CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #5

[k-mac]

So... devils advocate.
Do we know what the relationship of Barb and her son was like, prior to disappearance? Immediately prior, a year prior, five years, etc. Were they close or was the relationship strained? If they kept in touch, was it by phone or perhaps email? Did she visit him or did he make the trip to visit her?
My apologies if this has been covered in prior threads... but I'm wondering if their relationship wasn't strained. We truly don't know the family dynamics because other than the VI, no one else has stepped forward to provide any insight. What if something explosive has happened in the past and Barbara and her son weren't on speaking terms? What if it had been like that for years? Maybe that wouldn't have been Roberts first thought, to call her estranged son and make him aware.

Also, people act strange in times of stress and crisis. Sometimes they can't even explain the thought process that they followed, it's just a glitch in humans. Some people are incredibly focused (occasionally on something completely separate, perhaps to take their mind off of the problem at hand) and others are so scatterbrained that it's painful to try to follow a conversation with them. There is no "correct" way to respond in situations like this because everyone handles things differently. Keep in mind their ages. When my grandfather was sick, my grandmother was making sure their financial matters were in order, papers neatly filed and accessible, passwords written down, etc. This blew the minds of family because one would assume that she would be worried sick, at his side 24/7 and upset. She was methodical and that's just how she handled the stress but behind closed doors and alone, she was an absolute mess. I guess it's easy to judge with little information and the statistical outcome of these situations but boy, I hope that I'm never in the shoes of Robert.

i think RT was managing ok under the circumstances.
he was able to do two media interviews just fine.

 

[tara83]

I noticed in Pommymommy's timeline thread a picture of Barbara and Lexi the collie in a pic that looked like they were camping out somewhere.So I'm assuming Robert took the picture and so the dog has been on at least one trip with them.

 

[Lilibet]

Well, besides being close in age, I identify even more with Barb now, as my neighbors might say the same about me!

Maybe her reasonings might be like me, too, so here’s what I would say to explain myself:

It’s not that I never drive, but I rarely do—because I don’t enjoy driving. I also have a health concern, another reason.

And, my husband and I get along well and enjoy doing our errands, exercise hikes, eating out, cooking, etc together, so we do! We are both retirees and are able to do this now, and are happy spending this time together.

I’m a homebody, and, before my dog passed last year, enjoyed caring for my elderly four-legged baby, who needed a lot of care at home near the end. My husband often did things out of the home on his own due to his hobby, but with my blessings (definitely not a hobby I liked).

I guess we sound very old-school and old fashioned, but it works for us. Was Barb and RT the same? All MOO

My dh and I are the same way, slowpoke. We’ve known each other 55 years this month and our 53rd anniversary is next month. And (horrors!) a couple of close friends have actually seen us be crabby with each other on occasion.

 

[LaborDayRN]

The cultCorp stuff is really reminding me of the Church of Scientology -- complete with financial support from select powerful/wealthy people, and other people being possibly held against their will.

Anyone else getting this feeling?

I hope it's not that bad, since they (CoS) seem to be completely immune to legal constraints.

I hope Barbara is ok.

That's funny. I was just thinking the same thing this morning!

 

[al66pine]

...Why don't they need the public's help? why don't they need the neighbour's surveillance cam? ....

@dbdb11 Thanks for ^ post and the many others in which you have shared info. I snipped ^ for focus.

Q1. Somewhere along the line, I got impression/thought I read that one neighbor's surv/sec. cam recorded truck & RV leaving that a.m, recorded it, and neighbor provided it to LE. Yes/no?

Q2. Are you saying you think LE has not made effort to find other surv/sec cam recordings in their neighborhood? Yes/no? Thx in adv.

Wishing your family comfort in this unimaginably difficult time; hoping BT is safe.

 

[Jazzy5980]

BBM
Yes. Who would know?

In many states court records are online. However, this information would only show up if the individual in question was convicted. Generally no record of charges that are dismissed. Legal records can also be found on Lexis and Westlaw, which are legal search engines.

 

[Kapua]

The people I know who have RVs always take their pooches along, too.

I'm now wondering whether RT and BT regularly took the dog with them when they went on the road in their RV,
or if they normally boarded the dog at the kennel when they went camping.

The kennel owners would probably know if BT regularly boarded her dog when they went on RV trips.

Hopefully, LE has interviewed the kennel staff that were working that morning, as well as looking into whether or not they made a regular practice of boarding the dog or if this was a one-off.

If it wasn't their usual practice to kennel the dog when they took a road trip w/ the RV, then why for this trip?

Could the reason BT reportedly appeared agitated/angry to the kennel staff that morning be b/c she didn't want to leave the dog behind but someone else had insisted on it for some reason?

JMO.

Look at the video of the search dogs in the Media thread. They seem OK. They are short-haired, while Lexi is a collie, though. Their nice, big truck has an extended cab, perfect for Lexi, IMHO. S/he could travel in air-conditioned comfort until they got to their hiking/camping destination.

 

[Jazzy5980]

Barbara did at 8:30, alone -- and the staff said she seemed visibly distraught.

Pray tell where is BT’s dog now? Arguably, RT picked up the dog and is caring for her if he actually believes BT is alive

 

[kay74]

There must be some reason they did not take their dog. Could she have been angry that RT did not want to take the dog and at the last minute she had to drop it off at the kennel?

 

[Nerissa]

Pray tell where is BT’s dog now? Arguably, RT picked up the dog and is caring for her if he actually believes BT is alive

According to our VI the dog is in the kennel - this was stated a few days ago. Maybe this situation has now changed

 

[Knox]

My dh and I are the same way, slowpoke. We’ve known each other 55 years this month and our 53rd anniversary is next month. And (horrors!) a couple of close friends have actually seen us be crabby with each other on occasion.

Wishing you a early Happy Anniversary!!

 

[CSIDreamer]

You're the one!

I know a lot of people (and I include myself) who call it a cell phone a camera when they use it as a camera. Maybe us older types who remember buying rolls of 35mm film and hoping that one shot looked good.

I'm the odd duck. I take a lot of pictures with my cell and it's always my cell lol.

 

[Jazzy5980]

Well, besides being close in age, I identify even more with Barb now, as my neighbors might say the same about me!

Maybe her reasonings might be like me, too, so here’s what I would say to explain myself:

It’s not that I never drive, but I rarely do—because I don’t enjoy driving. I also have a health concern, another reason.

And, my husband and I get along well and enjoy doing our errands, exercise hikes, eating out, cooking, etc together, so we do! We are both retirees and are able to do this now, and are happy spending this time together.

I’m a homebody, and, before my dog passed last year, enjoyed caring for my elderly four-legged baby, who needed a lot of care at home near the end. My husband often does things out of the home on his own due to his hobby, but with my blessings (definitely not a hobby I like).

I guess we sound very old-school and old fashioned, but it works for us. Was Barb and RT the same? All MOO

I’m sorry you lost your beloved four-legged friend.

 

[fridaybaker]

Why didn't Barbara drive - ?

I am wondering why they weren't taking the pooch with them - ? Seems odd: a camping trip would be something a dog would love, & it's been stated that Barbara was very attached to her dog. Perhaps this is why she wasn't happy - she didn't want to kennel her dog - ? (there are pics with her camping with her dog, so it wasn't the norm to kennel him)

Do we even know what the plans were - where were they planning to camp?

For how long?

BBM: Very interesting tibit. I wonder what the plan was. If only the short "hike" we know about, would it be a problem to keep the AC on for the pooch?

Also, I don't know much about this, so can someone give some input on whether one could take a dog on the hike they did do? Bring him some water, put booties on the feet. Realistic? Would anyone do that?

And on that note, has RT ever given more info on what other plans they had? Have I missed that?

 

[rosesfromangels]

According to our VI the dog is in the kennel - this was stated a few days ago. Maybe this situation has now changed

That upsets me. A dog should not be in a kennel that long. I hope one of her friends will take it for now?

 

[Tillicum]

There must be some reason they did not take their dog. Could she have been angry that RT did not want to take the dog and at the last minute she had to drop it off at the kennel?

Maybe RT didn't want the dog in the new camper?

 

[Cherwell]

I still think the obvious reason is that five days in extremely high temperatures is not the best conditions for a domestic dog.

 

[dbdb11]

Article about crime in the Mojave Desert
A Mojave Crime Compendium
how many homicide victims are actually found in the Mojave. Somewhat surprisingly, he replied, "On average we only find one or two per year," commenting further that recreationists are most likely to find a murder victim in the open desert. He additionally mentioned that victims and their perpetrators are, in most cases, tied somehow to the location were the body is found. Holes in the Desert: A Mojave Crime Compendium

"A rather amusing related incident shared in a 2008 Los Angeles Times article noted that "75 flat-screen TVs worth more than $225,000" had been spotted during a 2005 aerial search of the area after MNP law enforcement rangers had run into two men sitting in an empty rental moving truck near a rail crossing on a desolate stretch of road. Fumbling under the influence of alcohol, the duo couldn't explain why they were there or how a bag of suspicious white powder happened to be lying within a few feet of their vehicle. The two were consequently arrested. The powder was determined to be cocaine -- possibly a down payment for the botched flat screen heist?"
interesting.

 

[dbdb11]

Did she ever drive? I do know a few people who have never passed a driving test. My aunt for one, she could never get the hang of it and blames her poor coordination. Also have a friend who is too scared to drive since being involved in a nasty accident. She is OK as a passenger with a driver she trusts, but it put her off learning to drive herself.

yes she drove when she lived in san diego.

 

[AC's Grandma]

The cultCorp stuff is really reminding me of the Church of Scientology -- complete with financial support from select powerful/wealthy people, and other people being possibly held against their will.

Anyone else getting this feeling?

I hope it's not that bad, since they (CoS) seem to be completely immune to legal constraints.

I hope Barbara is ok.

I was thinking the same thing about the Church of Scientology and how the leader's wife disappeared it seemed.