CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, Bullhead City, hiking wearing bikini in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019

[mrstfs]

I wonder if they were anywhere near the lava tubes or the hidden hills mines?
Ok, I’m guessing not now that I look again.
Thanks in advance to dbdb11 for verifying the exact location if possible.

 

[iscaremyself]

assuming everything said is true..it would explain the husband's theory.
Once you've eliminated the logical what remains is the truth no matter how unlikely.
She's not there therefore she was taken.

 

[Herat]

She's not there therefore she was taken.

So the question is, by whom?

Do we have information on a last sighting of her from anyone other than the husband?

 

[iscaremyself]

i was hiking one summer in death valley, left my truck on the hwy and headed out.
I was weaving through the scrub, thinking, sight seeing when luckily I happened to be looking forward. A mine shaft blocked by brush appeared right in front of me, it went straight down like a well. I thanked whatever power there is to let me see it in time. I mention this story because if I had fallen in i don't think I would have been found, even with my truck relatively nearby.

 

[iscaremyself]

So the question is, by whom?

Do we have information on a last sighting of her from anyone other than the husband?

hi herat..I was explaining the rational for the husband's theory in that post, in my view anyway.
I think she could still be there.

 

[Tripod]

I feel so helpless and can't think of anything to add, or a question to ask, in order to help find Barb. This feels different, to me, than the S. Powell situation. Even with the similarities that do exist. My current gut feeling is that she did not become disoriented, then lost. I can't rule out a medical event that could possibly cause that to happen, but if so, I'd think she'd have been found by now. Keeping Barbara and her family in my heart.

 

[oviedo]

Hunting for updates this morning but am not finding much

69-year-old bikini-clad woman missing in Mojave Desert – San Bernardino Sun

 

[zecats]

Hunting for updates this morning but am not finding much

69-year-old bikini-clad woman missing in Mojave Desert – San Bernardino Sun

I was searching also. Most of the same articles just repeating the same information. And most are still stating 20 miles north of I40, when the family member here has revised to more like 9 miles. (Hidden Hills area off Kelbaker Road.)

I did find some hiking a bit north of there in the dunes, called Kelso Dunes Trail. But it seems more likely they were just walking in the area, not specifically on a trail, maybe exploring a little and taking pictures.

Google Maps

This is a difficult case to figure out and even more difficult to think about. Her being lost in the heat for so long is heartbreaking. It's a bit like Paul Miller, who went missing last July in Joshua Tree NP and the search began for him within hours. Still no trace.

 

[BlkMtnGirl]

Barbara's husband is interviewed.

Woman missing from Mojave Desert, husband believes she was taken

Barbara's husband is genuinely upset that she is gone. That's more than we can say for a lot of these types of interviews. He loves her. His assertion that she was abducted is throwing me off, though.

I wonder how long it was before he reported her missing? My husband is a bit of a wanderer. I'd be ticked off if he didn't show up after an hour, but I wouldn't report him missing until probably four hours had passed.

 

[BlkMtnGirl]

[EDITED: Sorry y'all. I'm going to leave this post here in case it's not completely crazy, but I just realized how absurd it might be for a mountain lion to take a grown woman. I've been reading about this possibility in Jaryd Atadero's case, but he is a child.]

Just had a thought. I know nothing about the desert, but aren't there mountain lions out there? Unfortunately, if so, that would probably be my #1 guess as to what happened to Barbara, and would be something along the lines of what her husband is thinking (abduction). I have read that they can carry off large prey with no trace whatsoever. I sure hope I'm wrong and she shows up unharmed today.

 

[j_in_c]

Just had a thought. I know nothing about the desert, but aren't there mountain lions out there? Unfortunately, if so, that would probably be my #1 guess as to what happened to Barbara, and would be something along the lines of what her husband is thinking (abduction). I have read that they can carry off large prey with no trace whatsoever. I sure hope I'm wrong and she shows up unharmed today.

There are definitely mountain lions in this area but I believe there would be some trace or sign of an attack. Also at 5'8 she would not be likely prey, but it is a possibility. Just going on statistics, mountain lion attack is pretty rare, possibly even rarer than abduction.

I wonder if there is any other evidence that hasn't been made public that leads the husband to believe in a possible abduction. A strange interaction at nearby gas station or with another camper in the area? Not knowing exactly how far behind he was and what his line of sight was, did he maybe see a vehicle leaving in the distance? With what has been shared, I don't find the husband suspicious at all and he seems genuinely distraught.

 

[Tealgrove]

This is so bizarre.

I can't stop thinking about Barbara. LE isn't saying a lot.

So 4 thoughts....

1. Abduction?
2. Could she have taken an opportunity to just leave on her own?
3. When was the last time anyone, other than husband, saw or spoke to Barbara?
4. Misadventure, disorientation?

If she was abducted, I would think that he beer can (container) would have been found somewhere near the road. I don't think the beer can has been found. If I'm wrong please correct me. It could be possible. Anything is possible.

If she chose to take an opportunity to just leave, I don't think she'd walk away wearing a bikini. That makes no sense to me. Unless, there was an argument/fight and she just walked off. That's possible too.

Misadventure, accident, disorientation, etc., I would think they would have found her by now. It's like poof, she's there and then the next minute she's not. I guess it's possible - anything is possible. I wonder if Barbara had any health issues that we don't know about.

Was something not right in Barbara's life? Have we heard from any friends/and or other family (other than poster who has been giving us information)? What do her friends have to say? Other than her husband, who saw and/or spoke to her last? Was she upset about something?

I am befuddled. SMH

 

[ClaireNC]

Theory/speculation. Could her disappearance be related to gambling? Her husband seems to think she might have been taken to Vegas. They used to live in Henderson, NV. Do they owe someone money?

 

[mrstfs]

I’m feeling the same as others on here, helpless but can’t stop thinking about Barbara. I don’t know what to even sleuth. I tried looking for all Instagram posts in that area, by any user account but don’t see anything that raises any flags. I found one post from a UK tourist who recently posted a photo of a random camper in the middle of the desert but I can’t tell the specific location.

Do we have a timeline of that day? Do we know what their final destination was? Etc....

edited to clean up grammar

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 16, 2019
Woman Goes Missing Without Supplies in Mojave Desert Amid High Temperatures
[...]

Thomas’ husband told KTNV that they took their trailer to the desert for the weekend. They were close to the RV when Robert stopped to take a picture.

“By the time I took the picture she was continuing on because she wanted to get to the RV,” he said. “And she rounded the corner and I lost sight of her.”

He suspects something happened when she crossed a highway. “My feeling is that she was picked up because she had to cross a highway. She was wearing a bikini and she had a beer in her hand.”

He said she may be in the Las Vegas area.

[...]

 

[GordianKnot]

[

assuming everything said is true..it would explain the husband's theory.
Once you've eliminated the logical what remains is the truth no matter how unlikely.
She's not there therefore she was taken.

BBM:

I'm not making that assumption here.

More importantly, I doubt LE is, either.

It's hard to envision that BT could lose sight of her just stopping to take a picture.
How long did he stop to take the picture?
I'm hoping LE reviewed the photos he took, i.e., timestamps and locations, to verify that part of his account.

The husband's oddly specific statement that he thinks BT was picked up and taken to the Vegas area is perplexing.

Is there some reason Vegas is being baked into his stated theory?

It looks like Vegas is a couple of hours away from where she went missing, is that about right?

My main man William of Occam is not quite ready to head off to Vegas in search of BT just yet.

JMO.

 

[GraceG]

While this was in the afternoon, any thoughts on a hit and run if she did cross the highway?

Hit and runs normally don't pick up the deceased person and haul it away. If she'd

There are definitely mountain lions in this area but I believe there would be some trace or sign of an attack. Also at 5'8 she would not be likely prey, but it is a possibility. Just going on statistics, mountain lion attack is pretty rare, possibly even rarer than abduction.

I wonder if there is any other evidence that hasn't been made public that leads the husband to believe in a possible abduction. A strange interaction at nearby gas station or with another camper in the area? Not knowing exactly how far behind he was and what his line of sight was, did he maybe see a vehicle leaving in the distance? With what has been shared, I don't find the husband suspicious at all and he seems genuinely distraught.

My family has a cabin up in the Sierras in California. Mountain lions are common up there. They hunt between dusk and dawn. We have NEVER seen one out during the middle of the afternoon and especially when it's hot out. Barbara went missing mid-afternoon when it was 115 F. out. Very unlikely it was a mountain lion

 

[K9Enzo]

@GraceG Agreed. I don't at all believe if there was a hit and run the person stopped and removed the body.

My thought (although unlikely) that if it was a hit and run, her body has just not been located yet because it was thrown from impact. The body would not necessarily be left in the road and visible.

 

[MuddyTires]

Sorry if I missed this but what road was the trailer by? What road would she have crossed? They were 20 miles from I-40 so not I-40 right? If he thinks Las Vegas was it I-15 or US 95?

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

i was hiking one summer in death valley, left my truck on the hwy and headed out.
I was weaving through the scrub, thinking, sight seeing when luckily I happened to be looking forward. A mine shaft blocked by brush appeared right in front of me, it went straight down like a well. I thanked whatever power there is to let me see it in time. I mention this story because if I had fallen in i don't think I would have been found, even with my truck relatively nearby.

Oh now that could have ended so badly - glad you saw the mine shaft in time!

Count me in as another wimp who suffers in the heat. We drove thru Death Valley years ago, it was miserably hot, around 110 degrees and I sweat now just thinking about it. The heat rejuvenates some people....it just exhausts & zaps my energy.....makes me feel like I am melting into a disgusting blob of sweat!