possible searchers missed him in the hillsides and along the river. Absolutely. But his body being in those locations would indicate fowl play. I don't believe for a minute this was an accidental death, unless whoever disposed of his body accidently killed him and freaked out.
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[Treelights]

It makes sense to me that they walked to the bar because the bar was close by. No need to worry about parking, leave the car at home and walk.

Maybe the roommates met up with someone near that McDonalds , or at that McDonalds.
Maybe that's why Paul didn't want to go?? Just speculating here...
There was a disagreement earlier it was said, but with whom??

IMOO.

 

[MEM93]

I noticed. Was it to make a clean slate or did someone post something inappropriate and the family did away with all the posts? It's a shame because people were leaving well wishes and prayers but I did notice some of the questions we've been asking have bubbled up.

 

[MEM93]

After mulling the detective's post, I'm trying to figure out how'd he get in the water but I'm also trying figure out what else could have happened to him.

When is the st Pat's parade? I'm not wishing to ruin someone's day, but the area will be packed. Maybe someone will find him? Has there been a landfill search? What if he got roughed up and thrown in a dumpster. To me, that's too much like a movie.

 

[Treelights]

I noticed. Was it to make a clean slate or did someone post something inappropriate and the family did away with all the posts? It's a shame because people were leaving well wishes and prayers but I did notice some of the questions we've been asking have bubbled up.

I haven't seen inappropriate posts, and I haven't seen all the posts, either, so perhaps there was an inappropriate post on the facebook page.

Perhaps they feel overwhelmed and feel they need to control what they can.
It must feel terribly sad and hopeless at times not knowing where Paul is, and not wanting
to believe that Paul could be someone that they don't know.
They choose to believe what they know, I assume. My opinion only.

When life seems out of control day in and day out because you can't find the answers and can't find Paul,
then perhaps controlling the only means they know how, is to get rid of posts; My Speculation Only. Perhaps the posts are hurtful to them,
or perhaps the posts aren't congruent to what they believe in.

I wish the best for the family and I wish Paul would be found.
The anguish and heartache the family must feel has to be unbearable.
It is sad, all the way around.

IMOO.

 

[MEM93]

The ones I've seen either don't get answered or disappear. There were a few posts that were asking the family what they were referring to in posts. That sort of thing. I worry if they control the page too much, it will garner more suspicion or be off putting to someone who may know something and would post to the page. I'm not a religious person, but it was comforting to see so many people praying for the family. That had to help them not feel alone.

 

[Treelights]

The ones I've seen either don't get answered or disappear. There were a few posts that were asking the family what they were referring to in posts. That sort of thing. I worry if they control the page too much, it will garner more suspicion or be off putting to someone who may know something and would post to the page. I'm not a religious person, but it was comforting to see so many people praying for the family. That had to help them not feel alone.

If someone would know something, it would be better to contact the police, than to put it on facebook, I believe.
I do understand your point though.
Deleting positive affirmations and prayers to the family; I don't understand why those would be deleted .
IMOO.

 

[Miss Muffet]

The river theory is good but the question of how he would get in there is more muddled. As I noted it's doubtful he made it to the 10th street bridge without coming up on a security camera en-route. The only other access that doesn't require significant effort to climb a fence and/or retaining wall is south 18th street that goes to a bike trail & park. While this is close to where Paul was last seen, I don't know why anyone would go down that way at that time of night, especially someone that lived in the area & was thus familiar with things.

Look at the location of the camera on the map. News reports say his apartment was located in 1900 block of Wharton, and the camera was two blocks away near Giant Eagle. Go to street view on google maps, and you'll see that he was walking towards his apartment. In the video, he is BETWEEN the Giant Eagle and his apartment, heading towards his apartment that is less than 2 block away.

The articles stating he was heading towards the 10th Street Bridge were just using the 10th Street Bridge as a directional description instead of north, south, east, west. Since the 10th Street Bridge is about 10 blocks past his apartment, there's no reason to believe he was heading to the bridge when his house was less than two blocks away.

The question is where was he prior to heading home?

Instead of going home from Smokin Joes, he could have went to Ruggers Pub. The video could be catching him walking home from Ruggers afterwards. Last call is 2am, but people don't leave bars at 2am. Back in my drinking days, we didn't end up at restaurants for breakfast until 3am.

If that's what happened, that would mean his roommates time for their encounter with him at home wouldn't be accurate. They could have used a prior trip to McDonalds as their alibi by establishing seeing him before leaving for McDonalds as the last time they saw him, when they really saw him later at night.

Or, he could have simply left for Ruggers Pub to catch last call after they left for McDonalds.

Understanding that he's actually heading home in that video makes it easier for me to eliminate suicide, falling into the river, and going to the hospital type scenarios.
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[heartgoesout]

snipped by me "Go to street view on google maps, and you'll see that he was walking towards his apartment."
Well that changes everything... I was under the impression he was walking away/left his apartment in the video.

 

[Miss Muffet]

snipped by me "Go to street view on google maps, and you'll see that he was walking towards his apartment."
Well that changes everything... I was under the impression he was walking away/left his apartment in the video.

I was under the same impression due to the news reports saying "towards the 10th Street Bridge" and all of the other discussion. The reason I tracked down the camera location is I was trying to determine where he might have gone since Zepplin said there was no logical place for him to be going. Low and behold, I discover he was walking towards his home.

The camera is located at S 20th Street and Wharton Street for anyone who wants to compare the intersection to the surveillance video and the location of where he lived in relation to that intersection. The only possibility he is walking away from his house is if he actually lived on the 2000-2100 block of Wharton, but news reports consistently state he lived in the 1900 block of Wharton.

 

[Miss Muffet]

Is the media reporting the 1900 block of Wharton Street location of his apartment accurately or inaccurately?

Can anyone find an exact address for his residence?

I'm searching for a more definitive address. I want to verify what I determined is accurate and not just go by reports stating 1900 block of Wharton Street since the media is often vague in reporting important details.

 

[heartgoesout]

Im looking now... I'm trying to wrap my head around the directions. I have to go back and reread the times. It almost seems like he back tracked and walked backwards in a square?

 

[heartgoesout]

You are right though. If the apartment is on 19th street and that video is him is walking towards not away from his apartment...

 

[Miss Muffet]

This Texas Equusearch article states:

"Paul Kochu, age 22, was last seen Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at roughly 1am at his home on 19th & Wharton Streets, Pittsburgh, PA."

http://texasequusearch.org/2015/01/missing-paul-kochu-pittsburgh-pa-121614/

The camera is located at 20th and Wharton.

He was only a block way from home and heading towards home!

 

[heartgoesout]

This Texas Equusearch article states:

"Paul Kochu, age 22, was last seen Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at roughly 1am at his home on 19th & Wharton Streets, Pittsburgh, PA."

http://texasequusearch.org/2015/01/missing-paul-kochu-pittsburgh-pa-121614/

The camera is located at 20th and Wharton.

He was only a block way from home and heading towards home!

ok, so he left Smokey Joe's, and headed away from home, then seen on video heading home with a hand injury and stumbling about an hour later? He gets home calls the roommates and the roommates leave and he is never seen again? Do I have that right?

 

[Miss Muffet]

Im looking now... I'm trying to wrap my head around the directions. I have to go back and reread the times. It almost seems like he back tracked and walked backwards in a square?

My mind is all on the times too.

1:00am -- Roommates claim they last saw him at the apartment when they left for McDonalds. (Obviously, he left Smokin' Joes before 1:00am at least.)

2:46am -- PK is seen in video a block away from apartment, heading back towards the apartment.

Did the roommates say what time they returned back to the apartment? I can't imagine them spending almost 2 hours at McDonalds.

 

[momthebomb]

Ok, just going to step in here too.....I am also blown away to learn Paul was heading home in the video. Thanks MM for the fabulous discovery. So, this has been out that for how long now, 2 1/2 months? Why hasn't the family clarified this to the public? I don't get it. Surely they know that he was heading home in the video. Why let everyone out there think he was heading away? To me, it changes everything.

 

[heartgoesout]

We have a verified insider on here now. Please can you confirm.

 

[Miss Muffet]

ok, so he left Smokey Joe's, and headed away from home, then seen on video heading home with a hand injury and stumbling about an hour later? He gets home calls the roommates and the roommates leave and he is never seen again? Do I have that right?

I think the roommates are lying about the times. It's almost 2 hours after they claim to have last seen him at home.

In the roommates defense, they could have left the house at 1am and he left to go to the Rugger's Pub to catch last call. The video could be of him returning home from Rugger's Pub.

But how does an adult male disappear off the face of the earth when he's only a black away as he's heading home?

That's what makes me think they're lying about what time it was when they last saw him. Let's say they go to McDonalds at 1:00am and return home at 2:00 (just random time). PK gets home at 2:49. They get into a fight. Dispose of the body. Call to report him missing saying the last time they saw him was at 1pm when they went to McDonalds to use McDonalds as an alibi.