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

[zecats]

It's got to be around 115 degrees, right? I've been to Lake Havasu in the summer and I could not get out of my car it was so hot!

Wondering the same. They must be acclimated to the heat. We visited Yuma once and there weren't even any takers for the raft excursions on the river. Hotter than I've ever been anywhere in the US. Can't imagine being out there with no water, and in a bikini.

 

[GraceG]

It's got to be around 115 degrees, right? I've been to Lake Havasu in the summer and I could not get out of my car it was so hot!

You do get somewhat acclimated to it. I was based as a pilot in the desert of Sothern CA and remember going for a walk to the base headquarters when it was 107. But I had a ton of water with me and a cold compress wrapped around my neck. Unfortunately, after this many days and this heat without water, if she's still out in the open she's not going to be found alive.

 

[j_in_c]

Most desert hikers I know would cover up from the sun, carry a lot of water and stick to early morning or early evening hikes to avoid being out in the sun midday. Maybe this was meant to be a more casual, shorter exploration. Really hoping she found water and shelter and will still be found safe. It is difficult to send out searchers (and dogs) with heat this intense.

 

[Usd2bfun]

Good to hear. Welcome to Websleuths, Usd2bfun.

Thank you PommyMommy =] Just found this site today when I was checking out this story. What a great, informative site! We live about an hour from here and go to the preserve often. Never camped tho. Just drive around and check out the sites. This story is boggling my mind.

 

[PommyMommy]

Thank you PommyMommy =] Just found this site today when I was checking out this story. What a great, informative site! We live about an hour from here and go to the preserve often. Never camped tho. Just drive around and check out the sites. This story is boggling my mind.

Well, be careful. Websleuths can be addictive, lol!

I am very scared for Barbara. Unless she's gotten out of that heat somehow, somewhere, I fear we're going to need a miracle. MOO

 

[rosesfromangels]

How in the world did they become “separated “?

My thought exactly.....hinky alert!

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[rosesfromangels]

I wonder what brought them out to where they were to hike. There's so many places closer to where they live. I'm perplexed.

Hinky....

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Knox]

Hiking in the desert mid-day with no supplies and temps at 115 (that's the actual temperature, not the heat index)? And in a bikini? Here's a picture of her, and an article with a little more specific info as to where in the desert she was hiking. Search underway for lost hiker in Mojave Desert

I spoke to my sister Saturday morning. She lives in lower Mohave Valley, she said she went to the grocery store in Bullhead Friday and her car temp was 119.
I haven't read all the news stories or posts yet, but I can tell you most locals would not go hiking in the desert on a July mid-day. Was she a local or visiting the area?

 

[Knox]

I live in Bullhead City, Arizona. I don't know where you're getting your temperatures from, but it was a 122 today, and 119 yesterday. Hiking out here in these temperatures is not unusual, neither is the bikini and boots,.....however no phone, no water, and no food for anyone used to this climate is very strange.

Hey there, I was raised in Mohave Valley. I was thinking Kelbaker, what the heck is out there to see? When I was growing up we mostly explored the Paiutes, New York & Old Woman Mountains and the Lanfair Valley. But we were looking for old homesteads (bottle hunting), not the stuff at the link below. I still haven't seen whether she was a local or not.
Kelbaker Road - Mojave National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[TatianaBarbie]

Hey there, I was raised in Mohave Valley. I was thinking Kelbaker, what the heck is out there to see? When I was growing up we mostly explored the Paiutes, New York & Old Woman Mountains and the Lanfair Valley. But we were looking for old homesteads (bottle hunting), not the stuff at the link below. I still haven't seen whether she was a local or not.
Kelbaker Road - Mojave National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

This source says she is from Bullhead City, AZ:

Arizona woman missing in California's Mojave Desert

. . .The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office says 69-year-old Barbara Thomas, of Bullhead City. . .

 

[TristanP]

Links above state she decided to return to their trailer while he stayed behind to photograph something. She was 1/2 mile ahead and when he arrived back at the trailer she wasn't there. Any info on where their trailer is located? Were they camping offload or in a campground? Seems strange he was behind her, never passed her on the way back or noticed anything, and then she was not there at the destination. Strange not in a blaming way, but in a "where could she be" way.

Well, assuming he has a digital camera or was using a phone, they should have been able to gather some useful info from the photo(s). If it was a phone, it may have had the exact GPS coordinates of where he was when she headed back to camp and showed his route back, so they’ll have a more accurate path to follow. If it’s a digital camera, they should be able to pinpoint the area by the photos as well as the time the photos were taken, to help narrow down the time frame in which she went missing.

Hopefully it will help somehow.

 

[Knox]

Cat L. Smith
July 13 at 1:44 PM ·
California Authorities Continue Search For Missing BHC Woman

KELSO, California--The search continues for Barbara Thomas, 69, of Bullhead City, who reportedly went missing during a hike in the Mojave desert earlier this week.

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Office numerous Search & Rescue members, deputies, K9’s, Sheriff’s Aviation and Park Rangers are on scene assisting with the search. No additional resources from neighboring states have been requested at this time.

Her last known location was approximately 20 miles north of the I-40 freeway and east of Kelbaker Road in the area of Kelso.

She is 5'9, around 130 pounds with blond hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing shorts, a black bikini top, red baseball cap, socks and hiking boots.

According to a post by a family member, the duo are use to hiking in the desert in the summer and Barbara was reportedly walking back to their trailer about a half a mile ahead of her husband. At some point, the family member wrote, Barbara would've crossed the highway to get back to their campsite. A short time later the husband arrived at the trailer, however, there was no sign of his wife.

SBCSO confirmed there have been no sightings of her at this time and updates will be released publicly as they become available.

Photo by SBCSO

Ok this puts a bit of context to the story, they were camping in the area.

 

[Knox]

Evidently there is a camping area on Hidden Hills road, maybe where they were staying?
Hidden Hill Road Reviews - Campendium

 

[TatianaBarbie]

Evidently there is a camping area on Hidden Hills road, maybe where they were staying?
Hidden Hill Road Reviews - Campendium

Hidden Hill Road is where I thought that Barbara and her husband were camping, but that location is only about 7 miles north of I-40. The article you just quoted said they were 20 miles north of I-40. The town of Kelso is 22 miles north of I-40. Maybe they were camping just somewhere off the road a ways, just south of Kelso, instead of in a campground?


ETA: Google Maps

 

[Tripod]

Praying for Barbara.

 

[MsFacetious]

Links above state she decided to return to their trailer while he stayed behind to photograph something. She was 1/2 mile ahead and when he arrived back at the trailer she wasn't there. Any info on where their trailer is located? Were they camping offload or in a campground? Seems strange he was behind her, never passed her on the way back or noticed anything, and then she was not there at the destination. Strange not in a blaming way, but in a "where could she be" way.

Reminds me of Garrett Bardsley in Utah.
He was just going to head back to camp to get dry.
Was never seen again. Searches and searches, never found his body either. He was just gone. It happens.

I hope they find her, that's a pretty desolate looking area. The local recreation area web site says they're having a water shortage and ask people to bring in their own water when they visit.

I know someone who works on an SAR team in a desert area. They said if you ever get lost in a desert area where there's lots of sand, just turn around and follow your footprints back the way you came.

Too often, people panic and wander around in circles, etc. For SAR, once they find footprints they just follow them and find the (usually deceased) missing person at the end.

ETA: Of course, this wouldn't work as well in an area that is rocky, etc.

Yes. When they found little Emmett Trapps body he had gone in circles before dying. It was horrific. They underestimated how far he'd get.

 

[oviedo]

Woman missing from Mojave Desert

Husband thinks she was taken

 

[Vail]

Aside from the obvious WTF factors, why would you cross a freeway to walk anywhere? That tidbit doesn't fit the facts as they have been explained elsewhere. And no, it is so totally unlikely she was snatched off the freeway and taken to Las Vegas. Has there been any confirmation of when she was last seen by anyone other than her husband?

 

[Kittygrrll]

Woman missing from Mojave Desert

Husband thinks she was taken

I think it's pretty unlikely that she was taken. I'm not familiar with this area, but would think that theoretically it would be easier to locate someone in a desert area as opposed to a heavily wooded area.

This is a strange one. Not sure what to think.

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

Is there proof that she was actually in the desert? When did she last talk to anyone on the cell phone?