CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, Bullhead City, hiking wearing bikini in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019

[cazador]

I do hope LE took his cell phone for GPS data recovery. They should ask him where he last fueled his truck and go see surveillance video if available, looking for evidence of her being alive. Also ask him who was that last person he and his wife spoke to. Verify that. Seek out the last spot they stayed the night before this spot where she has supposedly gone missing from. Talk to people from that spot..

 

[Snoopster]

Have they mentioned looking for her in the opposite direction?! Her crossing the street to the RV and then kept going to look for more rocks.

There is absolutely no way the didn't look on both sides of the road.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

So do you think after they got back from their hike, they took off in the RV, he killed her somewhere else and disposed of her, then returned to that spot and told the story that she disappeared around a corner?

I really don't know what to think, just trying to come up with an idea that would put her there for LE to have some reason to continue to focus their search there, but she is no longer at that location and did not get lost.

There is so much undeveloped wilderness between their home about a 2 hour drive away from where RT says she disappeared.

Considering she disappeared after noon sometime from that location, perhaps they did some other exploring or hiking at other locations in the morning when it was cooler on their way to the Mojave, and something happened elsewhere. MOO

 

[Lisa Dee]

LE needs to find her quickly. Like the missing runner in Hawaii, when everyone thought she couldn’t possibly be alive, she was found. It is still possible for BT.Not likely, but possible.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

I do hope LE took his cell phone for GPS data recovery. They should ask him where he last fueled his truck and go see surveillance video if available, looking for evidence of her being alive. Also ask him who was that last person he and his wife spoke to. Verify that. Seek out the last spot they stayed the night before this spot where she has supposedly gone missing from. Talk to people from that spot..

ITA, with one note: I think they were at home the night before (2 hour drive from home in Bullhead City to where he said they hiked and they drove there that day), and this was the first day of their camping trip. IMO

 

[dulcinea]

AB, DM, Serenity Dennard were youngsters. Shaffer at a bar at 2am. Murray a car accident. This one, to me, not similar.

A few years back a young man was travelling with his family in Central or South America. They were all hiking and he went up ahead (I think someone wanted to take pictures). His family never saw him again. They searched the entire area for days but to my recollection nothing belonging to him was ever found. I think his name was August and it seems like they were celebrating his graduation or something similar.

I also have a vague memory of a father and a young boy at a park, maybe Crater Lake. The young boy ran ahead and the father lost sight of him. I remembering reading about that case on WS but cannot remember if it was ever resolved.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Here is my hope and what I'm sure police have already been doing:

They've subpoenaed cellular data for both phones. It sounds like she didn't carry her phone much so we'd expect it to be with the RV almost the whole time. But RT's phone...does he carry it or would he also leave it in the RV? We SHOULD expect to see hers and his phones in the same place at all times until the hike (I cannot imagine there are many towers out that way so the ping area will be a wide one, but they should at least be able to see where his was). It should show them if he's being honest about the route they took there and whether or not they stopped along the way. I'd be interested to know if there are any other times the two phones went away from one another.

Would that work if there is no cell service nearby? I was thinking I read that.

Also, has LE ever mentioned his failing or showing deception on the lie detector test? Or was it just him reporting that?

I wonder if the nephew can attest to whether or not both Barb and RT had the same beliefs about wearing bikinis and drinking? I’m wondering if he said that part about her being abducted b/c because he really didn’t agree with her wearing a bikini and it was coming out that way, or even if he was saying it instead of saying “she’s gorgeous, why wouldn’t someone take her”?
If she was wearing a bikini I can see her leaving phone in RV because who wants to hold that all the time. Wonder if she commonly carried a pack?

If we follow the abduction theory and ignore the Vegas comment or suggestion. Is there any possibility that she could have a stalker and someone followed them there? I’d think considering I see no online presence for her that under this scenario it would have to be someone she interacts with in real life. Does she work or has she recently? Just throwing out ideas.

How many cases do you long timers know of where the husband is the culprit AND the husband is older? Wondering if his age (beliefs and thought processes) is impacting the way he is perceived at all.

 

[Yvettea]

Would that work if there is no cell service nearby? I was thinking I read that.

Also, has LE ever mentioned his failing or showing deception on the lie detector test? Or was it just him reporting that?

I wonder if the nephew can attest to whether or not both Barb and RT had the same beliefs about wearing bikinis and drinking? I’m wondering if he said that part about her being abducted b/c because he really didn’t agree with her wearing a bikini and it was coming out that way, or even if he was saying it instead of saying “she’s gorgeous, why wouldn’t someone take her”?
If she was wearing a bikini I can see her leaving phone in RV because who wants to hold that all the time. Wonder if she commonly carried a pack?

If we follow the abduction theory and ignore the Vegas comment or suggestion. Is there any possibility that she could have a stalker and someone followed them there? I’d think considering I see no online presence for her that under this scenario it would have to be someone she interacts with in real life. Does she work or has she recently? Just throwing out ideas.

How many cases do you long timers know of where the husband is the culprit AND the husband is older? Wondering if his age (beliefs and thought processes) is impacting the way he is perceived at all.

Do we know the husband’s age?

 

[kkdj]

San Bernadino County is the largest County in the US. I wouldn't say the Sheriff's Department is incompetent. I'm also a little biased, my BIL was a SBCSO for 20 years. He was a beat cop and also worked SAR & Boat Patrol. He passed away three years ago.
Sorry for the OT part ...

I thank him for his service. It's certainly not an easy county.

 

[PommyMommy]

I’m really trying to understand that thought process of his. KWIM?

Edit: oh duly noted, he wasn’t sure about it. Thanks!

MOO, and maybe I’m a nag, but I’d expect a kidnapper to dump the victim in the vast dessert/wilderness, not take them to Vegas.

I am really curious as to when and where she was last seen by someone else. Oh and a peak at that photo he had to stop to take would be nice too.

I'd also like to know where she was last seen by someone other than RT. Or even if someone spoke to her after Wednesday. We've seen her stepdaughter in one video; it would be helpful to hear from one of BT's relatives. MOO

 

[Knox]

I ended up doing Savannah’s media thread after the fact so I figured I would tag along on BTs thread early just in case but jeez I thought we would have something by now ? It’s just so sad anyway you consider the outcomes IMO - seems she has lived such a healthy robust life based on the little media we do know to come to this point at 69? JMO

I think you nailed it. As women we would all aspire to be treking around the desert in a bikini at 69 if we could. That's just so awesome!!

 

[cazador]

I thought It was the bikini Top as it was mentioned in one of the first reports I did read .. So she would have had shorts on..
One thing that struck me about his theory that she was taken, they went for a hike. She was holding a beer can.. If she was abducted she would have dropped the can... and she should have been kicking and screaming and he should have been close enough to hear that.. jmho

 

[Knox]

I’ve been following but haven’t commented, because you all are 1)so much faster 2) asking all my questions and beyond. (Y’all rock.)

A random thought: MOO: besides the spouse reported circumstances (bikini, beer, conditions, sudden disappearance, no noted vehicles) what strikes me as even more odd (and really bugs me) why would he think she was abducted and then taken to Vegas?

Is it typical for kidnappers to randomly abduct older females and ferry them off to Vegas-or anywhere very far?


Note: EDIT to amend statement from “he was sure she was taken to Vegas” to he thought she might have been. - as clarified by PommyMommy. (Thanks btw)

For some of the newer posters. Barbara and Robert lived in Henderson, NV before moving to Bullhead. Maybe its frame of reference for him. Vegas has a large criminal element and it's the closest big city to the area she disappeared from. They would have watched Vegas news on TV and be familiar with crime there. Just throwing a few possibilities out there.

 

[MassGuy]

Do we know the husband’s age?

72, according to public records.

 

[Lilibet]

I think you nailed it. As women we would all aspire to be treking around the desert in a bikini at 69 if we could. That's just so awesome!!

LOL! I guess I’m too practical. All I can envision is sun damaged skin and bugs.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

BBM

According to a reporter, RT said he thinks there's a chance she was taken to Las Vegas. No, it isn't typical, IMO.

At the 1:22 mark
"He thinks there's a chance she was taken to the Las Vegas area so he's asking everyone to stay on high alert."

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I just keep getting this funny feeling when I look at photos of RT and watch him speak on video, that he's a phony kind of guy in some way. I don't know why, and I'm not saying this means anything at all in terms of his wife disappearing, just sayin' from a personal, subjective stance, he kind of gives me the willies.

Maybe it's just his mannerisms, or the way he talks, but somehow it feels more like he's pontificating instead of reeling about his wife disappearing. And letting MSM into their house and showing them love notes she left him and mentioning how every night before bed they would tell eachother how much they loved eachother... I'm like why the heck does he think he needs to demonstrate / provide evidence of how much they loved each other? IMO / MOO / JMO / I don't know...

 

[Gardener1850]

You know I've thought of that. Somewhere in time I followed a case where they did do that. Lied to the man taking the test and told him he failed when he passed.
Sorry I don't have a link.

In the Crystal McDowell Case LE told her boyfriend that he failed the polygraph. I don't know if LE lied to him or he really failed but he admitted failing on the Ashley Banfield show (IIRC) and social media went insane after that accusing him. The boyfriend was innocent. Crystal's ex-husband Steven McDowell murdered her (and their daughter witnessed the whole thing and testified at the trial). Steven never gave any media interviews so no one knew the results of his polygraph before he was arrested. My point being-- yes LE will lie to a POI and say the person failed.

MOO.

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

I do hope LE took his cell phone for GPS data recovery. They should ask him where he last fueled his truck and go see surveillance video if available, looking for evidence of her being alive. Also ask him who was that last person he and his wife spoke to. Verify that. Seek out the last spot they stayed the night before this spot where she has supposedly gone missing from. Talk to people from that spot..

“They should ask him where he last fueled his truck and go see surveillance video if available, looking for evidence of her being alive.”
All EXCELLENT Ideals.

 

[kay74]

I thought It was the bikini Top as it was mentioned in one of the first reports I did read .. So she would have had shorts on..
One thing that struck me about his theory that she was taken, they went for a hike. She was holding a beer can.. If she was abducted she would have dropped the can... and she should have been kicking and screaming and he should have been close enough to hear that.. jmho

It was reported the beer was in a travel container.

 

[Knox]

LOL! I guess I’m too practical. All I can envision is sun damaged skin and bugs.

Lilibet, ignore that part and think of the freedom that kind of life attitude encompasses. Some at that age would be too mentally limited to even think of doing something like that