CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #10

[dbdb11]

"Looking at houses" , does not make someone a cold blooded murderer with an eye on his wife's inheritance.
Perhaps it depends on the Moderator ? The bulk of posts are focused on Barbara's spouse right now, and not in a good way. I'm baffled.

sorry. i may be steering that direction a bit. robert please chime in with some details if you are reading this.

 

[iscaremyself]

hoping to make a trip to kelbaker rd in the coming months. will see how that pans out.

prior to that time, get in contact with SAR or a sheriff to meet you and point out the exact locations.

 

[Nikynoo]

The poster was referring to Matt, the son. He shared a picture of a house for sale in unmentionable places and a leap might have been made.

Yes, pure speculation on my part, I have reported to mods for clarification.

 

[kay74]

a chunk of potential motive, i don't recall if it made it to the pub thread or not, but i know from my dad barb was the sole inheritor in my grandma's will.

according to my fathers estranged brother, barb inherited few million(s)? no confirmation on exact amount, but he made it sound like she was set for life after my grandma died. was the first hint i ever had that barb had substantial assets. she lived very modestly, imo.

also some potential insight into matthews mindset re barbs estate?

Has LE looked into her will to see who benefits? This is alot of money!

 

[10ofRods]

That's a good point. They could have spent a lot more time over their walk than has been estimated.


As a Brit, may I clarify that? Dark beers, stout and what is known as "real ale" are normally sold on draught and not refrigerated. They are not "warm" though! They are chilled, so taste cool but not ice-cold.
However, lager and other light beers are always drunk cold unless one doesn't have the means to chill it either by refrigeration or ice. I would guess that it's likely to be that type of refreshing beer that Barbara was drinking.


If - and obviously this is speculation - Barbara had drunk beer, maybe more than one, it could have affected her, possibly in combination with the heat and perhaps other unknown factors, and she might have become confused. That would be an explanation, a reason for her getting lost.
It is not "blame".

Generally, I am uneasy about the concept of "victim blaming" being used to stifle discussion. Actions have consequences and it's not helpful to be in denial about it.

Yes, the beer (which was stated to be in a travel mug, but I’m not able to go through the media thread yet again) could have played a role in her disappearance. I was, however, speaking about the recent spate of posts that once again call into question so many of Barbara’s choices that day (what she was wearing, time of day, time of year, beer drinking) and saying things like “I would wait until I was back from a hike for my beer,” as if the poster’s own personal experience would have kept them from Barbara’s fate.

There’s no evidence one way or another that the beer caused Barbara’s disappearance and so, I think, implying that she’d still be alive if only she behaved like the poster thinks she should have - that comes very close to victim blaming, for me. No different than saying that if only a rape victim hadn’t been drinking or wearing a skimpy top, they’d not have been raped.

I did not mean to imply that beer didn’t play a role in possible confusion. In fact, in general, I keep pointing out that clothing, time of day, etc. all could play a role, but that many people do exactly as Barbara did without negative consequences.

And I do think the travel mug likely kept her beer cold enough, but even if it didn’t, having lived in El Paso for a while, people do continue sipping on beer (if that’s the fluid they have) even if it gets warm. Thanks for the clarification re warm beer in Britain, because here in California, we hear about warm beer in Britain (and read about it on Trip Advisor). Warm beer is also a thing in Mexico. It’s also possible that the beer was long-finished and she was just carrying the cup. RT’s point, obviously, was that it appeared she was carrying a beer - no one passing by could have known what she was carrying, IMO.

To me, the only reason to keep bringing up the beer, thread after thread, is to point out RT’s lack of critical thinking skills. No one could have known what Barb had in her travel mug. With or without beer, people lose their bearings in the desert and go missing.

What I’d like to know is the exact place where RT and Barbara separated and whether his memory about time and distance are correct.

 

[Tillicum]

I'm hoping at least some of the inheritance was invested in a way that it isn't possible to access it immediately.

 

[kay74]

Who is the executor of her will and who is the beneficiary/beneficiaries?

 

[LietKynes]

What I’d like to know is the exact place where RT and Barbara separated and whether his memory about time and distance are correct.

Snipped for focus.

Agreed.
We still do not know that.

 

[deugirtni]

in my imagination of A pre Divorce discussion....you want to take your inheritance to Japan to be by your brother? Hey let’s go camping ️
Jmho

If this inheritance thing turns out to be true (why didn't our VI's dad/BT's bro know about this before now?), then surely police have made it a huge factor to look at in this case (the Will), ie who would benefit financially if BT were to show up deceased. And would love to know who ARE the beneficiaries, as this is a second marriage with no children involved. Most people we hear about provide for their offspring and their offspring's offspring, and perhaps a very sick close relative, in addition to *perhaps* something for the spouse (but if spouse is also wealthy and has his own offspring to think about?). In this case, not sure on the relationship between BT and her one (adult) child, as RT had reported it one way, while the son had told VI it was another way. The plot apparently thickens!

 

[MsBetsy]

He missed his opportunity .. Matthew could have shook this case if he had responded fast and hard in the beginning when he first found out his mom was missing .. The media would have grabbed him.. He could have raked RT over the coals..
jmho

Although I suspect his suspicions were largely based on emotions rather than facts. His theory of RT's past involvement with a powerful company and an organized kidnapping may have been a little exaggerated and sensational even for the media.
They would have wanted some sort of evidence to back it up. That may be why it took so long for him to finally get an interview with someone.

Matt may have thought he was helping by "working closely with investigators," but in fact may have been more of a hindrance to the investigation than a help. I imagine he provided them with many tips that they were required to follow up on.

Imagine all the rumors that would be circulating if he told the media that RT's past nefarious dealings with a shady organization had something to do with his wife's disappearance, and that he couldn't get involved because he feared for his safety.

I don't think the media would have touched that with a ten foot pole.

IMO

 

[firstsleuth]

Apparently they don’t want me taking drone images over campgrounds or people that did not give permission

Perhaps you could contact SWARM and become a member? From their website, it looks like they reach out to private drone flyers. They have a “register to help” link on their website:

https://sardrones.org/

ETA: Maybe they have an already paved system making it easier for individuals to obtain search permissions

 

[LietKynes]

Well it looks like there may be some motive.
Although to be fair, it's possible that the random kidnapper that RT insisted on --knew about this will ?

 

[cazador]

Perhaps you could contact SWARM and become a member? From their website, it looks like they reach out to private drone flyers. They have a “register to help” link on their website:

https://sardrones.org/

Thank You, I did and it has been a great tool for education as well as members with a common interest. I do hope some of them will show in November as it would make it a lot easier to get a full grid search on disk that can be studied for items belonging to the victim.

 

[deugirtni]

Well it looks like there may be some motive.
Although to be fair, it's possible that the random kidnapper that RT insisted on --knew about this will ?

Although.. if random kidnapper perhaps hired to speed up some kind of an inheritance theory, it is very likely BT would have turned up obviously deceased by now... whereas perhaps someone with the means to hold out for that for a few years, not so much of a rush? But also have to consider age factors. <pondering>

 

[LietKynes]

Although.. if random kidnapper perhaps hired to speed up some kind of an inheritance theory, it is very likely BT would have turned up obviously deceased by now... whereas perhaps someone with the means to hold out for that for a few years, not so much of a rush? But also have to consider age factors. <pondering>

BBM

Although that wasn't quite what I meant ( a bit of sarcasm in my post so as to stay impartial ) ; yes-- you have a good point !
Great minds think alike....

 

[cazador]

Although.. if random kidnapper perhaps hired to speed up some kind of an inheritance theory, it is very likely BT would have turned up obviously deceased by now... whereas perhaps someone with the means to hold out for that for a few years, not so much of a rush? But also have to consider age factors. <pondering>

https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/missing/adults/adult-ann-reports-2018.pdf
514 possible stranger abduction of Adults in 2018
Anything is possible

 

[deugirtni]

https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/missing/adults/adult-ann-reports-2018.pdf
514 possible stranger abduction of Adults in 2018
Anything is possible

Except my particular post was more about while the actual abductor may be a stranger, it would have been a hired thing by someone known, and who also was a named beneficiary.

 

[Kapua]

Perhaps you could contact SWARM and become a member? From their website, it looks like they reach out to private drone flyers. They have a “register to help” link on their website:

https://sardrones.org/

ETA: Maybe they have an already paved system making it easier for individuals to obtain search permissions

This looks very promising!

 

[Curiousobserver]

Although.. if random kidnapper perhaps hired to speed up some kind of an inheritance theory, it is very likely BT would have turned up obviously deceased by now... whereas perhaps someone with the means to hold out for that for a few years, not so much of a rush? But also have to consider age factors. <pondering>

From what I understand from other posters-

It takes a long time to have someone declared dead if they are missing and her spouse would have unrestricted access to any joint accounts during that time.

Perhaps the "best" thing is if she remained missing rather than be found dead- because if she were declared dead her will would take effect and he might have access to nothing.

 

[GordianKnot]

a chunk of potential motive, i don't recall if it made it to the pub thread or not, but i know from my dad barb was the sole inheritor in my grandma's will.

according to my fathers estranged brother, barb inherited few million(s)? no confirmation on exact amount, but he made it sound like she was set for life after my grandma died. was the first hint i ever had that barb had substantial assets. she lived very modestly, imo.

also some potential insight into matthews mindset re barbs estate?

BBM:

@dbdb11, has this been communicated to LE by anyone in Barb's family?

It's critically important information.

Money is so often a driving motivation for all kinds of human behavior, both good and bad.

JMO.