To say Steve Davis was a creative individual is a massive understatement. Not only did he play music and write songs, but he loved to make videos and one day dreamed of being a musician or even a Hollywood actor. Steve even dabbled in modeling for a while. His older sister was a backup musician for some very famous artists at the time. Unfortunately, Steve would never fulfill his creative goals because he would go missing on the weekend of Halloween 1989.
He left his job in downtown San Francisco that Friday afternoon telling his boss he had a great day. He stopped on the way home and grabbed a few groceries, and then ended up at his apartment in the Richmond District a short time later. He had some vague plans for the weekend, but no one was really sure where he was going.
His mother lived in Corte Madera, California. It was about a 30-minute bus ride away, and he may have had plans to stop by a childhood friend’s house along the way. His friend was named Steve as well. Steve Habernass. Habernass lived in Larkspur, not too far from his mother. He had a home recording studio, and Steve had recorded some music at his house. Steve told friends he was going to stop by and pick up his cassette tape. There were rumors that Habernass was having a Halloween party, and some people remembered Steve saying he was going to go, and others thought he was just going to pick up his tape and go on to his mom’s house. He never showed up at either place.
People started to worry when Steve’s boss called on Monday morning, saying that he had missed work. Steve never missed work. The family visited Steve’s apartment and found that it was in perfect condition. There were no signs of violence in the apartment whatsoever. They did find out that Steve had made it home after work. The receipt where he had bought some groceries was still sitting on the table. They also found the local newspaper sitting inside his apartment. So what happened? Did he open the door for the wrong person? Did he leave on his own accord and then meet foul play somewhere along the bus ride to his mom’s house? Did he ever get on the bus? We simply don’t have any answers.
Although the police did investigate Steve Davis’s disappearance, everyone was kind of hoping that he had run off and would return. When the days turned to weeks, to months, and then to years, that hope slowly faded away.
What happened to Steve Allen Davis?
Theories:
Angry Husband:
This 23-year-old man lived close to his family and kept in regular contact with them. He didn’t do drugs or alcohol. He wasn’t involved in gangs or violence. He didn’t live in what most people would call a dangerous lifestyle, but he was dating a married woman. Now, there is some contention within the family. Some people say they were just friends, and other people say they were dating. But either way, the girlfriend broke it off with Steve a week before her husband was to get out of jail. I contend that if they were just friends, she wouldn’t have anything to break off.
Needless to say, the husband was the first person the police investigated. But they come up with nothing, and they do not believe that he had anything to do with Steve’s disappearance.
A Friend’s Deadly Confession:
There was one more thing that made the police nervous. Steve told someone close to him that a friend of his had confided in him. This mysterious friend had confessed to murdering his wife. Steve never told who it was, and the police still to this day can’t figure out the identity of this mysterious friend. Most of Steve’s friends were in their early twenties and had never been married. So, who did Steve know who had been married and lost their wife? It’s another mystery surrounding this young musician.
Dumped in the Bay:
There is one more theory in this case. A local man named Larry Schwimmer was sitting at a bus stop not far from where Steve lived. Three armed men in a vehicle kidnapped Larry from the bus stop, tied him up, robbed him, and then threw him into the bay. Larry survived, and the story hit the newspapers. Steve’s father called Larry and talked to him for a good long while, hoping to find some kind of connection to his son. could this have been what happened to Steve? Again, we may never know.
Strange Conversations:
Some opportunities were missed at the beginning of this investigation because everyone was hoping Steve had just stepped away. And, there was a good reason for it. After Steve disappeared, conversations were remembered that seemed a little strange. His mother remembered having a conversation with Steve a few months earlier. Steve had asked her nonchalantly, “What would you do if I disappeared?”
His mother thought he was just having an emotional moment and tried to support him the best she could. She told him everyone felt like that every once in a while, and everything would be okay. The conversation turned the other topics, and it was immediately forgotten.
Shortly after Steve’s disappearance, a friend calls and talks to the investigators. He says that he remembers Steve asking him what it would take to get a new social security number. This may have been up to 2 years before he disappeared. Again, he wasn’t really sure when the conversation occurred. And again, at the time it didn’t seem all that serious of a conversation.
Was Steve trying to find a way to walk away from his life? If so, why? He didn’t have a contentious relationship with his family or friends. He had plenty of money and plenty of friends. He was chasing his dreams and fulfilling his goals. He seemed to be the least likely to run away. Was he actually in trouble? Was he fearful for his life? Did he know something bad was going to happen, so he was trying to outrun it? It’s been 36 years, and this poor family still has no answers.
Check out Synova’s Chasing Justice Episode About this Case: (New Videos Premiere Each Tuesday Night at 7pm Central)
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