CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #2

[Knox]

Yes, I thought it was possible, that's why I also searched. There is just so many places to hide there. And SAR can make mistakes too, it's happened where they find a body where an earlier SAR team had already made an earlier pass through.

It does happen you're right. In the Elizabeth Shelley case, searchers with dogs had been in the very area she was eventually found in days later.

 

[Micheline]

California police rule out husband's claims that his bikini-clad wife, 69, who disappeared during their hike was KIDNAPPED as search for her enters its tenth day

So the question is how was that ruled out? I saw another news story that used the word "abducted". I guess kidnapped grabs more attention. Regardless, I'm thinking of the ways LE could rule out that possibility? Curious as to everyone else's thoughts?

You can only rule that out if you have a solid idea as to what really happened, supported by for example phone/computer data.

 

[IceIce9]

The victim himself says he is the prime suspect.

Yet he also stated he thinks she was abducted?

 

[BIC]

Thank you for the photos! There is a bit of something red in the lower part of your last photo. Any idea what that is? It caught my eye since Barb was said to have a red hat on.

I saw that too. It looks like a cardinal to me.

 

[Micheline]

Yet he also stated he thinks she was abducted?

It matters what LE thinks happened.

 

[fridaybaker]

I don't think enough information has been released for me to have any ideas on what really happened. That said, a hit and run on a clear day with as much traffic (a car every couple minutes sometimes more), or animal attack is not what I think happened. (Mountain lions avoid humans and attacks are extremely rare and that would have left clues, not to mention drag marks, etc).

Getting lost for that particular place is hard to believe as well, as there is a non-motorized trail which they presumably hiked, and Kelbaker road is visible, and audible. Also, very few hikers hike off trail, those who do would not be wanting to wear shorts, as the area is filled with various cholla cacti, which have hooks that get into your legs, very unpleasant to get stuck by those! Even the I-40 is visible and a turnout at the pass is visible by eye. Less than a mile west of the road which runs north/south you have Granite Mountain, which is a sheer wall of rocks, she wouldn't have walked that way, unless extremely disoriented. They don't sound like rock climbers, so that's highly unlikely.

I'm hoping the husband will offer much more specifics about the hike and time than he did in those two short interviews. Some mention all they had was a beer, another article mentions they brought a gallon of water as well. That small detail makes a big difference in how far you can hike. A beer in hand, and your hike during mid-day is limited to no more than a mile or two, but a gallon of water, and now you'd have to expand the possible range to search by a few more miles.

Having hiked at this location my main observation was just how many places there are there to shelter from the intense sun, which of course also makes the search harder and makes it harder for aerial photography to pick up any clues. The scattered boulders south of the main rock formations also had lots of nooks and crannies to hide. I noticed SARS had tags going for about a mile south, so it looks like they covered that area as well.

If I were in trouble with the heat I might be tempted to go under a large boulder and wait to feel better, these are great sheltering places, but that is not what Robert Thomas suggested. He implied they had already gone to the rocks and were on their way back, between the main rock formations and the trailer there are no rock formations to hide. If she had gone for the closest boulder formations, she would have been found though, because they searched those formations extensively, see attached photo for an example.

It is uphill to the boulder formations from the trailer location and only .5 miles away, downhill back to the trailer, so getting back would have made more sense for me if I thought I was in heat trouble. But RT did not mention his wife had issues with the heat during that hike.

I'll attach a few more pics so you can see landscape and trailer location in relation to the surrounding landscape. Last photo shows the wall of rocks on the western side and a orange tag showing they searched to that extend.

Thank you for the incredibly helpful photos and geographical information! I do think that considering the terrain and her attire, it's not likely she ventured off the path for a bit of sightseeing. It seems to be very much a path from which one can sight see and take photos. However, it would help to have RT's input on that -had they gotten off the path during the hike? Does he think it likely she'd get off the path to have a look at something? He apparently didn't, or at least it doesn't sound like he did. He says that he "stopped to take a photo" -paraphrasing here but no indication he went "off piste".

She certainly wasn't initially looking for shade, as there's no mention of her being too hot while with RT. If she were, she'd have the water gone, and would be heading directly to the shade of the RV. The only reason I can see for her to get off that path is to look at something and, again, that doesn't seem too plausible.

It's odd. I find we're looking at some unlikely scenarios, but unlikely things do happen. What could get her to leave the path, get lost/disoriented, etc? Scary animal? Again, though, wouldn't she scream if she were afraid enough to run? Would he hear her?

Or, abduction. Not likely, but possible, especially since a poster sometime back mentioned that he/she was often followed when they stopped. It's lonely out there if she did come across someone with ill intent, she certainly wouldn't have had much of a chance. No "evidence" of that, though.

After all these posts, I'm back at square one. Wish RT would give some more information.

 

[sroad]

Thank you for the photos! There is a bit of something red in the lower part of your last photo. Any idea what that is? It caught my eye since Barb was said to have a red hat on.

You're welcome! That bit of color on the last photo is a SAR orange tag.

 

[mrstfs]

California police rule out husband's claims that his bikini-clad wife, 69, who disappeared during their hike was KIDNAPPED as search for her enters its tenth day

So the question is how was that ruled out? I saw another news story that used the word "abducted". I guess kidnapped grabs more attention. Regardless, I'm thinking of the ways LE could rule out that possibility? Curious as to everyone else's thoughts?

I’m going with the direct quote from LE in the story instead of the headline made up by the DM. They don’t say ruled out, just they don’t think that’s what happened. That’s my opinion only though.

'We don't think she was abducted. It's a very remote area. There's no evidence to suggest she was abducted,' spokeswoman Jodi Miller told DailyMail.com.

 

[PommyMommy]

California police rule out husband's claims that his bikini-clad wife, 69, who disappeared during their hike was KIDNAPPED as search for her enters its tenth day

So the question is how was that ruled out? I saw another news story that used the word "abducted". I guess kidnapped grabs more attention. Regardless, I'm thinking of the ways LE could rule out that possibility? Curious as to everyone else's thoughts?

The Daily Mail says police have ruled out that BT was kidnapped.

The sheriff's office says they don't think she was abducted and they have no evidence that she was abducted. The SBCSO has not said they've ruled out anything. MOO

 

[Cardinal47]

I keep hoping we will hear something soon. No sighting and no arrest makes me think police are baffled like we are. An arrest can't be made on a maybe and with no evidence this could turn out to be 'the perfect crime'!

 

[Micheline]

Investigation is still going on, searches have been suspended.

Messages from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle

 

[IceIce9]

“I feel like someone did pick her up because she was wearing a bikini, she had a beer in her hand and she was ahead of me and she had to cross that road,” Robert said in the interview.

Are there any trash cans, like where she might have thrown her beer can if she finished it?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...-hes-innocent-after-failing-lie-detector/amp/

 

[LAhiker]

"California police rule out husband's claims that his bikini-clad wife, 69, who disappeared during their hike was KIDNAPPED as search for her enters its tenth day"

This headline from the Daily Mail UK goes further than the actual quotes from the police in the article, which I have pasted here:

"'We don't think she was abducted. It's a very remote area. There's no evidence to suggest she was abducted,' spokeswoman Jodi Miller told DailyMail.com."

"'When that information started coming out about [the other woman], that's what created the speculation [that Barbara had been abducted] but our investigation does not indicate any signs that she was abducted,' Miller said."

So the bottom line is that they have found no evidence that she was abducted. That doesn't mean that she wasn't, but that they don't think that she was. Of course, they may know or suspect that some other specific thing happened, but they haven't said so.

 

[MsBetsy]

Yet he also stated he thinks she was abducted?

He thinks she was abducted. He stated that LE considers him the main suspect, which is typical as far as I know. Usually in missing persons cases or in murder cases the husband or partner are looked at first, as well as other family members.

However LE has not said anything about him being a suspect, just that they are continuing to search for her and that they are investigating.

They said they have no evidence of an abduction, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not possible, just that they have not found any evidence either way. Imo

 

[Tillicum]

Okay so here's another possibility I don't think we've considered. What if everything that RT said happened is true? Maybe BT was heading back and saw someone around the truck or camper? If I were in that situation alone, rather than confront them or yell for my husband, I would try to hide and sneak back to alert my husband without them seeing or hearing me. (I'm 61, 20 years ago I probably would've confronted them.) It's possible she could've been injured or overcome by the heat while hiding/sneaking back to RT and is still hidden somewhere between the camper and where RT was at when they separated. There would be no signs of an abduction or foul play and RT would still be telling the truth.

 

[mrstfs]

I keep hoping we will hear something soon. No sighting and no arrest makes me think police are baffled like we are. An arrest can't be made on a maybe and with no evidence this could turn out to be 'the perfect crime'!

I’m assuming LE are working diligently behind the scenes investigating and processing evidence etc. when my friend’s sister went missing it took 6 weeks for an arrest with no body found. (This was also in San Bernardino County) MOO

 

[Didi777]

What if she willingly got into a vehicle? For some reason?

 

[LietKynes]

Not abducted.
That leaves other possibilities.
She left of her own volition during or prior to this trip ; or foul play.
The way she just vanished makes me lean towards foul play.

 

[mrstfs]

What if she willingly got into a vehicle? For some reason?

IMHO, then the person did something to her or she’s in hiding somewhere but would need resources like cash to live on. I don’t think the latter is the case though, since she was going to Hong Kong so soon and could’ve stayed there. MOO

 

[moonriverfarm]

Was she ever really there?