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Thread: Connie Koch - missing from Lake Stevens, WA since 3/26/09

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    Senior Member azkarisma's Avatar
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    Connie Koch - missing from Lake Stevens, WA since 3/26/09

    I saw this missing woman on another website that I frequent, and thought I'd try to help the family by posting it here too -- especially for those who may be in the area.



    Name: Connie Marie Koch
    Age: 62
    Eyes: Blue
    Hair: Blonde and Gray
    Height: 5'4"
    Weight: 130lbs
    Vehicle Description: 2005 White Toyota Corolla - Washington License Plate 971-VOL


    Connie was dealing with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity - for more information go to http://www.multiplechemicalsensitivity.org/
    Her destination in Texas was the Environmental Medicine Treatment Center in Dallas, TX. They have been alerted that she is missing. Her recent struggles with reactions to her environment were very trying, and the decision to leave her job and home to travel to Texas was a hard one. She had been feeling very isolated and lonely since January. Her mood prior to Thursday was by most accounts better that previously thought.

    If you have any information, you are asked to call 911 or the Lake Stevens Police Department at 425-335-9537.

    Official website for search: http://findconniemarie.blogspot.com/

    Most recent news articles:

    http://www.kirotv.com/news/19044379/detail.html
    Search Intensifies For Missing Lake Stevens Woman

    Posted: 6:45 am PDT March 30, 2009
    Updated: 6:36 pm PDT March 30, 2009

    LAKE STEVENS, Wash. -- Volunteers including the Boy Scouts are joining the search for a 62-year-old Lake Stevens woman who was discovered missing Thursday afternoon.

    "I can't just see her up and disappearing, from what I knew of her as a parent. This is not her, this is not something she would do," said search volunteer Danette McCroskey.

    Former teacher and mother Connie Koch was scheduled to fly to a medical clinic in Dallas on Thursday to be treated for multiple chemical sensitivity, a condition that made Koch acutely sensitive to odors given off by chemicals and furniture.

    McCroskey and her son Kyle, a former student of Koch's, are now on a mission to motivate as many volunteers as they can. They're hoping to distribute thousands of flyers and hoping someone out there might find Koch.

    Her family said Koch was supposed to fly with oxygen tanks but was nervous about how'd she'd react on an airplane.

    "She could have oxygen on the plane, but she'd still be trapped on the plane for however long it takes to get to Texas -- five hours -- and that's an environment that she couldn't control," said Koch's son, Tim Jorgensen.

    On Thursday afternoon, a relative discovered that Koch's home was empty with her suitcase still packed and her car missing.

    "The only things she took with her were her purse, her phone and her two oxygen tanks. So we could think that maybe she decided she didn't want to take the plane and she's driving right now," Jorgensen.

    Adding to the mystery, police said Koch sent a text message to a relative that said "look at Stevens Pass." Since then, sheriff's deputies from three counties and volunteers searched the mountains by foot and helicopter where the message was sent, but found nothing.

    Volunteers are planning to pass out fliers about Koch along U.S. 2 between Everett and Leavenworth, said reporter Gary Horcher.

    "She's constantly in contact with people, so that's why this is so strange to us, because she doesn't normally stop communicating," said Jorgensen.

    Koch taught at area schools for 20 years and was active in her church and a helped out at a food bank.

    Koch's car, a white 2005 Toyota Corolla with license No. 971VOL, is also missing.

    Authorities ask anyone who sees Koch or her car to call 911 or Lake Stevens police.

    The group search for Koch is meeting Tuesday at 7 a.m. at Northlake Middle School in Lake Stevens. From there, they'll drive to Leavenworth passing flyers out.
    http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_032909WAB-lake-stevens-missing-woman-SW.82eac165.html
    Lake Stevens teacher still missing

    07:14 PM PDT on Monday, March 30, 2009

    By ERIC SCHUDISKE / KING 5 News

    LAKE STEVENS, Wash. - The Lake Stevens Police Department is asking for the public's help in finding a woman who hasn't been seen since Thursday afternoon.

    Connie Koch has been a teacher in the Lake Stevens School District since the mid-1980s, most recently at Northlake Middle School.

    On Thursday she was supposed to fly to Texas for treatment of a hypersensitivity to chemical smells. A family member stopped by. She was gone, but her baggage and her medication was still at home.

    Koch sent a text message from Stevens Pass on Thursday saying "look at Stevens Pass."

    The search is now focused there.

    "She could have driven up there to think, and she could still be up there, just frozen with fear, " said her son, Tim Jorgensen.

    Jorgensen believes his mother may have tried to drive herself to medical treatment in Texas, instead of flying. He says she was extremely nervous about concentrated smells on the flight.

    Connie's daughter, Hope Struck, believes her mother's medical condition caused her to tape vents shut and seal shelves with aluminum foil to block odor in her home.

    "It was definitely affecting the way that she was able to function and think, so we're worried that she's confused and disoriented," she said.

    Connie is described by her family as loved by her school and church communities. Now the family has turned to the media and the Internet for help in finding her.

    Her daughter Hope is pregnant.

    "I really would like her to come be a grandma," she said.

    Koch is described as white, 5-foot-4 and about 130 pounds, with blue eyes and blond hair. Her vehicle, a white, 2005 Toyota Corolla with the Washington state license plate 971VOL, is also missing.

    If you have any information, you are asked to call 911 or the Lake Stevens Police Department at 425-335-9537.
    Connie, I hope you're found safe soon!
    A nap is only nice when it's a luxury, not a necessity.


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    Senior Member Hayalet's Avatar
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    Re: Connie Koch - missing from Lake Stevens, WA since 3/26/09

    Questions linger after woman's car found

    Story Published: Apr 19, 2009 at 5:38 PM PDT
    Story Updated: Apr 19, 2009 at 5:49 PM PDT
    By Ray Lane

    STEVENS PASS, Wash. - The discovery of a missing Lake Stevens Woman's car off a winding mountain highway hasn't solved all of the mysteries surrounding her disappearance.

    The car, spotted by a state Transportation Department worker Saturday, has now been pulled up the embankment where it was found, half-buried in snow off Highway 2 at Stevens Pass.

    But perhaps no one will ever know exactly how and why her car went off the highway.

    The crumpled metal and shattered glass of the 2005 Toyota Corolla is a heartbreaker for the family and friends of 62-year old Connie Koch, who vanished nearly a month ago.

    The Washington State Patrol confirms it is her car, but the Medical Examiner's office will have to confirm the identity of the body found inside.

    In the meantime, everyone appears to believe it's her.

    In a statement to KOMO News, her family says she "is with God now."

    "Connie was a wonderful mother and a very dear friend to many," said the family's statement. "We loved her laugh, her can-do attitude, her knowledge, and we feel lucky to have participated in some of her adventures with her."

    Koch vanished March 26, the same day she was supposed to leave on a plane for Texas to receive specialized medical treatment there. She left behind her luggage, her airline ticket, her medication and an oxygen canister she needed. But her car and her cell phone were gone.

    In the days and weeks that followed, there were constant prayers at her church and plenty of worry at North Lake Middle School where she was a science teacher.

    Lake Stevens Police were planning for an aerial search in the coming days. But Saturday's discovery has made that unnecessary.

    Trooper Brandon Lee of the Washington State Patrol says a DOT worker spotted the car.

    "The crews were doing some avalanche control, and they were waiting on some explosives," Lee says. "One of the DOT workers happened to see this vehicle down this embankment."

    But the mystery lingers about her disappearance.

    Police say her phone was able to receive a text message not long after Koch vanished.

    And her sister also received a text message from Connie Koch's cell phone after she disappeared that said simply, "Look at Stevens Pass." Detectives determined that the text message originated from the Stevens Pass area.

    After that - they heard nothing more from her.

    In the days after Koch's disappearance, the snow was thick at Stevens Pass, and storms kept pushing through, drastically reducing visibility.

    Koch's family also says she was feeling very isolated and lonely the past several months.

    She suffered from an unusual hypersensitivity to chemical smells that was taking its toll, and she was supposed to fly to a clinic in Dallas for treatment.

    So many questions and so much confusion about Connie Koch's death - and it might never be fully known exactly how and why her car went off the highway.

    http://www.komonews.com/news/43256462.html


    Body ID'd as missing Lake Stevens woman

    The King County Medical Examiner's Office has confirmed the identity of a body found in a car near Stevens Pass as that of Constance M. Koch. The 62-year-old Lake Stevens woman had been missing since March 26.

    According to the Washington State Patrol, Koch's body was found in her car on Saturday about two miles west of Stevens Pass.

    Koch's white Toyota Corolla was spotted by a state Department of Transportation (DOT) snowplow operator about 3:30 p.m. The car had plunged about 150 feet over an embankment along westbound Highway 2 about two miles west of the summit.

    Koch was reported missing by her family, who said she was supposed to fly to Dallas for medical treatment when she disappeared. The family said a text message was sent from her phone that said "Look at Stevens Pass."

    Koch's family said she suffered from a hypersensitivity to chemical smells. Her packed bags were found in her home, as well as her airplane tickets and medication, but her car and cellphone were gone. Koch was afraid to fly, and her children said they thought she might have tried to drive to Texas.

    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...omanid20m.html

    R.I.P Connie

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    Re: Connie Koch - missing from Lake Stevens, WA since 3/26/09

    I'm curious to know if she was any condition to text after the accident. Could she have sent a text to try to get help?

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    Senior Member sdhoney's Avatar
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    Re: Connie Koch - missing from Lake Stevens, WA since 3/26/09

    [quote author=gingernicole link=topic=19266.msg1543555#msg1543555 date=1266751310]
    I'm curious to know if she was any condition to text after the accident. Could she have sent a text to try to get help?
    [/quote]

    Sounds like suicide to me.

    RIP Connie

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    Re: Connie Koch - missing from Lake Stevens, WA since 3/26/09

    I know this is old, but I just came across it today and it really got to me.

    Popular Lake Stevens teacher mourned after her body is found
    Connie Koch was missing for three weeks until she was found dead in her car near Stevens Pass

    By Eric Stevick
    Herald Writer
    LAKE STEVENS -- Connie Koch was always looking for a new way to get her students excited about science.

    When the post-grunge band The Presidents of the United States of America came out with the song "Volcano," she figured that belonged in her curriculum.

    She would record and share snippets from PBS science host Bill Nye the Science Guy. And a year from retirement, she continued to create new lessons to make science resonate with her students.

    "She was like a girl in the candy shop and the kids were right there with her," said Gary Taber, principal at North Lake Middle School in Lake Stevens.

    Monday was a tough time for staff and students at the school as they came to grips with the reality that the well-liked science teacher died after her car went off an embankment near Stevens Pass on March 26. She had been missing for more than three weeks when her car was spotted Saturday.

    A few students left class Monday to meet with counselors and many signed a poster that will be given to her family, said Arlene Hulten, a Lake Stevens School District spokeswoman.

    The King County medical examiner reported Monday that Koch died March 26. She was 62. Determination about the cause and manner of death are pending.

    In 20 years with the Lake Stevens School District, Koch taught fifth grade at Mount Pilchuck and Hillcrest elementaries and taught at Lake Stevens and North Lake middle schools.

    "I mean this in the nicest way: she was an old school teacher," Taber said. "She demanded a lot of her kids and always demanded a lot of herself to support them.

    "If I needed a pick up, her room was the place to go," the principal added. "She was so positive and full of life and energy and the kids were right there with her."

    Koch was full of ideas that she shared with colleagues and was a mentor for young teachers.

    Tim Jorgensen said his mother loved teaching and helping children learn.

    "It was her life," he said. "It was what she spent a majority of her time on. That's my mom. She was always going to come up with something new."

    Cindy Fauchald was Koch's neighbor; her son, Zach, was in one of her classes.

    Fauchald always admired Koch's garden, where dahlias bloomed and dandelions didn't stand a chance.

    "She kept the kids engaged and she kept me on my toes," Fauchald said.

    State transportation crews working on westbound U.S. 2 on Saturday afternoon noticed Koch's car surrounded by snow, 150 feet below the road at mile marker 63, according to Washington State Patrol reports.

    On March 26, the day she went missing, Koch sent a text message to a relative in California -- "Look at Stevens Pass."

    She was last seen about 5 p.m. that day buying a sandwich at a deli in Skykomish.

    Rescue crews and dozens of friends searched the area in the days that followed. Heavy snowfall and not knowing where exactly to look made it difficult for rescuers, police said.

    Koch had been on medical leave from her job with the Lake Stevens School District since January. She had airline reservations and packed luggage and was preparing to fly to Texas the next day to get medical treatment for a condition that made her extremely sensitive to smells.

    Lake Stevens officials reached out to police around the region to help look for Koch. They monitored local airports and checked for activity on her cell phone and credit card.

    Jorgensen said Koch's family appreciates the outpouring of help that followed her disappearance.

    In a statement released Monday, the family said: "The response to her disappearance and this tragic turn of events has been overwhelming. She was loved by her community and touched many people in her life as a teacher, a parishioner and, most of all, a friend."

    No memorial service had been set as of Monday.

    Koch's family set up a Web site at http://findconniemarie.blogspot.com to keep the community updated.


    She seemed like an awesome teacher and person. RIP Connie.
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    Re: Connie Koch - missing from Lake Stevens, WA since 3/26/09

    [quote author=sdhoney link=topic=19266.msg1562049#msg1562049 date=1268425381]
    Sounds like suicide to me.

    RIP Connie
    [/quote]

    I have to agree.  Sounds like she sent the text before deliberately going off the embankment, so they would know where to look.  Does not make sense that she would text that particular message after being severely injured. 

    This is heartbreaking.  So sad that a woman that by all accounts sounded extremely loving had to suffer with a condition that stole her hope from her.  RIP Connie.

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    Senior Member sdhoney's Avatar
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    Re: Connie Koch - missing from Lake Stevens, WA since 3/26/09

    [quote author=mysticgirl5 link=topic=19266.msg1697655#msg1697655 date=1282123200]
    I have to agree.  Sounds like she sent the text before deliberately going off the embankment, so they would know where to look.  Does not make sense that she would text that particular message after being severely injured. 
    RIP Connie.
    [/quote]

    Exactly as I saw it too. She told them where to find her. Ugh - so sad.

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