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

[PommyMommy]

Haaaaa.

"Hey, Siri: I just flunked my poly. Can you give me one good reason why?"

Siri: "Uh, DUH...maybe because you lied?"

Alexa says a person can fail when they think they won't be believed. She said she found that information on Wikipedia. MOO

Welcome to Websleuths, @Didi777!

 

[lonetraveler]

Could also be hot inside the RV since it's been sitting out in the sun. Most RVs have shades, and people use them to sit outside. It can be more comfortable being outside in the shade than inside a tin can.

She could have put the awning out, that is true but the rod to use to lower the awning is usually in the basement storage area which would most likely also be locked.

 

[lonetraveler]

JMHO, I wouldn't rule out anyone going voluntarily missing. However, if I ever go voluntarily missing, it will be in Hawaii, not in the Mojave desert in July. Barb may have been a bigger fan of 100+ degree heat than I am. I want to know: if she is there, why haven't they found her? Where did her cell phone ping last? Did she have it with her? Did anyone else actually see her there?

Yep, if I was going to voluntarily disappear it would be on a tropical island in the Caribbean.

 

[zecats]

Did the dogs brought out to the trail where Paul Miller was last seen find anything?

Yes. His sister stated that the first day Paul was missing a dog picked up his scent for a while, out to the Oasis at least. The dog burned her paws because of the heat and could not continue for that day at least.

 

[lonetraveler]

I really wish it could be cleared up if the refrigerator was running so that the beer was cold or if an ice cooler was being used. If not, then maybe they had just bought the beer and she poured it into the travel cup to keep it cold longer. That would mean that they made a recent stop to purchase the beer and maybe someone would at least remember the truck and rig.

 

[artsy1]

I must be blind. Where was their camper shown on the video (other than back at home in their driveway)? There was one brief clip of the reporter standing by a road and the camera scans across the road as he mentions it, but I'm not sure that is the exact spot and there is no trailer in view (nor any LE/SAR vehicles) and no certainty that that is "the" spot. Is there more than one Inside Edition video?

I think they are referring to the camper seen at 1:32, which I believe is LE vehicle.

 

[zecats]

She could have put the awning out, that is true but the rod to use to lower the awning is usually in the basement storage area which would most likely also be locked.

Our awning goes out with the push of a button. Generator running the AC and the fridge would also control that and the lights.

 

[Snoopster]

Inside Edition video. It's at the end of the 1:32 mark. Just after the step daughter speaks. I think that's where they were parked in the desert with police cars there after being called to the scene.
The other pictures seem to be of the camper in their driveway.

Thanks.
I believe that is the police command center. They would locate where a number of vehicles can fit and have easy access. I don't believe that that is necessarily where they were pulled off. We've all been trying to figure that out! Some have guessed that it was at the 'bend' about 1/2 mile north of there, but I don't think anyone knows for sure.

 

[Knox]

She could have put the awning out, that is true but the rod to use to lower the awning is usually in the basement storage area which would most likely also be locked.

Ours is deployed with a push of a button. Keystone cougars would be the same. So if she had the key which was under the rock, she would flip the switch, good to go.

 

[PommyMommy]

Thank you, PommyMommy! I guess that was kind of a dumb question, since looking back, that info was in the earliest reports.

So, we are thinking the rv must have been parked near the Hidden Hill Road and Kelbaker Road intersection, based on current google traffic reports (due to the SAR), correct?

Doesn’t it seem that there’s more notable rock formations on the western side of Kelbaker than the east side, where they are reported to have been hiking?

Not a dumb question. I think it's fair to assume that the RV was parked somewhere near Hidden Hill Road. I wouldn't base that on the traffic alerts, though. That's just telling me where the command center is most likely located.

Rock formations everywhere, but it seems RT told LE they were hiking on the east side of Kelbaker Rd. MOO

 

[wary]

There were a BUNCH of people flocking to take pictures of the wildflowers (particularly California poppies) in that neck of the woods a while back.

My friend, a photographer, went to capture some photos. ETA link:

I'm a lot farther north and west, and don't know if there's any bloom left, but if so, it might explain the heavier than usual traffic. Also it's Friday. Traffic everywhere is heavier. MOO

I’d be stunned if there were any wildflower bloom in the Mojave desert this time of year.

 

[LAhiker]

just realized some posts of mine have been deleted.

submitted verification info.

I hope you can get verified soon and repost some of the same info (unless Websleuths can simply reinstate the posts), which I found very helpful. Thanks for doing this.

 

[Knox]

Accident is in the top three, IMHO. However, it's been 7 days. Why haven't searchers found her if she's had an accident?

True, so that's what leads me to abduction. I know it seems like a remote possibility, but it's the only scenario other than RT murdered her that I can wrap my mind around.

 

[zecats]

Not a dumb question. I think it's fair to assume that the RV was parked somewhere near Hidden Hill Road. I wouldn't base that on the traffic alerts, though. That's just telling me where the command center is most likely located.

Rock formations everywhere, but it seems RT told LE they were hiking on the east side of Kelbaker Rd. MOO

And if she had to cross the road to get back to the RV, it would have been on the west side of Kelbaker. I guess they have to search both sides, in case she never crossed it or in case she did.

 

[DianaElaine]

Haaaaa.

"Hey, Siri: I just flunked my poly. Can you give me one good reason why?"

Siri: "Uh, DUH...because you lied, maybe?"

Ha! Just asked Siri and she said, ah oh sorry.
I asked her again and she said, that’s a problem.

 

[lonetraveler]

Our awning goes out with the push of a button. Generator running the AC and the fridge would also control that and the lights.

Yes, there are automatic but the buttons are inside the RV, right? There were no signs of her being there, key was still under a rock.

 

[Razz]

It's been mentioned she may have left her husband alone to take pictures because she had to urinate. Maybe she forgot about the location of the key and because she was in dire straits, took off to find a public restroom or a place where she could do her business in private and got lost somewhere quite unexpected.

 

[zecats]

Yes, there are automatic but the buttons are inside the RV, right? There were no signs of her being there, key was still under a rock.

Only if you don't consider that she made it back, used the rest room and left again, putting the key back.
I don't understand your point though, (sincerely asking) about the awning. Was it discovered open?

 

[Snoopster]

Upthread I read it was a mile back to the camper from where she left Robert. That's not really such a short distance in the heat of the desert. I'd like to know whether Barbara could see the camper from where she "turned a corner".
I remember once in Joshua Tree we parked on the side of a road and walked a bit from it. The flat rocks landscape was really disorienting, the same in all directions. I can well imagine getting lost if we could no longer see the car.

They went for a 2 mile walk (i.e. 1 mile there and 1 mile back). RT said they were 'almost back' which meant that they were likely at least 2/3 of the way back, or only 1/3 of a mile away. BT went ahead, and after taking his photo he turned around and saw her ahead when she went around a curve. That means that BT was likely well closer to the RV than 1/4 mile.

ETA: this is based on what RT said.

 

[Lilibet]

Yes, there are automatic but the buttons are inside the RV, right? There were no signs of her being there, key was still under a rock.

I think this discussion started because of doubt about her husband saying she would be sitting outside. Some said she could have been sitting under the awning. Others said she couldn’t have opened the awning. The fact is, if she had returned, she certainly could have opened the awning easily. But she wasn’t there sitting under the awning, so it’s moot.

Regarding the key being still under the rock, we always return the key to its hiding place immediately after using it. So the key could have been under the rock even if she was inside or if she had been there and left. She could have been there, opened the awning, returned the key and left. The key under the rock means nothing IMO.