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The story of missing 30-year-old Utahn Steven Koecher is the topic in tonight's episode of "Disappeared" on the Investigation Discovery channel. The network is airing the episode "Secrets of a Son" at 7 p.m.
Koecher went missing Dec. 13, 2009. That day he was seen on a security camera in a Henderson, Nev., neighborhood walking near where his car was found abandoned four days later. He had been living in nearby St. George and was looking for employment, family have said.
"It's a shock to those who know the young journalist, a well-liked fellow who appears to be devoted to his family and his church," the episode description reads. "As police retrace his steps, family members learn it's been two days since anyone is known to have seen or spoken to him."
Jeanie Vink, executive producer for Investigation Discovery, said Koecher's story is a fascinating one because young men with absolutely no whiff of trouble in their lives don't usually go missing.
"And all investigation indicates that Steven was exactly what he appeared to be — clean cut, a devout Mormon, close to his family and a caring young man," Vink said. "For someone like that to disappear for no reason is really strange, tragic and compelling."
Over the course of the case, Koecher's parents, Rolf and Deanne Koecher, of Bountiful, traveled to Henderson and neighboring Las Vegas several times to meet with police. The two did an interview with the show's staff earlier this year. Rolf Koecher, 61, died in February.
Friends and family also have searched urban Henderson and Las Vegas and the vast redrock terrain of southeast Nevada and southwest Utah multiple times. The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information on Koecher's whereabouts and created a Facebook page.
The show will air on channel 192 for those with Dish, 285 on DirecTV and 271 on Comcast.