Police report still finding new leads in search for barista

Rumors that Koenig's body has been found are untrue, said police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker. The investigators hunting for Koenig and her apparent abductor are still operating under the assumption that she is alive, he said.

Parker said he'd fielded numerous calls in recent days about the rumors, which spread on Facebook.

"It was just false. Totally false."

Meantime, detectives are "just as busy as busy can be," he said Tuesday.

"I know they were looking for some additional people this morning. So they're widening the circle," Parker said. "They're making progress towards finding out who abducted her, but I can't give any specifics on that."

"(The detectives) may well have suspects or persons of interest, but they're not releasing that publicly," he said. "Obviously there are some things in an investigation that you have to keep close to your vest. And we're pretty good card players."

Police say an armed man walked up to Common Ground Espresso, at 630 E. Tudor Road, just before 8 p.m. Feb. 1. Surveillance video shows that he forced Koenig to leave with him on foot, headed west, police said. Cash was missing from the coffee stand, according to its owners. Police have refused to release the video.

Nobody has reported seeing Koenig since.

Her father, James Koenig, said he is now offering $60,000 for information that gets his daughter home safely. James has even offered to give his daughter's abductor the cash if the abductor or any accomplices release her.

But it's obvious now the abduction isn't and wasn't about money, James Koenig said.

"The reward is really moot at this point," he said. "Because if it was about money, I'd have her back by now. I could put a million dollars on that ... flier, and I don't think that would change a thing."

Still, James is keeping up hope and feeding information to the detectives, he said. He declined to elaborate.

"Every day, I think they're still getting good leads, and as far as what they're following up on or how good they are or how close they're getting, I don't know. I'm sure that's based on they don't want to get my hopes up ... It's just been a roller-coaster ride. I feel like I'm going to find her, then I don't find her come midnight, and then crash. The next day I'm just kind of in solitude and not real talkative."

James said his friends and family "help keep me sane and keep me out of that dark place I don't want to be in."

Parker, the police spokesman, said Anchorage residents shouldn't be fearful that neither Koenig nor her abductor have been found.

"We don't want people to react with fear. But everybody needs to pay attention to their personal safety," Parker said. "This is not television drama. This is real life and investigations take time. We'll do it in the most professional and expeditious manner possible."

"We don't know how long this one's going to take, but our commitment is to work the investigation until such time as there's no leads left," Parker said.

Information on how to donate to the reward fund or give anonymous tips to both the police and Koenig's family can be found online at a Facebook page dedicated to her safe return.

Reach Casey Grove at casey.grove@adn.com or 257-4589.