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

[PommyMommy]

There’s hidden hills mines but I honestly don’t know enough about mines to know if that’s considered a mine shaft.

Hidden Hills is the one I was interested in since the Nixle Alert says she was last seen in the area of Kelbaker / Hidden Hills, but the mine looks to be about 5 miles from Kelbaker Road. Google Maps

I thought this was the closest mine but I haven't looked at all of them from Zecat's list. Both the Bonanza King Mine and the Gold Hammer Mine, although in the Mojave, don't seem to be the right area. MOO

 

[wary]

Question - depending on how you look at his statement, I can see two different meanings.

Hubby said when he got back to trailer and lifted the rock up and saw the key was still there, he knew there was trouble. Not verbatim.

At first read, this statement makes absolute sense, nothing wrong with it.

After going back over all that we have been told, why would he go to get the key if Barbara returned ahead of him? She should have already gotten the key and been in the trailer!

Was Barbara even in the area?

Remember how we criticize people for giving overly detailed accounts of things?

So, maybe he got back to the trailer and tried to open the door. Locked. Then he beat on the door and yelled, “Hey Barb, let me in, it’s hot out here.” No answer. Then he got worried, went over and lifted the rock, saw the key and realized with shock that she hadn’t gotten home. The last incident is the one that matters, so that’s the one he tells. (As I said—if he told everything he did, there’d be people here saying that that’s proof that he’s lying.)

MOO

 

[iscaremyself]

I read somewhere (can't find it now) that when the husband searched for an hour before calling for help he went and checked a cave or mine they both knew about. Anyone else read that? Anyway Hidden Hills Mine is right in the search area..a google photo search shows old equipment not a mine opening.

 

[PommyMommy]

I read somewhere (can't find it now) that when the husband searched for an hour before calling for help he went and checked a cave or mine they both knew about. Anyone else read that? Anyway Hidden Hills Mine is right in the search area..a google photo search shows old equipment not a mine opening.

We were told about the cave by @dbdb11. See BBM in the post below.

ETA: I don't see anything about how long RT searched.

Thank you to everyone on here hoping, helping and sharing info.

I am Barbara's nephew, and though i don't have much to add to what you guys have gathered i can share that Barb and Robbie were regular and avid campers. besides the rv they also regularly camp on their day boat on the Colorado river. They are both outdoorsy people, and regularly traversed the desert. she collected rocks for their rock garden and was fond of gnarly wood pieces. they both also liked bottle hunting and finding leftover prospector knickknacks, flints etc. lots of interesting items they'd found and collected from their desert walks...

i went on the river with them once, and they also took our family out in the desert when we were kids, maybe fifteen years back. I can confirm they're from Bullhead, though they often spend summers in Canada, where I believe Robbie's family live. They were all about the desert, and I'm not sure they would have even been in an actual campground or official campsite. They spent time outdoors like that all the time. And bikini, beer and hiking boots is accurate. That's her style.

I'm shocked Robbie would have let her get ahead of him, but just indicates to me how well they both must have known the area. I heard from my father (Barbara's brother) that after failing to find her at the RV Rob began searching the area, including a nearby cave they both knew about, incase she'd gone there to escape the heat. So this is a place they camped and explored regularly... All my info is coming second and even third hand, or from the same news sources you guys are seeing. I've actually just learned about this today, as I'm travelling at the moment.

My father's health is failing and Barbara was literally flying to visit us in Hong Kong next week. I'm not sure if this is relevant, but understandably my father was not immediately notified of the severity of the situation, as his own situation is dire. When Robbie finally contacted my family in HK to share this devastating news, my father's wife and my sister report the story he told was almost unbelievable. Robbie also reported he'd been detained for most of a day as a suspect.

Just last week I received voice messages from Barb concerning my father's condition and whether or not she should push her trip forward. I've had trouble contacting her, but this was no surprise to us as her and Robbie are often comfortably beyond cellphone service. I am not the most easy to reach either, so our calls kept missing...

I am grateful this community has jumped on this, and frankly am still in shock. Feeling a bit helpless and can only hope and pray.

I've not been a very active part of Barb or Robbies lives these past decades, or I would have more details to share, but I can say these two were no strangers to the rocky hills around Arizona/Nevada. They were seasoned enough to feel casual in the hills and the heat, and the news reports I've read aren't making it sound that way.

Thank you all again for your concern and your efforts to dig into this.

 

[Curiousobserver]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed> how can you not see a person 5 miles away in the desert? Sheryl Powell was in similar very open terrain and only 2.5 miles from where she was last seen and it took 4 days to find her. Helicopters, drones, dogs, ATV's dozens of searchers.... It doesn't make sense to me but it seems to repeat again and again. It must be much more difficult than I realize to spot a lost person.

 

[ClaireNC]

I'm looking further north on the other side of the road (closer to Hidden Hills Rd) but there's really no telling. I was surprised to learn that you can take yellow man down on Kelbaker Rd.

Jeepers, creepers, they must really love the desert. If so, I understand but personally, I can't imagine hiking anywhere out there in that kind of heat. MOO

I’ve been looking at this campsite on Hidden Hills Rd. There is a camping website that has pictures of the campsite. This one is about 1/2 mile in from Kelbaker Rd and is large enough to accommodate their camper. There are other smaller sites further down Hidden Hill Rd as well. The only thing is...this doesn’t explain the “she crossed the highway” statement, since Hidden Hill is a dirt road.


Google Maps

 

[PommyMommy]

I’ve been looking at this campsite on Hidden Hills Rd. There is a camping website that has pictures of the campsite. This one is about 1/2 mile in from Kelbaker Rd and is large enough to accommodate their camper. There are other smaller sites further down Hidden Hill Rd as well. The only thing is...this doesn’t explain the “she crossed the highway” statement, since Hidden Hill is a dirt road.

Google Maps

Hmmm, that's an interesting little spot with a "bend" not too far away too. But, as you say, no highway. This is one of those cases where every time I think I'm getting somewhere, there's a piece that doesn't fit.

I've given up on mines and have moved on to caves. I'm seeing Mitchell Caverns and Winding Stair Cave on pg 8 here: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3376/sim3376_pamphlet.pdf

It doesn't make sense to me that she would go to either one or that RT would look for her at either location. We need better information. Badly. MOO

 

[GordianKnot]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed>

Have searchers found any signs of her even having been out there anywhere, e.g., boot prints, dogs picking up her scent, human waste, etc.?

Anything at all?

JMO.

 

[CPL593H]

I always wonder this myself- how can you not see a person 5 miles away in the desert? Sheryl Powell was in similar very open terrain and only 2.5 miles from where she was last seen and it took 4 days to find her. Helicopters, drones, dogs, ATV's dozens of searchers.... It doesn't make sense to me but it seems to repeat again and again. It must be much more difficult than I realize to spot a lost person.

It might look like open terrain on Google Maps, but it's not as open as you think. Yes, there's not a forest, but there are a lot of little hills that obscure view, as well as large boulders. It doesn't take much rise in the land to obscure the view of a person 5-6' tall. And even creosote bush, sparse as it is, can be large enough to obscure a person who might have sat down under it for a little bit of shade. Based on what I've heard and what I know of the area, I'm assuming that they were likely camped west of Granite Pass, and there are so many boulders and overhangs that if a person went for some shade, you wouldn't see them from an aerial view either.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 17, 2019
Search continues for 69-year-old bikini-clad hiker missing in California’s Mojave Desert
Rescue crews in Southern California are on their fourth day of searching for a 69-year-old hiker who went missing in the Mojave Desert amid soaring temperatures.

San Bernardino County authorities say Tuesday there have been no sightings of Bullhead City, Arizona, resident Barbara Thomas, who went hiking with her husband Robert on Friday. The two got separated around 2:30 p.m. in the Hidden Hill area, east of Kelbaker road and north of Interstate 40.

[...]

69-year-old woman missing after hiking in California's Mojave Desert with her husband
[...]

The two had nearly reached their vehicle when Robert stopped to take a photo and she continued on ahead in the area of Kelbaker/Hidden Hills near Interstate 40, he told ABC Las Vegas affiliate station KTNV.

[...]

The sheriff’s department has scoured the area daily since she was reported missing and had been out Wednesday morning "since the sun came up," a spokeswoman said.

[...]

A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department told ABC News there is no evidence at this time suggesting foul play.

[...]

 

[iscaremyself]

I’ve been looking at this campsite on Hidden Hills Rd. There is a camping website that has pictures of the campsite. This one is about 1/2 mile in from Kelbaker Rd and is large enough to accommodate their camper. There are other smaller sites further down Hidden Hill Rd as well. The only thing is...this doesn’t explain the “she crossed the highway” statement, since Hidden Hill is a dirt road.


Google Maps

if they parked west side of kelbaker and hiked east towards the mine. That would explain "crossed the hwy" to get to the camper. imo

 

[ClaireNC]

Hmmm, that's an interesting little spot with a "bend" not too far away too. But, as you say, no highway. This is one of those cases where every time I think I'm getting somewhere, there's a piece that doesn't fit.

I've given up on mines and have moved on to caves. I'm seeing Mitchell Caverns and Winding Stair Cave on pg 8 here: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3376/sim3376_pamphlet.pdf

It doesn't make sense to me that she would go to either one or that RT would look for her at either location. We need better information. Badly. MOO

I’m searching designated free campsites on or near Kelbaker. I think I came across one yesterday that had images of a cave. Let me see if I can find it.

Edit to add: Google Maps

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 17, 2019
Search for bikini-clad woman in Mojave Desert expands with off-road vehicles
Nearly 20 people were desperately scouring the Mojave Desert in California on Wednesday for any sign of a 69-year-old bikini-clad Arizona woman who reportedly vanished Friday while hiking with her husband, and who still may be stranded while sweltering, triple-digit temperatures baked the region.

[...]

"Off-road vehicles are being utilized to allow searchers to cover additional area," the sheriff's office said.

[...]

Search and rescue members, including sheriff's deputies, K9's, park rangers, and a helicopter have been deployed in the Mojave Desert as part of the team looking for Thomas.

[...]

The National Weather Service warns heat is the top weather-related killer in the U.S. Besides limited time outdoors and dressing appropriately, people can practice heat safety by staying hydrated, limiting strenuous activities and finding shade.

[...]

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN REMINDER

Please stick to discussing Barbara's case and refrain from off topic / personal anecdotes. While one or the occasional OT post may seem harmless, the numerous responses tend to derail the thread and then we have to remove them all.

Thanks.

 

[CPL593H]

A few more thoughts based on personal experiences:

Some of you are questioning the husband "taking a photo" and how long that might take. I like to take photos, my partner does not. When I say, "I want to stop and take a photo," he rolls his eyes and keeps walking, because he knows that doesn't mean 1 photo, it will likely be several until I feel I've gotten the shot I want of the thing I wanted to take a photo of. And taking photos definitely pulls your attention out of the surrounding world. I've definitely stopped to take photos, while he kept walking, and by the time I'm done he's wayyyy down the trail ahead of me.

I was also reminded of a time I lost my partner for like 20 minutes in Mojave National Preserve, not that far from here on Black Canyon Rd. We had pulled over to check out a pretty cactus growing out of a rock that I wanted to photograph. My partner was walking west, towards a little rise in the land, and I went behind a rock to use the bathroom. It couldn't have been more than a minute, but when I came out he was gone. I walked up towards the rise and assumed that when I got a little higher I would see him out to the west somewhere, but when I got there it was just empty sagebrush stretching as far as I could see. I panicked -- how could he have gotten so far out of view in so short a time? I started calling his name, walked back to the car to see if he was there, nothing. Walked back to the rise, nothing. I kept pacing around, trying to think of what I would do (no cell service in most of the preserve, very seldom traffic on the road). My mind was racing to all these stories I read about people disappearing. It was only March, so the weather was nice, but he didn't have anything on him, no water, no phone, as we had just meant to go on a short walk. And he has a terrible sense of direction, so I wasn't sure he would be able to find his way back to the car if he got lost.

About that time, I happened to look south and noticed a figure in the far distance moving towards me. It was him. Apparently, he had noticed a cool looking rock formation about a quarter mile south of us and decided to check it out. He assumed I would figure out that that's where he had gone, but because I had seen him walking in a different direction first, I didn't even think to look or explore south. I directed my attention to the way I assumed he had gone, but if I hadn't, I might have seen him walking south at the beginning.

I can imagine a similar scenario here: husband continues on his path after taking photos, assuming his wife would have followed the same way back to their camper. He gets there, finds she's not there, and starts searching along the way he assumes she would have gone. But what if she saw something cool in another direction that she wanted to check out? Distances in the desert can be deceiving -- things can look closer than they are. Maybe she went in another direction towards a cool rock formation and got lost trying to find her way back. Maybe something else happened -- heat stroke, medical emergency of some kind -- that incapacitated her and left her outside of the area he expected her to be in. I understand why he wants to think it was an abduction, as at this point that would be the scenario in which she would most likely still be alive. But honestly, and sadly, I think it's more likely she got lost or incapacitated and is in the shade of a boulder somewhere nearby.

 

[oksooner]

Here are some things that stick out to me.
1) In that type of heat, a beer goes bad/warm in less than 5 minutes. With a koozie 10 minutes.
2) I think abduction or animal attack is highly unlikely. Not to mention either of these scenarios would result in screams and according to hubby they were only minutes apart.
3) They had just arrived according to the timeline, so I hope this was not a planned cover-up by hubby where she was never even on the trip
4) I think the most likely scenarios are that she fell in a mineshaft; she was never even on the trip (killed elsewhere OR planned disappearance by the two of them); or the hubby killed/disposed of her in a mineshaft or some other hiding place out there

MOO

 

[mxprincess399]

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?

I think they refering to Kelbaker Rd as the highway.

Question - depending on how you look at his statement, I can see two different meanings.

Hubby said when he got back to trailer and lifted the rock up and saw the key was still there, he knew there was trouble. Not verbatim.

At first read, this statement makes absolute sense, nothing wrong with it.

After going back over all that we have been told, why would he go to get the key if Barbara returned ahead of him? She should have already gotten the key and been in the trailer!

Was Barbara even in the area?

Good catch!

I read somewhere (can't find it now) that when the husband searched for an hour before calling for help he went and checked a cave or mine they both knew about. Anyone else read that? Anyway Hidden Hills Mine is right in the search area..a google photo search shows old equipment not a mine opening.

I do remeber hearing that he checked a cave too.

 

[Crime Keleesi]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed> how can you not see a person 5 miles away in the desert? Sheryl Powell was in similar very open terrain and only 2.5 miles from where she was last seen and it took 4 days to find her. Helicopters, drones, dogs, ATV's dozens of searchers.... It doesn't make sense to me but it seems to repeat again and again. It must be much more difficult than I realize to spot a lost person.

It's difficult when the lost person keeps moving. The best thing would be for them to find a shelter of some sort and then stay put. I know that's not always possible, especially if you need to find water, but I think this is largely why it's so difficulty to find missing people who are still mobile.

 

[Crime Keleesi]

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.

I haven't had a chance to look at the terrain. If she had fallen from an injury or from collapsing due to some medical issue, could she have rolled downhill somewhere? From what I've read it sounds like it's all pretty flat out there.

 

[ClaireNC]

Here’s a another campsite in the area, though it’s on the West side of Kelbaker road and seems like the dirt road to get to it would be too rough for their truck/trailer. There are some great pictures here of the rock formations in the area. Google Maps