CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #4

[CSIDreamer]

Scavenging birds have led to many bodies.
Hannah Graham in Virginia. Man called in reporting 20-30 leading to her remains.
I don't generally do links (from other cases), but since some may not be aware, here that sad one is. Very different terrain, same applies everywhere there are such birds. Man calls Hannah Graham tip line after sighting ’20-30 buzzards’
There are other wildlife in the Mojave that do the same.
Chi

Of note, 17 days after her disappearance the buzzards were noted.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

Just in general -- and in the desert just as much as anywhere else -- a human body very quickly does not look like one from even a short distance away. It can look like a low bundle of rags or a low bit of brush. Often one needs to walk right up to it to see what it really is.

That's a good point. The only thing about BT that I think would stand out if she were lying on the ground somewhere in the searched areas is that she was supposedly wearing a red hat.

Like in one of the photos LE posted they presumably were given by RT. The one in which she's wearing the exact same outfit (black bikini top and red hat) as when she went missing (no verification this photo was taken that day -- it looked older to me and a bit distorted / blurry, like it was a photo of an actual printed photograph).

As part of the 9 or 10 day search for her, LE had a large team of experienced desert SAR people out there (in a photo posted a few pages back, it looked like about 20 or 30 people standing at the rally point), several K9 unit dogs, helicopters, ATVs, experts in cave searches.

They're a very experienced desert SAR team and no red hat or any other evidence of BT was found. Sadly. It's painful to think about all their heroic efforts determining that she was nowhere to be found. IMO

 

[Knox]

We need to hear the 911 call IMO. Hoping our VI can get the media to go for it.

Las Vegas News Channel
Man says police think he is a suspect in wife's disappearance
You Ask. We Investigate. story ideas: Click here or email 13investigates@ktnv.com

m.me/ZachNews
news.zachnews@gmail.com
ZachNews

Media Center – San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
Email: paffairs@sbcsd.org

Arizona News
Arizona woman missing in California's Mojave Desert
News tips and story ideas
If you see news happening, or know of something that should be covered in The Arizona Republic, email us at newstips@arizonarepublic.com with as much detail as possible and your contact information. You may also call the newsroom at 602-444-NEWS (6397)

Mohave Valley Daily News
Search continues for missing Bullhead City woman
Bill McMillen, Mohave Valley Daily News Editor ext. 5144 / bmcmillen@mohavedailynews.com
BREAKING NEWS EMAIL: breakingnews@mohavedailynews.com

Well let's ask the media to get that 911 call for us!!!

 

[Liwthe]

That's a good point. The only thing about BT that I think would stand out if she were lying on the ground somewhere in the searched areas is that she was supposedly wearing a red hat.

Like in one of the photos LE posted they presumably were given by RT. The one in which she's wearing the exact same outfit (black bikini top and red hat) as when she went missing (no verification this photo was taken that day -- it looked older to me and a bit distorted / blurry, like it was a photo of an actual printed photograph).

As part of the 9 or 10 day search for her, LE had a large team of experienced desert SAR people out there (in a photo posted a few pages back, it looked like about 20 or 30 people standing at the rally point), several K9 unit dogs, helicopters, ATVs, experts in cave searches.

They're a very experienced desert SAR team and no red hat or any other evidence of BT was found. Sadly. It's painful to think about all their heroic efforts determining that she was nowhere to be found. IMO

I’m just checking whether you’re saying SAR said ‘she was nowhere to be found’, or that they didn’t manage to locate her or any evidence of her ie. her tracks or items belonging to her. Boring semantics again, but they both say different things. I know this isn’t deliberate on your part.

 

[fastoys]

Greetings WS community, new here but many a year lurker... Following this case and a few others and felt maybe I could offer some insight.

Having lots of real world experience in geocoding and overlaying MetaData few things come to mind. First LE hopefully has had access to the phone and image image of BT as presented here and in MSM. There are a number of ways to detriment if the picture of BT was in-fact taken at the location previously stated by RT.

Cams and some phones can be "adjusted" to reflect a different time so as to tricking the metadata imbedded it only knows what the realtime the device is providing. This being said, the actual image, can be recreated by going to the place it was purported to be taken and looking into the background using sunlight/shadows/time of day/year. dertiming if it is in the actual geolocation it's said to be.

Many new cams also provide a geolocation option which will provide an exact point on a map defining where the picture was captured.

Certainly LE has the tools and perhaps much more forensic data to determine the accuracy of the image.

This whole case appears to have lots of holes and none of them line up. There is absolutely no way for BT to be out there and not found at this point. The heat the lack of water and shelter make it impossible. <modsnip> Foul play at the hand of others is all I can reasonably believe at this point in time. Sad!

JMO...

 

[PommyMommy]

Thanks for the info Pommy! I haven’t posted since the first couple of threads, but I check in daily to see if Barbara has been found I still don’t know what to think of this whole case, but I pray she is found soon.
Question- and I’m quoting your post because I know how diligent you are at keeping up with the facts (thank you) I know the VI said she was seen leaving around 8:15, but do we know she was actually leaving in the truck and RV? I mean could she have just been seen video getting in the truck without the camper attached yet? TIA!!

AFAIK, dbdb11 is still waiting to see the video and we don't know any more than that both RT and BT were seen leaving the home that morning. I don't know if that means getting into the truck, whether the camper was attached at that time, or what. Sorry for the wishy-washy. MOO

 

[happyday]

Thanks for the info Pommy! I haven’t posted since the first couple of threads, but I check in daily to see if Barbara has been found I still don’t know what to think of this whole case, but I pray she is found soon.
Question- and I’m quoting your post because I know how diligent you are at keeping up with the facts (thank you) I know the VI said she was seen leaving around 8:15, but do we know she was actually leaving in the truck and RV? I mean could she have just been seen on video getting in the truck without the camper attached yet? TIA!!

I was wondering the same thing! The neighbors’ surveillance video caught them leaving at 8:15, right? I wondered if she was clearly seen in the video or just the truck/rv leaving?

ETA Just saw your response above PommyMommy!

 

[PommyMommy]

Las Vegas News Channel
Man says police think he is a suspect in wife's disappearance
You Ask. We Investigate. story ideas: Click here or email 13investigates@ktnv.com

m.me/ZachNews
news.zachnews@gmail.com
ZachNews

Media Center – San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
Email: paffairs@sbcsd.org

Arizona News
Arizona woman missing in California's Mojave Desert
News tips and story ideas
If you see news happening, or know of something that should be covered in The Arizona Republic, email us at newstips@arizonarepublic.com with as much detail as possible and your contact information. You may also call the newsroom at 602-444-NEWS (6397)

Mohave Valley Daily News
Search continues for missing Bullhead City woman
Bill McMillen, Mohave Valley Daily News Editor ext. 5144 / bmcmillen@mohavedailynews.com
BREAKING NEWS EMAIL: breakingnews@mohavedailynews.com

Well let's ask the media to get that 911 call for us!!!

Done! And thank you again for assembling all this information for us. MOO

#TEAMBARBARA

 

[PommyMommy]

July 22nd - The investigation continues into the whereabouts of missing person Barbara Thomas from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle
DATE/TIME: July 12, 2019 2:30 pm

INCIDENT: Missing Person

LOCATION: Kelbaker Road/Hidden Hills near I-40

VICTIM: Barbara Thomas, 69 years old, resident of Bullhead City, AZ described as 5'9, 130 lbs., Blonde hair, Green eyes
Last seen wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks

SUMMARY:
UPDATE - Monday, July 22, 2019
The ongoing daily searches for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave National Preserve have been suspended. Additional searches will be conducted as any additional information is developed in the investigation.

Detectives from the Specialized Investigations Division have assumed the investigation as is standard department policy when a missing person has not been located.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Nicholas Clark, Specialized Investigations Division (909) 387-3589. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or www.wetip.com.

UPDATE #9
Sunday, July 21st, the search continued today for Barbara Thomas.
Search and Rescue members from throughout the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department were deployed into the field this morning just after sunrise. K9 units, members certified in cave searches, rope climbing and desert terrain ground searchers were utilized today.

The search has been suspended for the day due to extreme temperatures. No evidence of Barbara was located today.

UPDATE #8
Saturday, July 20th, the search continues this morning for Barbara Thomas.
Eighty (80) Search and Rescue members from throughout the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department were deployed into the field this morning just after sunrise. Off-road vehicles, K9 units, members certified in cave searches, rope climbing and desert terrain ground hikers are being utilized today. Aviation will be assisting throughout the search operation.

There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located on previous days. Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees.

UPDATE #7
Friday, July 19th, the search continues this morning for Barbara Thomas. Search and Rescue members are utilizing off road vehicles, K9 units and hikers. The search resumed just after sunrise this morning. The search will include aerial support throughout the day.

There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located on previous days. Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees.

UPDATE #6
Thursday, July 18th, the search continues for Barbara Thomas. Search and Rescue volunteers, a K9 unit, Sheriff's Aviation and personnel from the River Station are continuing to search the Mohave Desert in the are of Kelbaker/Hidden Hills near the 1-40. Search teams were deployed into the field at 5:00 am.

Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees today.

UPDATE #5
Wednesday, July 17th, the search continues for Barbara Thomas. Search and Rescue volunteers, 3 K9 Units, Sheriff's Aviation and personnel from the River Station are continuing to search the Mohave Desert in the area of Kelbaker/Hidden Hills near the 1-40. Search efforts began this morning at sun up.

Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees today.

UPDATE#4:
Tuesday, July 16th - the search continues for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave desert. Nearly 20 Search and Rescue volunteers, and deputies assigned to the River Station are continuing the search. Off road vehicles are being utilized to allow searchers to cover additional area.

There have been no sightings of her at this time. The temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees today.

UPDATE#3:
Monday, July 15th - the search continues for missing person Barbara Thomas in the Mohave desert. Barbara was last seen in the area of Kelbaker/Hidden Hills near the 1-40.

UPDATE #2:
The search is moving into the third day for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave desert. Barbara was last seen in the area of Kelbaker / Hidden Hills near the I-40. The search involves numerous Search & Rescue members, deputies, K9’s, Sheriff’s Aviation(helicopter) and Park Rangers.

There have been no sightings of her at this time. The temperatures today hovered around 104 degrees.

Updates will be issued as new information becomes available.
Anyone with information regarding Barbara's whereabouts is urged to contact the Colorado River Station at (760)326-9200 or Sheriff's Dispatch at (760)956-5001.
***************************************
UPDATE:
The search continues for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave desert approximately 20 miles north of the I-40 freeway east of Kelbaker Rd.
Numerous Search & Rescue members, deputies, K9’s, Sheriff’s Aviation(helicopter) and Park Rangers.

There have been no sightings of her at this time. The temperatures are above 100 degrees today.

Updates will be issued as new information becomes available.
Anyone with information regarding Barbara's whereabouts is urged to contact the Colorado River Station at (760)326-9200 or Sheriff's Dispatch at (760)956-5001.
***********************************

SUMMARY:
On July 12, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., Barbara and her husband Robert were hiking in the Mohave desert approximately 20 miles north of the I-40 freeway east of Kelbaker Rd. During the hike, Barbara and Robert got separated and she has not been seen since.
Barbara was last seen wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks.

Barbara does not have any supplies or a cell phone.

An active search is underway with the assistance from Search & Rescue members, fire personnel, Park Rangers and Sheriff's Aviation.

Anyone with information regarding Barbara's whereabouts is urged to contact the Colorado River Station at (760)326-9200 or Sheriff's Dispatch at (760)956-5001.

SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department
1111 Bailey Ave
Needles, CA 92363

Welcome, @fastoys! Thanks for joining us!

 

[Knox]

Greetings WS community, new here but many a year lurker... Following this case and a few others and felt maybe I could offer some insight.

Having lots of real world experience in geocoding and overlaying MetaData few things come to mind. First LE hopefully has had access to the phone and image image of BT as presented here and in MSM. There are a number of ways to detriment if the picture of BT was in-fact taken at the location previously stated by RT.

Cams and some phones can be "adjusted" to reflect a different time so as to tricking the metadata imbedded it only knows what the realtime the device is providing. This being said, the actual image, can be recreated by going to the place it was purported to be taken and looking into the background using sunlight/shadows/time of day/year. dertiming if it is in the actual geolocation it's said to be.

Many new cams also provide a geolocation option which will provide an exact point on a map defining where the picture was captured.

Certainly LE has the tools and perhaps much more forensic data to determine the accuracy of the image.

This whole case appears to have lots of holes and none of them line up. There is absolutely no way for BT to be out there and not found at this point. The heat the lack of water and shelter make it impossible. <modsnip> Foul play at the hand of others is all I can reasonably believe at this point in time. Sad!

JMO...

Great information! You are going to be a great resource around here, thank you for joining!!! Be prepared to be tapped on the shoulder to chime in on other cases.

 

[Liwthe]

I thought I’d weigh in on my interest here seeing as I’ve even been questioned as to whether I’m a family member because I’m not jumping in with accusations of foul play and seeing guilt in every little thing.

I hike quite a bit and forage for mushrooms. Even before my little mushroom obsession I had a pretty poor ability to remember the path we were on because I typically followed my photo taking husband (and yes, he would take so long sometimes and standing around in the heat would bore me, so I’d move ahead to keep the momentum knowing he’d catch up).

This led to quite a number of times veering off on the wrong trail. Luckily not too far as I would turn back if he couldn’t hear me yelling, and I wasn’t in the desert, thankfully.

But we both got lost in the desert once (we walked quite the distance!). Near a highway, too. And I went out on my own once, foraging, and ended up doing what the excerpt above said I broke into a run when I realized I’d lost the trail because I was extremely thirsty and hot and desperate to get back on track and find the car. I went in circles.

I’m not entirely stupid, and even hike a lot. It’s just that I’ve typically relied on my partner to lead, and he grew up doing it and has much better orientation skills (although we also got lost in the snow a couple of times, which was also not enjoyable and resulted in being out far longer than we hoped and feeling extremely miserable - after the panic died down, of course).

I don’t know what’s occurred here, but I do think it’s good to be open to different possibilities.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

I’m just checking whether you’re saying SAR said ‘she was nowhere to be found’, or that they didn’t manage to locate her or any evidence of her ie. her tracks or items belonging to her. Boring semantics again, but they both say different things. I know this isn’t deliberate on your part.

LE said "There have been no sightings of her" and "There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located" during the searches.
July 22nd - The investigation continues into the whereabouts of missing person Barbara Thomas from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 2, 2019
Lost on the hiking trail? 6 ways to improve your chances of getting found
[...]

Less than a month later, Sheryl Powell, 60, went missing for four days in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, a remote spot in California’s White Mountains near the Nevada border. The Huntington Beach woman said she had run into the woods to outrun a knife-wielding man who threatened her. The same day Powell disappeared, Barbara Thomas, 69, vanished during a short hike with her husband in the Mojave Desert northeast of Joshua Tree. She was last seen wearing a bikini and walking on a blazingly hot trail without any supplies, officials told the media. The search for her was called off after eight days.

It’s the time of year when summer hiking is at its peak — and so are streams of headlines about missing hikers. Wandering off the trail is the most common reason people get lost, according to Smokymountains.com, which examined more than 100 news reports of missing hikers.

You never want to be that person. And if you do get lost, you want to stay safe and get found. Quickly. The best advice, of course, is not to go missing in the first place.

[...]

@dbdb11, here's another volunteer SAR team: Sierra Madre Search and Rescue

 

[AnnaGrace]

July 22nd - The investigation continues into the whereabouts of missing person Barbara Thomas from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle
DATE/TIME: July 12, 2019 2:30 pm

INCIDENT: Missing Person

LOCATION: Kelbaker Road/Hidden Hills near I-40

VICTIM: Barbara Thomas, 69 years old, resident of Bullhead City, AZ described as 5'9, 130 lbs., Blonde hair, Green eyes
Last seen wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks

SUMMARY:
UPDATE - Monday, July 22, 2019
The ongoing daily searches for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave National Preserve have been suspended. Additional searches will be conducted as any additional information is developed in the investigation.

Detectives from the Specialized Investigations Division have assumed the investigation as is standard department policy when a missing person has not been located.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Nicholas Clark, Specialized Investigations Division (909) 387-3589. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or www.wetip.com.

UPDATE #9
Sunday, July 21st, the search continued today for Barbara Thomas.
Search and Rescue members from throughout the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department were deployed into the field this morning just after sunrise. K9 units, members certified in cave searches, rope climbing and desert terrain ground searchers were utilized today.

The search has been suspended for the day due to extreme temperatures. No evidence of Barbara was located today.

UPDATE #8
Saturday, July 20th, the search continues this morning for Barbara Thomas.
Eighty (80) Search and Rescue members from throughout the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department were deployed into the field this morning just after sunrise. Off-road vehicles, K9 units, members certified in cave searches, rope climbing and desert terrain ground hikers are being utilized today. Aviation will be assisting throughout the search operation.

There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located on previous days. Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees.

UPDATE #7
Friday, July 19th, the search continues this morning for Barbara Thomas. Search and Rescue members are utilizing off road vehicles, K9 units and hikers. The search resumed just after sunrise this morning. The search will include aerial support throughout the day.

There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located on previous days. Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees.

UPDATE #6
Thursday, July 18th, the search continues for Barbara Thomas. Search and Rescue volunteers, a K9 unit, Sheriff's Aviation and personnel from the River Station are continuing to search the Mohave Desert in the are of Kelbaker/Hidden Hills near the 1-40. Search teams were deployed into the field at 5:00 am.

Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees today.

UPDATE #5
Wednesday, July 17th, the search continues for Barbara Thomas. Search and Rescue volunteers, 3 K9 Units, Sheriff's Aviation and personnel from the River Station are continuing to search the Mohave Desert in the area of Kelbaker/Hidden Hills near the 1-40. Search efforts began this morning at sun up.

Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees today.

UPDATE#4:
Tuesday, July 16th - the search continues for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave desert. Nearly 20 Search and Rescue volunteers, and deputies assigned to the River Station are continuing the search. Off road vehicles are being utilized to allow searchers to cover additional area.

There have been no sightings of her at this time. The temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees today.

UPDATE#3:
Monday, July 15th - the search continues for missing person Barbara Thomas in the Mohave desert. Barbara was last seen in the area of Kelbaker/Hidden Hills near the 1-40.

UPDATE #2:
The search is moving into the third day for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave desert. Barbara was last seen in the area of Kelbaker / Hidden Hills near the I-40. The search involves numerous Search & Rescue members, deputies, K9’s, Sheriff’s Aviation(helicopter) and Park Rangers.

There have been no sightings of her at this time. The temperatures today hovered around 104 degrees.

Updates will be issued as new information becomes available.
Anyone with information regarding Barbara's whereabouts is urged to contact the Colorado River Station at (760)326-9200 or Sheriff's Dispatch at (760)956-5001.
***************************************
UPDATE:
The search continues for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave desert approximately 20 miles north of the I-40 freeway east of Kelbaker Rd.
Numerous Search & Rescue members, deputies, K9’s, Sheriff’s Aviation(helicopter) and Park Rangers.

There have been no sightings of her at this time. The temperatures are above 100 degrees today.

Updates will be issued as new information becomes available.
Anyone with information regarding Barbara's whereabouts is urged to contact the Colorado River Station at (760)326-9200 or Sheriff's Dispatch at (760)956-5001.
***********************************

SUMMARY:
On July 12, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., Barbara and her husband Robert were hiking in the Mohave desert approximately 20 miles north of the I-40 freeway east of Kelbaker Rd. During the hike, Barbara and Robert got separated and she has not been seen since.
Barbara was last seen wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks.

Barbara does not have any supplies or a cell phone.

An active search is underway with the assistance from Search & Rescue members, fire personnel, Park Rangers and Sheriff's Aviation.

Anyone with information regarding Barbara's whereabouts is urged to contact the Colorado River Station at (760)326-9200 or Sheriff's Dispatch at (760)956-5001.

SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department
1111 Bailey Ave
Needles, CA 92363

Welcome, @fastoys! Thanks for joining us!

Interesting that through July 16th, they said no sightings of Barbara were found. Beginning the 19th, no evidence of Barbara was found. For me that speaks volumes. There was no evidence that she was there. This of course, is just my opinion.

 

[cricket49]

AUG 2, 2019
Lost on the hiking trail? 6 ways to improve your chances of getting found
[...]

Less than a month later, Sheryl Powell, 60, went missing for four days in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, a remote spot in California’s White Mountains near the Nevada border. The Huntington Beach woman said she had run into the woods to outrun a knife-wielding man who threatened her. The same day Powell disappeared, Barbara Thomas, 69, vanished during a short hike with her husband in the Mojave Desert northeast of Joshua Tree. She was last seen wearing a bikini and walking on a blazingly hot trail without any supplies, officials told the media. The search for her was called off after eight days.

It’s the time of year when summer hiking is at its peak — and so are streams of headlines about missing hikers. Wandering off the trail is the most common reason people get lost, according to Smokymountains.com, which examined more than 100 news reports of missing hikers.

You never want to be that person. And if you do get lost, you want to stay safe and get found. Quickly. The best advice, of course, is not to go missing in the first place.

[...]

@dbdb11, here's another volunteer SAR team: Sierra Madre Search and Rescue

Very good article with many helpful tips if you are lost.

"Make yourself big. If you see a helicopter coming, lie down and make like a snow angel.”

Never heard of this but it makes sense. From the air a person standing may look like a tree or shrub.

 

[Gigi3]

AFAIK, dbdb11 is still waiting to see the video and we don't know any more than that both RT and BT were seen leaving the home that morning. I don't know if that means getting into the truck, whether the camper was attached at that time, or what. Sorry for the wishy-washy. MOO

Thank you so much! I thought that was correct, but then again, I could’ve missed it. These threads have really been moving since the first couple and I’m glad to see all of the attention she’s receiving here. I plan on contacting the media links that @Knox provided (thanks for that!)
Hopefully, if we all try to make some noise, someone will respond!

 

[LaborDayRN]

Thats true. That being said, search teams would have likely been aided by scavenger birds in the area.

I was hiking in the 29 Palms area a few years ago (which isn’t too far away), and I saw a ton of birds all gathered in one spot.

They were feeding off a dead coyote.

Morbid as it is, I’d expect the same here.

I agree. Food can be rather scarce in the desert which makes scavengers very aware of any opportunity.

 

[LaborDayRN]

Greetings WS community, new here but many a year lurker... Following this case and a few others and felt maybe I could offer some insight.

Having lots of real world experience in geocoding and overlaying MetaData few things come to mind. First LE hopefully has had access to the phone and image image of BT as presented here and in MSM. There are a number of ways to detriment if the picture of BT was in-fact taken at the location previously stated by RT.

Cams and some phones can be "adjusted" to reflect a different time so as to tricking the metadata imbedded it only knows what the realtime the device is providing. This being said, the actual image, can be recreated by going to the place it was purported to be taken and looking into the background using sunlight/shadows/time of day/year. dertiming if it is in the actual geolocation it's said to be.

Many new cams also provide a geolocation option which will provide an exact point on a map defining where the picture was captured.

Certainly LE has the tools and perhaps much more forensic data to determine the accuracy of the image.

This whole case appears to have lots of holes and none of them line up. There is absolutely no way for BT to be out there and not found at this point. The heat the lack of water and shelter make it impossible. <modsnip> Foul play at the hand of others is all I can reasonably believe at this point in time. Sad!

JMO...

Welcome to WS fastoys! (or at least to posting ) Thank you for sharing this interesting information!

 

[10ofRods]

Do you think the family has already arranged further searches in the area that Barbara went missing?

I would sort of hope not. It's now 10 degrees hotter out there, and unless a group has really good communications, walkie talkies, satellite phone, and good search methods, the family and friends might find themselves lost as well.

SAR people get lots of training. They do go back after a search is called off, and the family could probably contact them. But to search very far in the Mojave at this time of year is truly life-threatening. And the obvious areas are already searched.

If people want to search close to other pull-outs and have a good sense of how to be in the desert (start early, mark the trail, bring the essentials) then it needs to be organized so that people start at 5-6 am, not at the time they just happen to arrive.

The family would have to "arrange" this with bona fide desert guides, in my view.

 

[katydid23]

I thought I’d weigh in on my interest here seeing as I’ve even been questioned as to whether I’m a family member because I’m not jumping in with accusations of foul play and seeing guilt in every little thing.

I hike quite a bit and forage for mushrooms. Even before my little mushroom obsession I had a pretty poor ability to remember the path we were on because I typically followed my photo taking husband (and yes, he would take so long sometimes and standing around in the heat would bore me, so I’d move ahead to keep the momentum knowing he’d catch up).

This led to quite a number of times veering off on the wrong trail. Luckily not too far as I would turn back if he couldn’t hear me yelling, and I wasn’t in the desert, thankfully.

But we both got lost in the desert once (we walked quite the distance!). Near a highway, too. And I went out on my own once, foraging, and ended up doing what the excerpt above said I broke into a run when I realized I’d lost the trail because I was extremely thirsty and hot and desperate to get back on track and find the car. I went in circles.

I’m not entirely stupid, and even hike a lot. It’s just that I’ve typically relied on my partner to lead, and he grew up doing it and has much better orientation skills (although we also got lost in the snow a couple of times, which was also not enjoyable and resulted in being out far longer than we hoped and feeling extremely miserable - after the panic died down, of course).

I don’t know what’s occurred here, but I do think it’s good to be open to different possibilities.

So that makes sense and gives me some context to your point of view. I understand how you could see this as an innocent accident.

To give you context of how some of us tend to view this, imagine that you have followed hundreds of cases here, over a period of several years.

And during that time, you have seen many interviews with concerned spouses, parents and roommates, who are worried about their missing loved ones. And then imagine that much of the time, those who seemed so concerned, ended up being guilty of murder.

After that happens dozens of times, one tends to get rather jaded. But also rather experienced, in seeing holes in a story and issues with a given scenario.

Some of us see red flags here. We could be wrong. But just as you have had many experiences with getting lost in the woods, so this seems familiar to you---many of us have had experiences seeing concerned loved ones describing their last moments with someone, who then goes missing forever---and this seems familiar to us, and it doesn't always end well.

Just trying to explain the context, for some of the skepticism and doubt. It is not bullying, it is questioning, because of prior experiences.