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

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But she wasn't passed away that we know of - just missing? I can't think of a logical reason to not inform him IMO

And what if he wanted to come and help search?? My sons would get on a plane no matter where they were to find out what was going on and help in any way possible. Nothing would have kept them away.

It seems unfathomable to me that RT didn't contact him and it was the police that had to find out about him through looking at the phone. Surely RT would rather break the news directly rather than having LE do it. And Barb's son could have provided comfort to RT. Wouldn't they want to be together during this time?
 
their rig I would call hi-end.. probably carries an instant on generator to run AC and such.
And I wouldn't be bouncing that rig down a dirt road..just pulling over beside the highway seems logical to me.
True... they probably do have a generator. We also have a portable generator for ours, but even with that, you have to have fuel and set it up to run on the outside of the camper. It’s just hard to imagine doing that if you’re only going to just pull off for a 2 mile hike for pictures. But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t do exactly that! It’s just so confusing. Where could she be?
 
responding from cell, apologies for spelling.mistakes.

our family in hong kong spoke to her last week... wed i think it.was, and she mentioned.they were going.camping and might be out.of touch for a.few.days
Thank you so much for being here, Was her husband planning on going with her to Hong Kong to be with her brother?
 
I think by the time he was giving interviews, the son already knew as the police took his phone. We know that because the police got his number from looking at the phone contacts.

Obviously he was released from custody by then.

He can have time to do an interview a few days after she went missing and not have time to call anyone except authorities and some family members (and he did call family members.)

Why would you call extended family members but not her SON?

I think most people in that circumstance would call the children first, after contacting LE.
Throwing a flag on this play.

I'm now wondering what kind of relationship RT has with BT's son.
Sometimes, spouses view children from other marriages as competition for their wives/husbands' affection.
I'm not saying that's the case here, but the fact that RT did not contact BT's SON is odd.

JMO.
 
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hmmm i don’t have the sharpest memory but i’ll try to recount as best as i can - robbie and said he needs to talk to daddy and that barbara’s missing. it was a long story that started at the beginning on friday morning and progressed chronologically throughout the day. the impression robbie gave me was that she was wearing a red cap, a bikini and carrying a travel cup with beer in it. they lost sight of each other for 5-10 minutes before she “vanished” and he went back to their rv to see if she had returned but it was still locked so that meant she hadn’t come back yet (they had put the key under a rock which they both knew the location of). so he went back to check a shaded cave that they had found together earlier thinking she may have been taking a break from the heat but she wasn’t there either. he still wasn’t worried at this point because.. i don’t remember why he said he wasn’t yet worried. maybe because they both knew the area? or this was a regular thing? idk not sure but he continued searching for her on his own. by around noon time it was getting terribly hot so he started getting worried and called 911. police arrived like 2 hours later and searched for her. robbie said throughout the day they had sniff dogs, horses, hundreds of people and even a helicopter (which unfortunately couldn’t use its infrared function because it was too hot out to get any useful readings) and nobody could find any trace of her. searched throughout the night too. nothing. she had just disappeared. robbie admits “it doesn’t make any sense” that she just wandered off and got lost and there’s no evidence.. which is why he suspects she may have been picked up in a car. also because from the spot where she went missing she had to cross a highway in order to get back to where their rv was parked. also apparently she took a 360 picture that morning from on top of a hill and the photo included a parking lot with some vehicles in it so the police are looking into their license plates/info.

robbie said that he just wants barbara back and will press no charges against the person who abducted her so long as they return her. the call was delivered in a measured tone but he broke down a bit at this point, was tough to hear:( ..abc reached out? idk if it was abc but some mainstream news outlet and i definitely heard nancy grace mentioned. robbie’s done some interviews as he wants to get the word out. but he hasn’t seen or read any of the released news and comments. it’s too much

he said he keeps returning to the spot where he lost her and overturning rocks and searching and searching hoping to find something. he was there the day he called us although i think he said he shouldn’t really go back there as protocol says he’s the first suspect. he was even held for 5hrs in a cop car on the first day. it’s been nonstop and nobody is sleeping. robbie said he had held off on calling daddy to tell him the bad news because it was such devastating news and he was hoping she would turn up.. but he couldn’t wait any longer. he also said it’s difficult to call into china and said his calls rarely go through so if we want to ask any questions or talk more we should call him.
txt msg from my sister. wish i.asked.for this.earlier...
Thank you so much for this.
 
What is on the side of the road they parked on? Could she have crossed the road and went to explore on the other side and had an accident?

The mineshaft suggestion earlier on (I am sorry I don't remember who posted about it!) is ringing alarm bells in my ears. Its such a crazy thing to happen....yet we know it does occur.

I am sure they stopped for gas or at least a few supplies en route....has footage been pulled from the last place they were both known to be? Was she wearing her red hat and bikini top?

What types of shoes are with her gear and what type of gear did she pack? LE will be able to ascertain who zipped up and maybe packed her bag based on fingerprints and at least determine if she did it herself....maybe that will help focus the case either in or away from hubby's direction.

Where are you Barbara? Your family needs you home safe!

JMO
 
True... they probably do have a generator. We also have a portable generator for ours, but even with that, you have to have fuel and set it up to run on the outside of the camper. It’s just hard to imagine doing that if you’re only going to just pull off for a 2 mile hike for pictures. But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t do exactly that! It’s just so confusing. Where could she be?
Late, high end models like their rig would most likely have a built-in generator that would only require pushing a button on the inside of the rig to turn it on and off. It would use either propane or diesel. I had one similar. Use to use it for AC for my dogs when I was away from the rig for a short while and not at a campsite.
 
Why would you call extended family members but not her SON?

I think most people in that circumstance would call the children first, after contacting LE.

So, I'm now wondering what kind of relationship RT has with BT's son.
Sometimes, spouses view children from other marriages as competition for their wives/husbands' affection.
I'm not saying that's the case here, but the fact that RT did not contact BT's SON is a flag to me.

JMO.
I am troubled by this as well - even if there was not a loving step-parent relationship - the respect and love you have for your spouse would compel you to call their child wouldn't it? I get calling 911 right away - which he did. But his next call should have been to her son IMO. Why wasn't it? He had the time based on his story, right? So I am left wondering IMO
 
Perhaps he didn't have his contact info? (Just trying to think of a reason not to contact someone's son.)

jmo

True, but if he was calling other family members then wouldn't you have gotten the son's phone number from them? I'm sure most people in the family would agree that her son would like to know she's missing. Though perhaps he did and nobody in the entire family had his number. It's hard to say either way since we don't know what the family dynamic is like. JMO.
 
And what if he wanted to come and help search?? My sons would get on a plane no matter where they were to find out what was going on and help in any way possible. Nothing would have kept them away.

It seems unfathomable to me that RT didn't contact him and it was the police that had to find out about him through looking at the phone. Surely RT would rather break the news directly rather than having LE do it. And Barb's son could have provided comfort to RT. Wouldn't they want to be together during this time?

Unless they are SAR trained, all your sons would do on the trail is need to get rescued themselves when they get lost, get heat stroke, etc. Then SAR has even more work to do when they should be looking for you.

SAR requires training, serious training, even if you want to do just comms.

We don't have a firm timeline but if the cops arrive at the trailhead after he called police and the family he did contact, and they put him in a police car and took his phone to look at evidence such as photos. GPS data, etc. then yes they may have been able to contact the son before he had a chance too. Unless you think he should have been calling everyone instead of continuing to look around the trailhead.

This boils down to that all reliable "hinky meter." Someone brought up Molly Tibbets, did anyone ever apologize for sleuthing that innocent man?
 
What is on the side of the road they parked on? Could she have crossed the road and went to explore on the other side and had an accident?

The mineshaft suggestion earlier on (I am sorry I don't remember who posted about it!) is ringing alarm bells in my ears. Its such a crazy thing to happen....yet we know it does occur.

I am sure they stopped for gas or at least a few supplies en route....has footage been pulled from the last place they were both known to be? Was she wearing her red hat and bikini top?

What types of shoes are with her gear and what type of gear did she pack? LE will be able to ascertain who zipped up and maybe packed her bag based on fingerprints and at least determine if she did it herself....maybe that will help focus the case either in or away from hubby's direction.

Where are you Barbara? Your family needs you home safe!

JMO
Here is a link of the area, headed from Baker south but gives some images and also places were a parking lot may have been spotted from her 360 photo (mentioned by nephew upthread).

Kelbaker Road - Mojave National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

ETA It does look beautiful and sound enhancing enough that I'd want to visit...not in the summer though.
 
I am troubled by this as well - even if there was not a loving step-parent relationship - the respect and love you have for your spouse would compel you to call their child wouldn't it? I get calling 911 right away - which he did. But his next call should have been to her son IMO. Why wasn't it? He had the time based on his story, right? So I am left wondering IMO
Good post. Also, I’m now wondering is that her only (biological)child?? Do we know?
 
What is on the side of the road they parked on? Could she have crossed the road and went to explore on the other side and had an accident?

The mineshaft suggestion earlier on (I am sorry I don't remember who posted about it!) is ringing alarm bells in my ears. Its such a crazy thing to happen....yet we know it does occur.

I am sure they stopped for gas or at least a few supplies en route....has footage been pulled from the last place they were both known to be? Was she wearing her red hat and bikini top?

What types of shoes are with her gear and what type of gear did she pack? LE will be able to ascertain who zipped up and maybe packed her bag based on fingerprints and at least determine if she did it herself....maybe that will help focus the case either in or away from hubby's direction.

Where are you Barbara? Your family needs you home safe!

JMO
Now that's an idea. Maybe she went on the other side of where they are looking. He wasn't back yet so she had time to kill. She collected rocks.
 
Perhaps he didn't have his contact info? (Just trying to think of a reason not to contact someone's son.)

jmo
to clarify the brothers are estranged. barb and my father have always been on great terms. my father and his brother have not. i am unsure of barbs relationship with her other brother.

there is something i just learned and i feel is relevant. nobody informed barbs son, and barb and her son, though living far apart, were not at all estranged. im stunned robbie or his fam would not have reached out to barbs son.

barbs son is from a much older relationship, no relationship to robbie. as i understand he learned about all this from the police, who found his number on her phone... i have not verified this.with her son and am trying to get hold of him.

agree with others about police silence. confused generally over here.

my sister was.present when robbie called my father, and heard the convo on speaker. ive asked her to write down what she remembers... will share shortly

edit: on cell phone again.... cant bother with punctuation etc on these tiny buttons. sorry
bbm - and this is third party information as quoted above...
apparently LE had her phone - so he must have turned it over to them. If they were able to access her contact information I'm guessing she didn't have a passcode - or if she did, and he knew it and gave it to LE then he also could have retrieved the contact information himself and called the son? hmmm it's curious IMO.

ETA - her phone but now I'm wondering if LE has both phones????
 
In another story, I think it was Mohave Valley Daily News; it said "bikini top". Which makes a lot more sense, in that case I assume she would be wearing shorts and hiking boots. Not a full out two piece bikini.
I have been searching without luck for an article that I read yesterday that stated she had on shorts with a black bikini top.
 
Hopefully LE is checking cell phone records to see where they might have been in the hours and days prior to her disappearance. But I don't imagine cell phone coverage is all that great out in the dessert.

If foul play is involved in her disappearance, I doubt he would reported her missing from the same area where she was disposed of.

Sure wish some reporter would ask him to show them on a map where they parked the camper and were they were hiking so we know exactly where that was.


JMO
 
Hopefully LE is checking cell phone records to see where they might have been in the hours and days prior to her disappearance. But I don't imagine cell phone coverage is all that great out in the dessert.

If foul play is involved in her disappearance, I doubt he would reported her missing from the same area where she was disposed of.

Sure wish some reporter would ask him to show them on a map where they parked the camper and were they were hiking so we know exactly where that was.


JMO
In order to arrive in that area from their hometown of Bullhead City AZ, wouldn't Interstate 40 be the most direct and easiest way to pull a trailer out there? I'd think there'd be cellphone service along that major highway. Hopefully, like you suggest, they are checking a timeline on both phones.
 
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