CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #7

[CSIDreamer]

bbm


That isn't unusual in our neck of the woods. If you have to do business during family gatherings (many of us do) it's only polite to take your conversation away from others so as not to annoy or interfere with what's going on.... polite vs. rude.

I agree. Plus it's annoying to try to hear what someone is saying to you with background chatter.

 

[Cherwell]

Just throwing this out as an innocent reason for something that might be chalked up to a misunderstanding. RT clearly didn’t need help to get into the truck, so....
When RT said he couldn’t get in and out of the truck without his wife’s help, I wonder if he meant that he needed her help to get the RV in and out of the gas station and perhaps “Mike” misunderstood. When we were RVers, often I would have to “spot” my husband from outside the fifth wheel to make sure he wasn’t going to hit something...like a gas tank! We had hand signals. A raised fist meant STOP!!
So, if we were just stopping for ice, I can imagine parking across the road so we could avoid the hassle of pulling our rig into the tight quarters of a gas station. I would have stayed in the truck and my husband would have crossed the road to get the ice.

I totally get that explanation. That sounds very feasible.
And if he wanted to feign disability for some reason, why would he then flaunt his fitness by "jogging" across the road and "hopping" into the truck? He'd limp over, surely, in case anyone was watching?

 

[anneg]

Only one round trip ticket...

 

[Lilibet]

I totally get that explanation. That sounds very feasible.
And if he wanted to feign disability for some reason, why would he then flaunt his fitness by "jogging" across the road and "hopping" into the truck? He'd limp over, surely, in case anyone was watching?

Exactly. And if no wife appears to help him into the truck, where is she?

 

[squareandrabbet]

Some perhaps random tangent I haven't seen anyone hit upon yet: what do those who have seen the ground cover/pictures of the area think that RT might have meant, precisely, when he said that "Barb turned a corner"? In my expectation, in order for there to be corners in the desert, there need to be obstructions in the area; as I doubt he would refer to a flattish plain as having "[a] corner". Does it refer to a butte; a boulder; other?

-Secondly, does the 5th wheel in question have anything that could have been used to signal someone in the desert - for example, any type of rear-view mirror, hubcap, etc.? Wondering because I should think that a reflective item would seem more useful to try and grab someone's attention in the desert, than the frantic type of arm-waving RT says he engaged in... just some thoughts. When you're trying to pinpoint something or someone in a landscape, it's not so easy.

 

[Blue Ridge]

The attendant on the day spoke to me. Describes Robbie as naggy and said police have all surveillance footage. The attendant, Mike if I remember, also told me Robbie parked way out on the other side of the road. Walked in to the store in a very roundabout way, said something about not being able to get in and out of the truck without his wife's help, which made the attendant think he was implying a disability, and then practically jogged across the road and hopped in the truck, which struck Mike as very odd, and made him remember the encounter. RT only bought ice. Mike did not see Barb, but probably wouldn't have if they were parked across the road (context for the google earth photo). This happened around 9am.

Wow.....

 

[K9Enzo]

@dbdb11 So it sounds as if the attendant observed RT’s approach from the RV (roundabout) or did he mean he came into the store in a roundabout way once he was on the gas station property? In other words, he missed the normal entrance to the store?

Just throwing this out as an innocent reason for something that might be chalked up to a misunderstanding. RT clearly didn’t need help to get into the truck, so....

When RT said he couldn’t get in and out of the truck without his wife’s help, I wonder if he meant that he needed her help to get the RV in and out of the gas station and perhaps “Mike” misunderstood. When we were RVers, often I would have to “spot” my husband from outside the fifth wheel to make sure he wasn’t going to hit something...like a gas tank! We had hand signals. A raised fist meant STOP!!

So, if we were just stopping for ice, I can imagine parking across the road so we could avoid the hassle of pulling our rig into the tight quarters of a gas station. I would have stayed in the truck and my husband would have crossed the road to get the ice.

Regarding ice, they possibly didn’t have ice already made in their RV fridge and it would melt if they didn’t run the fridge on battery or propane while driving. In some areas, it’s illegal to keep your propane on while driving, such as at a gas station.

Refrigerator While Driving | Your RV Lifestyle

IMO, it’s as simple as your explanation.

 

[MimosaMornings]

A few more pictures. Thank you all again for your words, your deeds, your thoughts, your prayers and your time

View attachment 200203 View attachment 200204 View attachment 200205 View attachment 200206 .

Thank you for the pictures.

Is the truck in this picture the same one?
(The one used to pull the fifth wheel camper)
Guessing the boat is approx 22 foot cuddy cabin type - perhaps a Bayliner or Sea Ray.
Looks like it’s registered in NV.

 

[RANCH]

If I understand correctly our VI said that Barbara didn't want to keep the cell phone their family gave her to use in HK because it was expensive. Wonder what she thought of the cost of the boat, plane and RV.

What kind of plane are we talking about?

Do we know that they own this plane by themselves or is it in a partnership?

Did they own this plane in the past?

Maybe RT rented a plane like a lot of pilots do and never told anyone that he didn't own the plane.

A lot of unknown's here. JMO

 

[GordianKnot]

The attendant on the day spoke to me. Describes Robbie as naggy and said police have all surveillance footage. The attendant, Mike if I remember, also told me Robbie parked way out on the other side of the road. Walked in to the store in a very roundabout way, said something about not being able to get in and out of the truck without his wife's help, which made the attendant think he was implying a disability, and then practically jogged across the road and hopped in the truck, which struck Mike as very odd, and made him remember the encounter. RT only bought ice. Mike did not see Barb, but probably wouldn't have if they were parked across the road (context for the google earth photo). This happened around 9am.

BBM:

To the bolded portion of your post:

This is the biggest, most important takeaway to me from what you said.

This means that LE is indeed doing their due diligence, e.g., tracking movements, collecting footage, asking questions, etc.

Good to hear.

JMO.

 

[MsBetsy]

If I understand correctly our VI said that Barbara didn't want to keep the cell phone their family gave her to use in HK because it was expensive. Wonder what she thought of the cost of the boat, plane and RV.

I thought she wasn't interested in having the phone and had to be taught how to use it. Since she wanted to stay in a hotel, her family insisted she have one, and when she left she did not bring it with her.
I don't remember any mention of her saying it was too expensive.

Maybe the RV was something they both had been looking forward to for a long time, and now that they were retirement age it was something they could finally afford and enjoy. Imo

 

[kkdj]

@dbdb11 So it sounds as if the attendant observed RT’s approach from the RV (roundabout) or did he mean he came into the store in a roundabout way once he was on the gas station property? In other words, he missed the normal entrance to the store?

Just throwing this out as an innocent reason for something that might be chalked up to a misunderstanding. RT clearly didn’t need help to get into the truck, so....

When RT said he couldn’t get in and out of the truck without his wife’s help, I wonder if he meant that he needed her help to get the RV in and out of the gas station and perhaps “Mike” misunderstood. When we were RVers, often I would have to “spot” my husband from outside the fifth wheel to make sure he wasn’t going to hit something...like a gas tank! We had hand signals. A raised fist meant STOP!!

So, if we were just stopping for ice, I can imagine parking across the road so we could avoid the hassle of pulling our rig into the tight quarters of a gas station. I would have stayed in the truck and my husband would have crossed the road to get the ice.

Regarding ice, they possibly didn’t have ice already made in their RV fridge and it would melt if they didn’t run the fridge on battery or propane while driving. In some areas, it’s illegal to keep your propane on while driving, such as at a gas station.

Refrigerator While Driving | Your RV Lifestyle

BBM
Perhaps RT was concerned that someone saw BT pushing RT out of the truck of something violent happening in there so he made an excuse as to what he was concerned someone might have seen. There is a reason he told the attendant that.

 

[RANCH]

BBM:

To the bolded portion of your post:

This is the biggest, most important takeaway to me from what you said.

This means that LE is indeed doing their due diligence, e.g., tracking movements, collecting footage, asking questions, etc.

Good to hear.

JMO.

I agree.

They are looking to corroborate what they have been told and also are trying to find out about things they may have not been told. JMO.

 

[al66pine]

Can Family Move Forward/Work Together to Find BT?

....
My strategy would be for both sides of the families to sit down, discuss ways of moving forward, rather than accusations...

@Leney Thanks for your post. sbm
@dbdb11 A couple questions, maybe just rhetorical.
To best of your knowledge, have any fam members made accusations directly to RT about poss involvement he had w her disappearance? *
Any thoughts on feasibility of ^ suggestion ---
- w logistics to even 'meet', w fam being spread around US, some in Asia, etc. Does face to face, in person seem doable? Skype? Other vid conferencing?
-w mind-sets/personalities of various fam members?

Hoping for positive resolution in some way for all involved.

------------------------------------------------------
* Aside from what BT's son said in local Indy TV interview, if anyone characterizes that as accusations.

 

[MsBetsy]

Leading questions can affect the type of answer you get. JMO

Yes, I think it's impossible to know what the context of a conversation is without hearing it word for word. If LE interviewed any witnesses I'm sure it will be important evidence if it proves to be useful.
So far everything has just been speculation as we don't have many facts. It's very frustrating. Imo

 

[10ofRods]

Exactly. And if no wife appears to help him into the truck, where is she?

I think it's a simple misstatement by this employee. The wife has to help with the truck. If you know Old People with RV's (anyone over 65? 60?) and you know Occam's Razor...I believe that's the answer (not really kidding).

It's not just old people or men who can't deal with convenience stores and very long rigs (this one is like 42 feet or something). My dad hated to admit it, but he needed someone to work with him on where to park. Parking AT a convenience store? Not gonna happen at any convenience store near where I live.

Parking NEAR a convenience store (in a spot you are guided to by your wife) is very very good (if you have to have something essential, like ice).

The ways of RV people are traditional. Mostly.

 

[10ofRods]

Can Family Move Forward/Work Together to Find BT?

@Leney Thanks for your post. sbm
@dbdb11 A couple questions, maybe just rhetorical.
To best of your knowledge, have any fam members made accusations directly to RT about poss involvement he had w her disappearance? *
Any thoughts on feasibility of ^ suggestion ---
- w logistics to even 'meet', w fam being spread around US, some in Asia, etc. Does face to face, in person seem doable? Skype? Other vid conferencing?
-w mind-sets/personalities of various fam members?

Hoping for positive resolution in some way for all involved.

------------------------------------------------------
* Aside from what BT's son said in local Indy TV interview, if anyone characterizes that as accusations.

Do you count social media? Or are you asking if someone has flown from Indiana or Hong Kong to talk to RT face to face? Email and phone are direct, right? But what about social media?

 

[MsBetsy]

BBM
Perhaps RT was concerned that someone saw BT pushing RT out of the truck of something violent happening in there so he made an excuse as to what he was concerned someone might have seen. There is a reason he told the attendant that.

Why would she push him out of the truck because he needed her help to get the truck and RV in and out of the gas station?

If he was so concerned that someone might see him why would he jog across the road and hop into the truck after claiming he needed his wife's help to get into the truck?

 

[Tillicum]

I thought she wasn't interested in having the phone and had to be taught how to use it. Since she wanted to stay in a hotel, her family insisted she have one, and when she left she did not bring it with her.
I don't remember any mention of her saying it was too expensive.

Maybe the RV was something they both had been looking forward to for a long time, and now that they were retirement age it was something they could finally afford and enjoy. Imo

It was our VI's opinion she thought it might have been valuable. So not the word expensive.
CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #5

"In any case, your sentiment above is all good. I felt she left the phone because she didn't want to take something which could have been very valuable, in her estimation. Both her son and my dad's wife claim Barb expressed wanting a phone, and she never got one... for what its worth."

 

[LAhiker]

@dbdb11 So it sounds as if the attendant observed RT’s approach from the RV (roundabout) or did he mean he came into the store in a roundabout way once he was on the gas station property? In other words, he missed the normal entrance to the store?

Just throwing this out as an innocent reason for something that might be chalked up to a misunderstanding. RT clearly didn’t need help to get into the truck, so....

When RT said he couldn’t get in and out of the truck without his wife’s help, I wonder if he meant that he needed her help to get the RV in and out of the gas station and perhaps “Mike” misunderstood. When we were RVers, often I would have to “spot” my husband from outside the fifth wheel to make sure he wasn’t going to hit something...like a gas tank! We had hand signals. A raised fist meant STOP!!

So, if we were just stopping for ice, I can imagine parking across the road so we could avoid the hassle of pulling our rig into the tight quarters of a gas station. I would have stayed in the truck and my husband would have crossed the road to get the ice.

Regarding ice, they possibly didn’t have ice already made in their RV fridge and it would melt if they didn’t run the fridge on battery or propane while driving. In some areas, it’s illegal to keep your propane on while driving, such as at a gas station.

Refrigerator While Driving | Your RV Lifestyle

While this is a reasonable explanation of RT's statement as slightly misremembered by the employee, I thought the reason he parked across the street may have been because that was easier and simpler than trying to pull into the gas station/convenience store parking area. I guess he could've needed help with that, though still not clear why the employee remembered RT as saying that he had trouble getting out of the truck rather than getting the truck/RV out of something/somewhere.

It doesn't sound like RT/BT got gas at the station, but who knows.

In any event, I'm glad the police have the surveillance video -- maybe they'll be able to tell if anything odd was going on aside from normal difficulties maneuvering trucks/fifth wheel RVs. JMO.