HENDERSON, Nev. — A coordinated search is planned today Saturday, April 10, for a missing Utah man in an area surrounding the Henderson Executive Airport.
Nearly three dozen searchers will converge on the area to look for signs of Steven T. Koecher, according to the St. George man's family. Rolf Koecher, who will take part in the search, said crews will look for evidence that his son visited the area, but they also are aware that they may find his son's remains.
"We've been prepared for the worst ever since Dec. 17, when we learned about (his disappearance)," Rolf Koecher said Friday. "Will we find him during the search? I think it's probably a long shot."
Steven Koecher, 30, was last seen Dec. 13. His abandoned car was found four days later in a cul-de-sac in Henderson's Sun City Anthem neighborhood, an "upscale" community for the 55-and-older set. He was seen on a security camera at the home walking from the neighborhood around noon.
Previous searches have been mounted, posters have been distributed and Steven Koecher's face has even been printed on the side of milk cartons. His family has offered a $10,000 reward.
The effort has led to a number of tips, many of them anonymous. There were reports that Koecher had been seen at a Las Vegas Best Buy store and at a Home Depot store; there was a possible link to a body found by police in Sacramento, Calif.; and there was a tip — passed on by a private investigator — to check the area south of the Henderson Executive Airport.
"Quite a number of people have come to us and offered help and want nothing in return," Rolf Koecher said. "They're just good people trying to do the best they can. That's been impressive to us."
Henderson police have checked many of the leads but have not linked any of them to Steven Koecher's disappearance. Rolf Koecher said video surveillance obtained by police from Best Buy was both inconclusive and lacked clarity. Sacramento police detectives also confirmed that the body found there was not his son, the Bountiful man said.
"It's kind of good and bad," Rolf Koecher said about the news out of California. "It's nice to know it's not him, but it also doesn't give us any direction. It's another lead that disappeared on us."
St. George detectives also have met with West Valley police to determine if Steven Koecher's disappearance might be linked to the case of missing West Valley mother Susan Cox Powell.
"An examination of information in both of these cases indicates they are not connected," Rolf Koecher said.
Saturday's search will begin at 8 a.m. It is expected to last about three hours. Anyone with information about the case should call Henderson Police Crimes Against Persons at 702-267-4750 or St. George police at 435-627-4300.
e-mail: gliesik@desnews.com
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