MT MT - Barbara Bolick, 55, Corvallis, 18 Jul 2007

[Fuzzymuffin]

I don't think it is all that far if someone took her. If you kidnap someone you don't hang around in the area where you kidnap them. If you are taking them for a purpose you are going to leave the area far enough away from the search that the remains won't be easily found...that way an trace evidence disappears before the body is found.

 

[lindamichelle1]

I have been reading on this case for a hour now, I dont know what to think.
But i agree with someone else about what time did the crew get there? That would limit the oppurtunity window.
But I also find it very suspicious. He conveniantly turns his back for a minute and POOF she is gone forever. it seems so odd especially in a deserted place like a trail. And an experienced hiker in that area she doesnt seem like the type to do dangerous things and get close to a edge, especially coz the husband said she was scared of heights. and she was with someone who wasnt familiar with the area so it makes less sense she would distance herself from him and walk too far ahead.i feel like if she fell she would have cried out and how could he not hear that?
And it also seems odd after all the searches and stuff how come she was never found.
I dont think he took them to the right spot.

And i know it seems odd that why would he kill her at the last minute, but im sure most killers their friends and family would say they were good people who wouldnt hurt anyone, and im guessing quite a fair majority of crimes are spur of the moment.
Take for example the Hannah Graham case recently, everyone who knew LJ Matthews have said he was a friendly good guy and wouldnt have done it. and he took Hannah just coz he walked past her and saw an oppurtunity.
in this case Jim could have taken her friendly nature the wrong way or thought she was trying to hint something and he made a move and she got mad or even pulled the gun on him. who knows what happened up there on the mountain.
I feel like the 2 young guys didnt see anything suspicious otherwise they would have mentioned it to the work crew instead of being so casual.
It would have been great to know though if they confirmed seeing Barbara with Jim just to narrow the fact down she was on that trail.

 

[ekardh]

I have a hard time believing Jim did anything to bring Barbara harm that day. If for no other reason, then simply because the cousin was supposed to be going on the hike with them, but in the morning she was hungover and chose not to. It just seems unlikely to me that Jim suddenly decided "oh good, now I can get my murder on" if you know what I mean.

You're assuming that, if Barbara was murdered, then it was premeditated. An alternative scenario is that Jim misreads the signals and thinks Barbara is flirting with him, he makes a move, she rebuffs him and there's a struggle, he panics and accidentally or deliberately pushes her off the ledge.

I honestly doubt she was killed by a wild animal, because as it's already been stated, there would've been some clues. I'm inclined to believe she fell into a crevasse of some sort, but how exactly she ended up there we'll probably never know.

 

[Fuzzymuffin]

More from the perspective of the husband. And some bits about another missing woman in Montana.

http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/missoula/vanished/Content?oid=1925180&storyPage=2

 

[jstock]

A body was found just off Interstate 90. "Older remains". Maybe this will be her. http://helenair.com/news/hiker-find...cle_778121e6-218e-11e4-bc1b-001a4bcf887a.html


http://missoulian.com/news/local/gr...cle_ba88abba-2177-11e4-a14e-0019bb2963f4.html

It would be nice for her loved ones to have closure.

I never saw a follow-up to the remains found, did they ever get an identity?

 

[Fuzzymuffin]

Still nothing has appeared in any news articles about those remains. I have no idea but I thought I would provide information on some issues.

The state attorney general and Montana State Crime Lab are reviewing some of the work that was done there. There have been problems with the associate medical examiner and I am not sure how that is being resolved. Some autopsies have been called into question. It sounds like it was mostly autopsies on children but it calls into question how they operate.

 

[Fuzzymuffin]

The area where Barbara disappeared. Hiking video by a youtube user. [video]https://youtu.be/dKtL5bK7YtA[/video]

 

[Krimi]

I don't think she was on the trail, likely the husband murdered her and the cousin is helping cover with her friend. Sounds implausible that so many people would take such a chance, but it happens all the time. The background of the people involved is never really revealed, so the dynamics of what was happening on a personal level is not known unless the case is brought to light by an arrest and trial.
Questions: Did the husband receive insurance ? How much ? What other property became the husbands ? Would a divorce have been costly but a disappearance profitable ?

 

[dotr]

Sketch of possible witness

Barbara Bolick

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/...k_barbara.html

​

 

[dotr]

Suggested Barbara B on this UID thread, fwiw.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-in-Deaf-Smith-Canyon&p=13260203#post13260203

 

[ekardh]

Think she just fell while her fellow hiker wasn't looking. If she slipped suddenly, she might not have had time to scream. Her body fell into the overgrowth or into a crevice and is waiting to be found.

 

[Richard]

Bumping Barbara's case up.

LINK:

What happened to Barbara Bolick? (Montana, 2007) : UnresolvedMysteries

 

[MntnHiker]

I had never heard of this case and just came across it when linked to another missing hiker case on WS. I've tried to catch up, though many of the old links are (understandably) broken as it was 10+ years ago.

My preliminary thoughts having just started reading about her case:

-If I'm understanding correctly, a hiker on this trail would have had to walk through the area where the trail crew was working to get back to their car that day, right? I am just throwing this out there as a question: Did LE look into the trail crew? Perhaps Barbara started walking back down the trail by herself, figuring her hiking partner would catch up when he was done admiring the view, even if that was back at the car. If she got back down alone and came upon the trail crew working, is it possible they did something to her? Again, I am just throwing out theories, especially ones that may be a bit out there or not thought of.

-Could there have been some sort of struggle with her and her hiking partner up at the overlook and it got a bit physical, so either accidentally or on purpose she went over the edge? Would it be possible, though, given the terrain which I'm unfamiliar with, that her body would be there and not found by SAR?

Those are my only thoughts right now, IF she did in fact go on the hike that day. I will try to read up on as many articles about her case as I can find. How bizarre this one is.

 

[G.Keelie]

I just looked at this for the first time and something that came to my mind was that the cousin was anxious about them being gone so long, but the husband was not. Maybe the cousin had some reason to worry about him being alone with Barbara but never mentioned it after Barbara went missing. A stretch I know, but it stood out to me.

 

[neesaki]

I just looked at this for the first time and something that came to my mind was that the cousin was anxious about them being gone so long, but the husband was not. Maybe the cousin had some reason to worry about him being alone with Barbara but never mentioned it after Barbara went missing. A stretch I know, but it stood out to me.

I had the same thought, the husband said the cousin was scared and really upset . I wonder why.

 

[ekardh]

I had the same thought, the husband said the cousin was scared and really upset . I wonder why.

I don't think there's any need to read too much into that. Sometimes people just get a bad feeling and panic.

It's a shame they were never able to identify those two men who were on the hike, if only to confirm if they saw Barbara. Personally, I don't believe they had anything to do with her disappearance. The simplest explanation is that she fell and it's been impossible to find her remains.

 

[Richard]

Barbara Assunta Bolick

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Bolick, circa 2006; Sketch of possible witness

• Missing Since 07/18/2007
• Missing From Corvallis, Montana
• Classification Lost/Injured Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 08/25/1951 (68)
• Age 55 years old
• Height and Weight 5'0, 115 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A pastel-colored shirt and tan shorts.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Red hair, brown eyes. Bolick wears eyeglasses. Her ears are pierced.

Details of Disappearance

Bolick was last seen in Corvallis, Montana on July 18, 2007. She was on a hiking trip with a visiting friend at the time; they were going to Bear Creek Overlook in the Bitterroot Mountains. Her friend stated he stopped to look at a scenic view between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Bolick was 20 or 30 feet away from him at the time. When he turned around about a minute later, she was gone.

She was carrying a black day pack at the time of her disappearance; it contained a .357 Magnum pistol. She is an experienced hiker and very familiar with the area.

Authorities announced they were seeking two other hikers as possible witnesses in Bolick's disappearance. Two men in their early twenties, accompanied by a black mixed-breed dog with floppy ears and white markings, were seen hiking in the area around the time she went missing. One of them is described as dark-skinned with black hair, and the other had a medium complexion and reddish hair. A sketch of the dark-haired male is posted with this case summary.

Both men were clean-cut, and they each had an athletic build. They may have been driving a light-colored, older model Chevrolet S-10 SUV with Missoula County, Montana license plates. It should be emphasized that neither of the men is considered a suspect in Bolick's case, but investigators believe they could provide valuable information.

An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of Bolick. The friend who accompanied her on the hike cooperated with investigators and is not being called a suspect in her case. She is not believed to have left of her own accord, because she left behind all of her belongings, including her pet dog and cat, billfold, identification and passport.

Bolick's husband stated she was afraid of heights and would not have gone near the edge of a precipice, or left the trail. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

• Ravalli County Sheriff's Office 406-375-4005

Source Information

• Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation
• North American Missing Persons Network
• The Montana Standard
• The Missoulian
• Montana's News Station
• The Bitterroot Star
• Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse
• NamUs
• Ravalli County Sheriff's Office
• Barbara Assunta Bolick – The Charley Project

 

[Seratonin]

 

[Richard]

Barbara Bolick
On July 18, 2007, 55-year-old Barbara Bolick went for a hike with a family friend in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana. According to the friend, Jim Ramaker, he and Barbara—a physically fit and experienced hiker—headed to an overlook where they stopped for a snack; Barbara walked back down the trail as Jim took one last look at the view—and then she vanished without a trace. More than a decade later, Barbara’s disappearance remains unsolved.

LINK:

15 Mysterious Disappearances No One Can Explain

 

[oldmaid]

Bumping for Barbara. The most recent articles I’ve found on her case.

The puzzling disappearance of Barbara Bolick from the Bitterroot Mountains — StrangeOutdoors.com

The Baffling Disappearance of Barbara Bolick