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

[Jade]

A sports bra has much more coverage and support than a plain bra that is similar to a bikini top.

To me the top Barb is wearing in the picture looks like one of the nice bikini tops you can purchase in places like Canyon Beachwear in Palm Springs. Classy bikinis with a touch of detailing or gold here and there.

To the wearer I can assure you there is a big difference between a bra and bikini top.

For one even the cutest bra is underwear and I don’t think any sane woman is going out in her underwear.

The second is comfort and wear ability. Swim wear is active wear, it’s breathable and stretchy to move around and sweat in drying quickly.

Thirdly most desert women who wear bathing suits as clothing have a million suits of every style from which to choose over a bra.


What husband going to say his elegant beautiful wife actually chose a bra to wear out and about instead of a bathing suit top?


And if so does this point to a possible lack of mental ability or confusion on the part of the public bra wearer that could have led to a wandering off of some kind?




all imo

 

[MsBetsy]

The specifics of the clothes in the photos are relevant to showing what was common for BT; what she was comfortable wearing.

The focus on what she was wearing on the day she disappeared is not important at the surface, especially after the first few days.

But here's why I think it's relevant to figuring out what happened to her -- since the descriptions are really unlikely for the weather and activity, it brings into question the accuracy/truthfulness of the person initially providing those descriptions. IMO

The VI has clarified many times that this was typical of Barbara. He seems to have doubts about other things, but not about her wearing a bikini in the desert and drinking beer. Imo

 

[Jenz]

The VI has clarified many times that this was typical of Barbara. He seems to have doubts about other things, but not about her wearing a bikini in the desert and drinking beer. Imo

That's all good and well..I have no issue with Barb's attire or what she drank.. ..
What I, in my own opinion is.....she was made a victim in the eyes of RT.. and to my own opinion, conveniently so....
JMOO

 

[PaulR]

That's all good and well..I have no issue with Barb's attire or what she drank.. ..
What I, in my own opinion is.....she was made a victim in the eyes of RT.. and to my own opinion, conveniently so....
JMOO

Then why did he mention the red hat? Do you think he was trying to imply an Antifa member was driving by and thought it was a MAGA hat?

 

[Auntie Cipation]

The VI has clarified many times that this was typical of Barbara. He seems to have doubts about other things, but not about her wearing a bikini in the desert and drinking beer. Imo

I don't question the VI's comment. However, that doesn't mean it's all she would ever wear regardless of conditions. And again, respectfully, it doesn't make sense (to ME, IMO) that there would be no shorts or other bottoms more protective than bikini bottoms, when heading out farther than the shade of the awning or just a few steps away.

As long as RT's word "bikini" isn't clarified as to "a full suit, top and bottom, nothing over it" vs. "bikini top plus shorts or other bottom wear", there will be questions in my mind as to what is meant and what the truth was and whether there might be any clues in the description of her clothes.

 

[Jenz]

Are you b

Then why did he mention the red hat? Do you think he was trying to imply an Antifa member was driving by and thought it was a MAGA hat?

Are you being silly?

 

[PaulR]

Are you b

Are you being silly?

Well, if he mentioned the bikini/beer to somehow point that her missing is her own fault, then the red hat must also play a part since he mentioned that too.

I mean, it's either that or he's giving the standard missing person description of what someone was wearing/what they had with them.

 

[Jenz]

Well, if he mentioned the bikini/beer to somehow point that her missing is her own fault, then the red hat must also play a part since he mentioned that too.

I mean, it's either that or he's giving the standard missing person description of what someone was wearing/what they had with them.

Yeah he is...and as you would..but my question is...did he use this to his advantage in her being victim to the elements or vulnerable to abductors.......?

 

[PaulR]

Yeah he is...and as you would..but my question is...did he use this to his advantage in her being victim to the elements or vulnerable to abductors.......?

I know a few people here, you included, think that RT killed BT and is saying that she was wearing a bikini and had a beer to make herself look vulnerable and playing into the kidnapping theory that he put forth many months ago.

I think that he was, at the time (remember this was days after she went missing), grasping at straws. He knows, like we all know, that if BT got lost in the desert with that heat and lack of supplies, she would be dead. The only way she would be alive is if she managed to get a ride out of the desert. Since she hadn't contacted RT or her family, which of course she would do (right?), the only logical conclusion is that she was kidnapped.

When we get tunnel vision on what we think the outcome is - whether it "BT was murdered" or "BT went missing" - then we can and do read all evidence we have as supporting that theory.

 

[Cherwell]

Yeah he is...and as you would..but my question is...did he use this to his advantage in her being victim to the elements or vulnerable to abductors.......?

I think he just stated what he remembered her to be wearing. He may not have paid close attention to detail, i.e. he registered that she was wearing a bikini top but that needn't mean she was wearing the matching half. Could have been shorts or similar.

 

[PaulaDC]

A sports bra has much more coverage and support than a plain bra that is similar to a bikini top.

To me the top Barb is wearing in the picture looks like one of the nice bikini tops you can purchase in places like Canyon Beachwear in Palm Springs. Classy bikinis with a touch of detailing or gold here and there.

To the wearer I can assure you there is a big difference between a bra and bikini top.

For one even the cutest bra is underwear and I don’t think any sane woman is going out in her underwear.

The second is comfort and wear ability. Swim wear is active wear, it’s breathable and stretchy to move around and sweat in drying quickly.

Thirdly most desert women who wear bathing suits as clothing have a million suits of every style from which to choose over a bra.


What husband going to say his elegant beautiful wife actually chose a bra to wear out and about instead of a bathing suit top?


And if so does this point to a possible lack of mental ability or confusion on the part of the public bra wearer that could have led to a wandering off of some kind?




all imo

I'll add to this. I had a "girl" friend visit me a few times in Fl. Last visit we two stayed on the beach without husband's. I've been married 38 years. She's got a totally different relationship with her hubby than I do. Ours is good. I was watching her send "provocative" (not nude) photos to her hubby and laughed so I took one of myself as a funny haha and sent it to my hubby. One piece bathing suit, from the chest up. (Seriously I totally forgot that this even happened until I read this.) First he complimented me which is him, never says anything bad, then says "did you get a new bra" haha....I really don't think men have a clue sometimes as they're not zoning in on the clothing if anything else is catching their eye. Maybe it's an old man thing. Lol

 

[MsBetsy]

Yeah he is...and as you would..but my question is...did he use this to his advantage in her being victim to the elements or vulnerable to abductors.......?

I'm not sure what that means. Either way she is a victim because she is likely no longer alive.
He was just describing what she was wearing when she went missing. Imo

 

[Jade]

I'll add to this. I had a "girl" friend visit me a few times in Fl. Last visit we two stayed on the beach without husband's. I've been married 38 years. She's got a totally different relationship with her hubby than I do. Ours is good. I was watching her send "provocative" (not nude) photos to her hubby and laughed so I took one of myself as a funny haha and sent it to my hubby. One piece bathing suit, from the chest up. (Seriously I totally forgot that this even happened until I read this.) First he complimented me which is him, never says anything bad, then says "did you get a new bra" haha....I really don't think men have a clue sometimes as they're not zoning in on the clothing if anything else is catching their eye. Maybe it's an old man thing. Lol

Well, I guess in the case of sending a suggestive presumably private picture that would be a fair assumption but would he think you were wearing a bra on a hike?



JMOO

 

[MsBetsy]

Well, I guess in the case of sending a suggestive presumably private picture that would be a fair assumption but would he think you were wearing a bra on a hike?



JMOO

It was LE who described her as wearing underwear. Imo

 

[Seajay]

Yeah he is...and as you would..but my question is...did he use this to his advantage in her being victim to the elements or vulnerable to abductors.......?

Thank you. This was a point I was trying to get across a few days ago and it went sideways.

Her attire was brought up by her husband in relationship to a suggestion she may have been abducted. As in “her being dressed the way she was called wanted attention to her.”

And even though she could not have foreseen the future, in hindsight, being dressed as she was made it difficult to survive the elements for very long.

And anyone bringing it up is not trying to victim shame but to understand all the reasoning behind the facts as we know them, no different than we do with any care here. IMO

 

[PaulaDC]

Well, I guess in the case of sending a suggestive presumably private picture that would be a fair assumption but would he think you were wearing a bra on a hike?



JMOO

I think he would have if I went missing. Moo

 

[Seajay]

I'm not sure what that means. Either way she is a victim because she is likely no longer alive.
He was just describing what she was wearing when she went missing. Imo

After three months, unless she ran away, she surely isn’t alive. Even if she were abducted, kidnappers don’t usually hang onto their victim for that long. And before it comes up, I know Ariel Castro did for 10 years.

 

[PaulaDC]

It was LE who described her as wearing underwear. Imo

It's just weird anyway you look at it. What if it was underwear. What if she was at home getting dressed or undressed in or in the 5th wheel and hadn't finished. Long socks would go under dress pants imo. Kind of a weird get up to wear in the summer unless she had compression socks on and if that was the case she would have had issues to go along with the need to wear those socks. Moo

 

[CSIDreamer]

I think he would have if I went missing. Moo

Last known photo? "Well okay but she was running around in a bra with her friend."

 

[10ofRods]

I'm pretty sure RT would remember whether she was wearing an actual bikini or shorts and a bikini top. It's not as if they were only out there for 2 minutes or that such a detail would not be memorable. Further, I'm sure LE wanted an accurate description and he was polygraphed as well as interviewed.

There are an awful lot of "could have beens." But for me, I'm going with the basic reported facts. One "reporter" did mention "shorts," but as it turned out, I know from personal communication that she admits she was not on scene and did not actually hear anyone say "shorts."

"A bikini" implies an entire bikini. I agree that shorts would have been more practical, but I also think the Thomases were viewing this walk partly as a photo op, with Barbara as a key element of the photos. The other photo of her in a bikini was carefully staged (with the photographer atop a nearby rock or other rise in the landscape) and very tasteful. I assume this was another, similar photo op for this adventurous couple.

From their point of view, this was a rest stop with a brief walk (2.2 miles round trip is only about an hour, even with photos). They were going camping (and they were not yet at their campsite, it's not okay to sleep by the side of the road in Mojave NP). They had arrived at place some 8-10° cooler than their own neighborhood, with amazing vistas around the Mojave, which is fairly flat and featureless, but where they stopped, there are those great granite mountains poking up out of the hard pan. And the cholla garden was in full bloom.

What I'd like to know is whether they took the 360 photo there (a lot of us are assuming it was taken elsewhere) and it's an interesting point. Because climbing up boulders from the front side in a bikini would be awkward, I think. Still, it appears there are good trails up into the boulder field that would not have required scrambling. If it weren't 4 hours from my house, I'd have already gone and checked.