bbm
As I said above, there's no reason to believe they searched the truck and trailer at all. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. If they did, I would think they would have gotten a warrant. I believe he drove home and parked the trailer before heading off to the polygraph. I do not believe they polygraphed him out in the Mojave. Probably in Needles. RT said they wouldn't let him stay at the search site.
If LE did not at least ask RT for permission to search the vehicles then they were derelict in their duty IMO. A warrant wouldn't have been necessary if RT consented to a search.
Yes, LE would have looked at structures and foundations in the area. The ground is hardpacked sand on top of bedrock sandstone (very hard sandstone) with underground beds of granite (you can see an upthrust on google maps). There is actually some sort of industrial building maybe 5-6 miles further down Kelbaker and then a few more buildings between there and Kelso Depot (some 16 miles away, going by memory, that's where the NP visitor center is).
Of course LE should/would have searched visible structures and foundations but my question was if LE referenced maps that included mine shafts and wells that might be located within the broader area.
No way anyone can be buried very deeply (or at all) in that area and easy to see building footprints (and even medium sized rocks) on google satellite imagery.
Buried is one thing. Having fallen in to a deep mine shaft, well or other open-hole feature is another.
We don't know exactly how long she was out there with the beer. He called police around 2:30 pm, saying he had looked for her for about an hour. They left home at 8:15. No one knows what she ate or how many beers she had. The two mile hike may have taken them an hour? We don't know. An hour would certainly begin to test most people's heat tolerance at 105F.
I wonder if BT was still drinking from the can or was it empty and she was tired of carrying the durned thing and she wanted to get back to the RV to properly discard it in a receptacle in the RV.
Why do the love notes need to be written that morning? Are you thinking suicide? Love notes were produced by RT, but he didn' t mention that they were written in any morning, but that she put them under his pillow (I think? Someone else will remember for sure or correct me).
I wondered if there was a note(s) that morning/previous evening if they were different in any way, such that they would indicate a change in written expression or showing of other concern as to cognitive processes, i.e., were they typical or did they indicate a diminished or altered mindset.
I never thought suicide as a possibility in this case given what we think we know. There is no indication unless we assume BT wanted not to be found after a self-inflicted demise. I have not assumed such a scenario in this case although it remains as a minuscule possibility.
We don't know what they packed in the RV (how would anyone know that? if they asked RT that during the polygraph, we don't know that, they will not release the polygraph transcript - most likely ever). IIRC, RT says he carried a gallon of water and some more beer? Can't remember.
My query was regarding if RT found those resources intact upon his return to the RV. Had BT arrived to the RV but then left it for whatever reason?
There is no trash receptacle at that dirt intersection/turn out. There is no trash pickup in Mojave NP, or any nearby federal land. It's all pack in and pack out yourself.
I was referring to if BT returned to the RV to discard her beer can in a receptacle in the RV. Was her beer can found there after her disappearance?
There are no known pictures of BT taken that day (that we know of). The picture of her in the red cap was thought to be older (I think maybe the VI said that).
There was mention by RT of a panorama picture that Barbara took that day (of the land). Presumably the police did look at RT's phone and could see that picture, but no proof BT took it and RT did not say he was in it, he said it was scenery.
I wondered if the subjects/compositions of the photographs were typical or consistent with photographs taken during previous hikes. If so, why? If not, I don't see an issue.
We don't know where else they stopped or what else she may have worn that day.
LE, even during a traffic stop, typically asks "where are you coming from" and/or "where are you heading". I would expect LE would have had similar queries for RT. Had the T's been to somewhere previously that day where they interacted with other hikers/tourists/locals? Might someone have followed the T's without them being aware?
