CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #9

[Lilibet]

I’ll say it again: the timeline appears to me to allow time to be at Kelbaker Road, with time to also travel elsewhere and back to Kelbaker.

I don’t disagree with you. Photos placing her there at a given time according to LE and time to travel elsewhere and back aren’t necessarily contradictory IMO.

 

[MsBetsy]

"Anyway, making assumptions and speculating is all we can do at this point.
There has been absolutely no evidence that a crime has been committed and still it is being assumed that Robert is lying about just about everything and is somehow involved in her disappearance, without any facts to base those assumptions on."


As to the bolded portion above, I think some people are basing their belief upon RT's own words. He said that he failed the polygraph, which showed deception. And he claimed that LE was treating him as a suspect.

So the assumption that he might be lying is based upon his own words, not just raw speculation. JMO

Well yes, but we know that the husband or family members are always looked at as suspects in the beginning. They are the first to be ruled out, and after LE questioned him they claimed there was no evidence of foul play.

So are we to believe that he is telling the truth about being a suspect and he is lying about everything else?
Maybe he was being deceitful when he said he failed the lie detector test and that LE considers him the prime suspect.
If he is lying about everything else, maybe he is lying about that too. Imo

 

[RANCH]

"Anyway, making assumptions and speculating is all we can do at this point.
There has been absolutely no evidence that a crime has been committed and still it is being assumed that Robert is lying about just about everything and is somehow involved in her disappearance, without any facts to base those assumptions on."


As to the bolded portion above, I think some people are basing their belief upon RT's own words. He said that he failed the polygraph, which showed deception. And he claimed that LE was treating him as a suspect.

So the assumption that he might be lying is based upon his own words, not just raw speculation. JMO

The way I take RT's comments on the polygraph is not that he is admitting to being deceptive he's saying that LE told him that.

If I was given a polygraph in a missing person case and LE said that I was being deceptive I would feel that I was a suspect. JMO.

 

[RANCH]

I don’t disagree with you. Photos placing her there at a given time according to LE and time to travel elsewhere and back aren’t necessarily contradictory IMO.

I'm sure that LE has looked at location data from RT's phone and if it shows him traveling a significant distance away from the location where he took the photos, coming back and then calling 911 he's in big trouble.

That would be more incriminating than altering times that photos were taken. JMO.

 

[Gigi3]

Well yes, but we know that the husband or family members are always looked at as suspects in the beginning. They are the first to be ruled out, and after LE questioned him they claimed there was no evidence of foul play.

So are we to believe that he is telling the truth about being a suspect and he is lying about everything else?
Maybe he was being deceitful when he said he failed the lie detector test and that LE considers him the prime suspect.
If he is lying about everything else, maybe he is lying about that too. Imo

And this is so confusing to me... they say no evidence of foul play but have not come out and said he is cleared. I really wish we had some new information on Barbara. Anything!
ETA: I’m so sorry you had trouble with your tire! Thank goodness you’re ok!

 

[katydid23]

I'm sure that LE has looked at location data from RT's phone and if it shows him traveling a significant distance away from the location where he took the photos, coming back and then calling 911 he's in big trouble.

That would be more incriminating than altering times that photos were taken. JMO.

But he may have left his phone in the location he claimed to be hiking, and unhooked from the RV and taken his wife for a ride in the truck somewhere?

 

[Lilibet]

I'm sure that LE has looked at location data from RT's phone and if it shows him traveling a significant distance away from the location where he took the photos, coming back and then calling 911 he's in big trouble.

That would be more incriminating than altering times that photos were taken. JMO.

I always forget that my phone knows where I’ve been! Silly me. You’re quite right about it being more incriminating than altered photo times. Now would RT be like me and forget something so basic?

I dug into my iphone location services and was amazed at what it shows dating back well over a year and including a trip to NYC and DC among other east coast places last October. Learn something new every day.

 

[k-mac]

Respectfully edited for commentary focus
With regard to RT, I am following WebSleuths TOS by not bashing the Victim Husband. *If* he is named a POI, I will join that commentary. As for Barb, I do *not* consider her a "dizzy thoughtless drunk". Rather, someone who is lost in the desert, and has yet to be found. Extremely tragic.

Amateur opinion and speculation

bbm
the point though roses, imo implying barb is somehow lost out there in the wilderness is affensive to her being.
that's just my opinion.

 

[rosesfromangels]

bbm
the point though roses, imo implying barb is somehow lost out there in the wilderness is affensive to her being.
that's just my opinion.

I understand your point k-mac, but it's so blasted hot out there (even if you are acclimated), I don't see it as boozy and befuddled at all. Rather more like medical distress and heat exhaustion.
Regardless, let's find this beautiful gal and bring her home to rest.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[RANCH]

But he may have left his phone in the location he claimed to be hiking, and unhooked from the RV and taken his wife for a ride in the truck somewhere?

That's a possibility.

He would take the risk that a CHP officer driving by would check out an abandoned 5th wheel trailer on the side of the road. Or anyone driving by seeing him unhooking the trailer. JMO

 

[Lilibet]

bbm
the point though roses, imo implying barb is somehow lost out there in the wilderness is affensive to her being.
that's just my opinion.

I’m pretty much on the fence for now, but I think even the sharpest, most capable person like Barb can get lost in any circumstances. Our threads our full of them. Entertaining that possibility isn’t offensive, but is realistically covering all possibilities IMO. We are quite limited by TOS in considering other possibilities. But whatever happened to Barb needs to be uncovered.

 

[K9Enzo]

IMO, many times, not all, when people go missing in outdoor adventures/outings it comes down to the following for me.

-hubris
-bad luck

I think BT had bad luck that day.

 

[k-mac]

I understand your point k-mac, but it's so blasted hot out there (even if you are acclimated), I don't see it as boozy and befuddled at all. Rather more like medical distress and heat exhaustion.
Regardless, let's find this beautiful gal and bring her home to rest.

Amateur opinion and speculation

thanks roses I am glad you get where I am coming from.
because they searched though 9 days with no trace I agree with LE she isn't there.
if she had a medical distress she would have been found because the chances of her having a medical episode and then being hidden or consealed from searchers just isn't viable in that scenario.

moo

 

[RANCH]

How much sleuthing is allowed here on Websleuths on a person who is not a named suspect or PIO?

 

[MsBetsy]

And this is so confusing to me... they say no evidence of foul play but have not come out and said he is cleared. I really wish we had some new information on Barbara. Anything!
ETA: I’m so sorry you had trouble with your tire! Thank goodness you’re ok!

Haha, thank you, I was very frustrated for awhile while I was stranded!

Just like I am frustrated that we have not heard anything about this case!
If only we had just a short update. Even a statement from LE that they have leads they are following through with or that they have not made any progress or they still have leads to follow through with or anything!

I still think we may not know anything until a body is found, unfortunately.
Imo

 

[10ofRods]

Yes, if he was in any way responsible for her disappearance, there seem to be many scenarios he could have invented to make it more believable.
He could have at least put more time and distance between the last time he saw her and when she went missing.
If he really wanted people to believe she was abducted, he could have planted something along the road, like her cup or hat, or sunglasses.
Imo

If anyone is attempting to manage a crime scene, sticking close to the truth is always best. I am speaking in generalities, not about RT in particular.

I'm sure that LE has looked at location data from RT's phone and if it shows him traveling a significant distance away from the location where he took the photos, coming back and then calling 911 he's in big trouble.

That would be more incriminating than altering times that photos were taken. JMO.

So of course, that's not what he did. That's not what happened. I do believe he'd be brought in for questioning (with his attorney, when he had one) if they found a discontinuity.

They would have had that data early on. They would not have put all those assets and resources into this near record-breaking 9 day desert search if that was the case.

OTOH, LE does know when RT and Barbara arrived at that desert intersection and how much time they had for her to get lost. And since LE is reluctant to go to the abduction theory, they must at least have "lost" still on the table.

I'll bet good money that his GPS is consistent with what he says happened.

 

[10ofRods]

IMO, many times, not all, when people go missing in outdoor adventures/outings it comes down to the following for me.

-hubris
-bad luck

I think BT had bad luck that day.

The single most important variable is going solo, being alone, parting from your hiking partner. Source: Death in Grand Canyon. Massive amount of data on the topic, expert LE viewpoint.

 

[rosesfromangels]

How much sleuthing is allowed here on Websleuths on a person who is not a named suspect or PIO?

Well, on this thread it seems anything goes which I find very sad.

 

[rosesfromangels]

thanks roses I am glad you get where I am coming from.
because they searched though 9 days with no trace I agree with LE she isn't there.
if she had a medical distress she would have been found because the chances of her having a medical episode and then being hidden or consealed from searchers just isn't viable in that scenario.

moo

I do understand K-Mac, and appreciate your respect towards this dear lady. However, as I have mentioned a few times in the thread, it is *SO* difficult to find people outdoors. I know of searches where areas were throughly searched several times and it turns out they were literally walking right past remains. It's really hard to "see" remains outdoors.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[CocoChanel]

How much sleuthing is allowed here on Websleuths on a person who is not a named suspect or PIO?

ZERO.
NONE.
ZIP.
NADA.