CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #11

[PaulaDC]

Yes, there are runways with no air traffic control. I don't have the info with me, but I posted the GPS coordinates of the closest one to Kelbaker road about 3 weeks ago.

There are completely deserted runways that some pilots still use (one of course has to use vision to land and take off). Maybe some are private? I don't know. I just used to know someone who used such strips occasionally.

How do places like Spruce Creek Fly In (FL)communities operate? No reporting to anyone?

 

[PaulaDC]

Yes, the magical thinking side of me still believes Fabio picked Barb up on the way to a gig in Vegas.

If only

: (

"I can't believe it's not butter"

 

[PaulR]

I've had mild heat stroke. Not something I noticed, the people I was hiking with did. I was apparently starting to show some confusion. So who knows what I would have done without friends to sit me in the shade and get me to cool off a bit.

Where a confused person goes is not where a person thinking normally would go.

 

[Seajay]

I have read the media thread on this case.

Was there any independent sightings of her right before this trip to the Mojave desert besides her husband? Who else saw her in the days, hours leading up to her disappearance?

Either she had leather for skin or she was slathered with sunblock before heading out on foot to the desert in a bikini.

I hate to say it but I don’t think she ever was in the desert, which is why they can’t find so much as a bobbie pin of hers, let alone her. If she were, all these months later, she’d be passed away, if RT was telling the truth. That’s MOO anyway.

 

[Kapua]

No.. The female that murdered her placed her in the bushes.
The search dogs did not scent the body.

I have mentioned the search for Michelle Le a few times on this thread. The determination of Michelle's family and the group that searched for Michelle paid off and brought her killer to justice. I wish the same level of search effort could occur for BT, particularly now that cooler weather is coming. MOO

I didn't know that you were part of that search group @cazador. Well done!

 

[kkdj]

I've had mild heat stroke. Not something I noticed, the people I was hiking with did. I was apparently starting to show some confusion. So who knows what I would have done without friends to sit me in the shade and get me to cool off a bit.

Where a confused person goes is not where a person thinking normally would go.

So sorry to hear this Paul. Was this recent?

 

[PaulR]

So sorry to hear this Paul. Was this recent?

No, this was years ago. I take a lot more care when going on longer day hikes - keeping out of the sun (including wearing a sun hat and longer sleeves), not hiking on hot days, having a lot of fluids with me (large water bladders, usually with ice to cool me down.)

 

[al66pine]

How do places like Spruce Creek Fly In (FL)communities operate? No reporting to anyone?

@PaulaDC Good question. Originally a WWII navy airfield, now private fly-in residential community, i.e., houses w hangars, and enough planes to cause a traffic jam on the ground.
"... Spruce Creek Airport ...contains one runway.... 4,000 ft (1,219 m). For a 12-month period... 25,000 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 68 per day. There are 438 aircraft based at this airport: 67% single-engine, 31% multi-engine, 1% jet and 1% helicopter...." Spruce Creek Airport - Wikipedia bbm
Also, see pix at Spruce Creek Archive - Spruce Creek Fly In Community in Florida

Back to finding BT.

 

[LAhiker]

I have read the media thread on this case.

Was there any independent sightings of her right before this trip to the Mojave desert besides her husband? Who else saw her in the days, hours leading up to her disappearance?

Either she had leather for skin or she was slathered with sunblock before heading out on foot to the desert in a bikini.

I hate to say it but I don’t think she ever was in the desert, which is why they can’t find so much as a bobbie pin of hers, let alone her. If she were, all these months later, she’d be passed away, if RT was telling the truth. That’s MOO anyway.

Thanks for reading the media thread! There were at least two independent sightings of BT right before the trip.

1. At around 8:10 that morning, BT dropped their dog Lexi off at a kennel near their home. A staff member there said she seemed aggravated and unlike her usual friendly self.

(Some here have argued that posts by our VI @dbdb11 indicate that a second staff member said BT seemed not to be aggravated, but I think the sighting in which her demeanor was seen as unremarkable is the next one I will list. While our VI (BT's nephew) could presumably settle that question, he lives in Hong Kong and his father there is very ill; I think this is why lately he hasn't checked in here very often in the past couple of weeks.

2. At around 8:15 that morning, a neighbor or neighbors have told our VI that they saw RT and BT leaving for their trip. I think they may have said the departure was caught on surveillance video, but I'm not sure about that and if it was video, I don't think LE ever got it.

My guess is that those times are somewhat approximate.

Finally, many have wondered whether BT went on that walk in the desert at all. IIRC, RT has said that they took photos on their walk that show that she was there. RT also spoke with BT's Hong Kong family (I think with BT's brother, the one who is ill) in a conversation that was overheard by our VI's sister (BT's niece). RT said that on the morning that they went to the desert, BT took a 360 photo from a hill.

LE has told our VI that RT's photos show that RT and BT were where and when they said they were. However, we don't know exactly what that means. In the conversation overheard by the VI's sister, RT's timeline is different from what he told the media. Some here have argued that the VI's sister must have misunderstood or misremembered what he said. In any event LE would presumably mean that the photos corroborate whatever RT told them about his location/timing. We don't know what RT told LE.

Whatever the exact timeline/location, what LE told the VI implies that (assuming any time/date stamps associated with the photos are accurate) RT and BT were indeed in the desert at that location on that day.

JMO

 

[MsBetsy]

Thanks for reading the media thread! There were at least two independent sightings of BT right before the trip.

1. At around 8:10 that morning, BT dropped their dog Lexi off at a kennel near their home. A staff member there said she seemed aggravated and unlike her usual friendly self.

(Some here have argued that posts by our VI @dbdb11 indicate that a second staff member said BT seemed not to be aggravated, but I think the sighting in which her demeanor was seen as unremarkable is the next one I will list. Our VI, who is BT's nephew, lives in Hong Kong and his father there is very ill; I think this is why lately he hasn't checked in here very often in the past couple of weeks. )

2. At around 8:15 that morning, a neighbor or neighbors have told our VI that they saw RT and BT leaving for their trip. I think they may have said the departure was caught on surveillance video, but I'm not sure about that and if it was video, I don't think LE ever got it.

My guess is that these times are somewhat approximate.

Finally, many have wondered whether BT went on that walk in the desert at all. IIRC, RT has said that they took photos on their walk that show that she was there. RT also spoke with BT's Hong Kong family (I think with BT's brother, the one who is ill) in a conversation that was overheard by our VI's sister (BT's niece). RT said that on the morning that they went to the desert, BT took a 360 photo from a hill.

LE has told our VI that RT's photos show that RT and BT were where and when they said they were. However, we don't know exactly what that means. In the conversation overheard by the VI's sister, RT's timeline is different from what he told the media. Some here have argued that the VI's sister must have misunderstood or misremembered what he said. In any event LE would presumably mean that the photos corroborate whatever RT told them about his location/timing.

Whatever the exact timeline/location, what LE told the VI implies that (assuming any time/date stamps associated with the photos are accurate) RT and BT were indeed in the desert at that location on that day.

JMO

Yes, regarding the two witnesses who saw Barbara that morning, the VI stated that one person said she seemed aggravated and not her usual self, and the other witness described her as being her usual self.

LE has apparently not interviewed the staff at the kennel as part of the investigation.

I think he did say that the neighbors camera caught her leaving that morning, but he had not seen it, and I'm not sure if LE questioned them or not.

Imo

 

[10ofRods]

VI's sister starts out her entire statement by saying her memory is poor. Just saying.

Not defending any particular view of the timeline.

For me, the fact that LE was out there for 8 solid days (plus some) means they had some evidence that she was there (just as they told our VI).

 

[mickey2942]

I recently dropped off our dog at the kennel, prior to a trip. I have met the technician several times, there were several other people there, for dropping off or picking up a pup.

It was a five minute transaction.

I am not sure how much credibility I would put into the impression of the kennel technician.

 

[PaulR]

She also could have been agitated because her brother was ill.

 

[MsBetsy]

VI's sister starts out her entire statement by saying her memory is poor. Just saying.

Not defending any particular view of the timeline.

For me, the fact that LE was out there for 8 solid days (plus some) means they had some evidence that she was there (just as they told our VI).

Yes, I wonder if RT had said by noon it was getting hot so they decided to head back to the RV instead of saying that's when he decided to call police.

There was a lot of information she had to relay and it's very easy to get a few details wrong or mix them up with other details. When she said her memory wasn't so great, I took it to mean that it was a summary of what he said in general, but not the exact words he used.

Maybe RT himself said the wrong time by accident. After all, just about everything else he said suggested he was guilty.

Imo

 

[distracted]

I recently dropped off our dog at the kennel, prior to a trip. I have met the technician several times, there were several other people there, for dropping off or picking up a pup.

It was a five minute transaction.

I am not sure how much credibility I would put into the impression of the kennel technician.

I think it would depend how often they saw her. My kennel is at my vet's office and they know me. Chances are they knew her too.

If she was usually smiling and talkative but wasn't that morning, most people would pick up on that.

 

[MsBetsy]

I recently dropped off our dog at the kennel, prior to a trip. I have met the technician several times, there were several other people there, for dropping off or picking up a pup.

It was a five minute transaction.

I am not sure how much credibility I would put into the impression of the kennel technician.

That's a good point. She apparently was back home within five minutes so it must have been a quick drop off.
Someone once thought I looked mad in a restaurant and all I was doing was staring intently at the menu.
Maybe I just didn't see anything I liked, I don't remember.

 

[scadagirl28]

Can someone catch me up on the cellphone situation ?
Was it left in the camper or did she just not use one ? It could just be the angle but her lips do look like she needed some hydrating.

 

[LAhiker]

Can someone catch me up on the cellphone situation ?
Was it left in the camper or did she just not use one ? It could just be the angle but her lips do look like she needed some hydrating.

Apparently BT did not own a cell phone. We don't know whether RT had his phone with him during the walk or at other times that day.

Regarding how BT looks, my guess is that you're referring to the picture of her that was released by LE. There has been much debate here about whether that photo was taken on the day BT went missing or whether it simply showed her wearing clothing similar to what she was wearing that day. LE hasn't said when the photo was taken.

JMO.

 

[10ofRods]

Barbara did not have her own cell phone. The couple had one cell phone between them. I think most of us are assuming RT was carrying his cell phone during the walk. VI has said that Barbara was a bit technology averse, but enjoyed using a loaner phone (from family) when she visited Hong Kong to see her brother. Barbara had traveled from Bullhead City, through Vegas, through LA and onward to Hong Kong without a phone!

 

[scadagirl28]

Apparently BT did not own a cell phone. We don't know whether RT had his phone with him during the walk or at other times that day.

Regarding how BT looks, my guess is that you're referring to the picture of her that was released by LE. There has been much debate here about whether that photo was taken on the day BT went missing or whether it simply showed her wearing clothing similar to what she was wearing that day. LE hasn't said when the photo was taken.

JMO.

Thank you