It’s been one week now since barista Samantha Koenig was abducted from the Common Grounds coffee shack (Anchorage, Alaska). Surveillance cameras, from several different angles, clearly captured her abduction, when in progress. It happened just before 8 PM last Wednesday, February 1st. Common Grounds closes at 8 PM. Police will not reveal the video to the public. Who took Samantha away?
Details in the video, known only to Samantha Koenig and the abductor, if made public, would give the perpetrator the upper hand, according to Lt. Michelle Butcher, who’s leading up the investigation (The News Tribune). What Lt. Butcher meant by this is unclear. We might assume that the kidnapper could make adjustments in his appearance, or something of this sort, but it seems as if he could do this anyway, whether the video remains secret or whether it is released to the general public.
All we are hearing is that this mysterious assailant was wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt of an undetermined color, and carried an undisclosed weapon. Assailants are always wearing these types of hoodies, so this gives us little to nothing. Another important aspect of the investigation, is whether Samantha may have known this man who led her away from this quaint, cozy-looking java stand. A great deal of fear is reported to have been on her face (from video footage).
There’s been some speculation as to the possibility that detectives can determine whether Samantha is familiar with this man, from how her face and eyes express themselves in the video. I sense they are leaning in the direction that she does know him. An Anchorage Police spokesman, Lt. Dave Parker theorized that Samantha must have come in contact with quite a few people, being exposed to the public as she was as an active barista.
This could be just a robbery, that escalated into abduction, since all the money was gone from the Common Grounds coffee shop. I believe, it wasn’t until Thursday morning that the fairly disheveled coffee stand was discovered to have money missing. The alarm hadn’t been set and a coffee drink remained on the counter, not yet completely prepared. It wasn’t until they reviewed the video, that they found out the startling news of Samantha’s abduction.
Apparently, Samantha had filed a protective order last November against a local rapper, Christopher Bird. Ms. Koenig failed to appear in court, out of trepidation, as a follow up to the filing. Samantha was fearful of this man for some reason, but that reason hasn’t been disclosed to us heretofore. The police, however, are veering away from considering Christopher Bird a suspect. He has an alibi, but hasn’t been totally cleared yet.
Samantha Koenig had only been working as a barista at Common Grounds for one month. The humble kiosk of a coffee stand rests at a busy intersection in Anchorage, but is somewhat isolated and off the main road. The other problem is that Samantha was working alone. I hear that Starbucks requires several baristas to be on duty at any one time. Lots of weirdoes frequent coffee stands (I’ve heard it said).
News coverage on Samantha’s unusual case is picking up. This will help to get her image and her story out to more people who may know something, even if it’s small. I just heard about Ms. Koenig’s abduction (and about the existence of the Common Grounds) last night. My opinion is she knew her abductor and robbery wasn’t the real motive. I believe this is the opinion of the police also. This is why the surveillance footage is being withheld.
