CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #3

[Midwestmom2019]

BBM.
no one here is questioning LE's competence. Not even KINDA.

If he wants to talk to media he has that right. It's not ours to say whether he SHOULD or not. That is all.

Did LE say they aren't allowing him to speak to media? If so... I respect that. 100%

JMO

Edited to clarify.
He has a constitutional right to free speech.
My point is don’t unwittingly reveal information that helps the perp, if there is a perp. If LE is still actively working the case but stopped searching, tells me they have more information.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

He has a constitutional right to free speech. And LE can’t stop it. Unless there’s a court order.
My point is don’t unwittingly reveal information that helps the perp, if there is a perp. If LE is still actively working the case but stopped searching, tells me they have more information.

LE can get a court order to remove a persons constitutional right to free speech?

I've never heard of that.

 

[Onebest]

... also said when search and rescue arrived they pulled up in such away, and stomped around the scene in such a way potential crime scene evidence would have been destroyed.

IMO It is a huge challenge balancing a missing person/distraught family member and potential crime scene. We have seen this SO many times....If SAR had any potential tracking dogs they would have a horrid task if the scene is totally contaminated. However since its been stated it took nearly two hours for SAR to arrive there would have been pleeeeenty of time for RT to look for foot prints and add his own.

It only takes me about 5 secs to snap a photo..and I have always been confused by the Vegas statement.

That being said, I can visualize someone seeing BT walking alone, maybe even distressed/sick/angry/crying?, stopping to offer a ride and she says oh sure, RV right there and they take off with her instead of stopping. Lots of turns offs to do something nefarious outside the search area.

I am so sad for her.
JMO

 

[Midwestmom2019]

... also said when search and rescue arrived they pulled up in such away, and stomped around the scene in such a way potential crime scene evidence would have been destroyed.

Don’t you think when SAR arrived they would have been careful to not disturb the “crime” scene? Hadn’t he already said she was abducted?

 

[K9Enzo]

Actually they do that sometimes. On high profile cases they may send SAR teams out looking in a nonessential area to keep the media (and in some cases local volunteers) distracted while LE looks in a more sensitive area quietly. And SAR's purpose as it was taught to me was not to find where the subject IS as much as to confirm where the subject is NOT. Finding them is often just a bonus.

SAR are looking for the missing. When they are deployed, in most cases, a person is truly lost or injured. It's as simple as that. It's not, in most cases, foul play. Many of them are trained medical first responders and can give life saving medical treatment until a person is evacuated. The focus is finding the person, not a bonus if they do. Many times, like you said, they are clearing an area. This is important and matters. It's a methodical and coordinated effort.

All my unprofessional opinion of course.

 

[PaulR]

... also said when search and rescue arrived they pulled up in such away, and stomped around the scene in such a way potential crime scene evidence would have been destroyed.

That would also be incredibly obvious, thankfully.

 

[Mind your biscuits]

So, they loaded up the camper from home in Henderson, right? There must be neighborhood cctv, traffic cams, store, home security, that would catch them or neighbors noticing them leaving.
They had one cell phone which would be pinging and leaving cloud data along the route. Unless, the phone went dark for a long period of time between leaving home and springing back to life again when he took photographs called 911. I don't know that this is what happened, but it would be suspicious if it did. Imo.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

LE can get a court order to remove a persons constitutional right to free speech?

I've never heard of that.

I’m thinking like a gag order. They’ve spoken of that several times in the thread about Jennifer Dulos. That’s an active criminal investigation. There have been arrests. Blood and all. No body last I heard.
Here there is no court involvement as of yet. So no gag orders.

 

[ElementalLaura]

<RSBM>

It only takes me about 5 secs to snap a photo..and I have always been confused by the Vegas statement.
<RSBM>

I’ve been assuming he has a digital and/or standalone camera separate from his phone. If he’s a photography buff or relatively new and enthusiastic, he could spend an hour getting just the right shot (though mid-day would tend to have very strong light). That’s one part of the story I could see happening: he stops to take pictures and it’s 15-20 minutes instead of 5. I wonder if his backpack is a photography backpack.

One can get so caught up in catching the perfect photo, for social media or others purposes, that it’s easy to lose track of time ... or lose your footing trying to pose perfectly or get the right shot. I think that photography contributed to whatever befell Paul Miller, who is still missing after going on a hike to photograph big horn sheep at Joshua Tree National Park.

ETA to fix quote

 

[Midwestmom2019]

My spin on this:
All the pieces by themselves make sense. My problem is when you put them altogether they make no sense. You should be able to disassemble this, like any other project, machine, even a recipe, review it, organize it and put it together so that it fits, works or tastes good.
None of these rational pieces fit together into any kind of result.

We have all the dots, but cannot connect any of them to draw a picture. IMOO.

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

Don’t you think when SAR arrived they would have been careful to not disturb the “crime” scene? Hadn’t he already said she was abducted?

I would think that Local LE probably did an initial search of the immediate area including the RV before SAR arrived.

 

[AliceInPain]

Can people just stop judging other people's way of living and start discussing what is important here?
Barbara is missing, her family can't find her or get hold of her.
We are here to help them.

New posters to this thread (who neglect to read all the posts, esp. the ones by the VI, or care to look up if it has already been discussed) seem amazed an elderly woman would go for a walk in the desert wearing a bikini, carrying a beer.
Yes, people do, and Barbara has done this with family members many times!
Young-er-ish posters in this thread seem amazed she didn't have a cell phone with her.
I don't! I borrow other peoples if I need one, I refuse to be brain-washed. I have a laptop I do my work on and emails are enough.

 

[GordianKnot]

I would be interested in viewing a list of all crimes within the last year located on that road.
There must be a reason that RT thinks she was kidnapped while crossing the road.

BBM:

Sure, there's a reason.

RT's told us why he thinks "somebody took her."

Because she was wearing a bikini, and she had a beer in her hand.

 

[dbdb11]

IMO It is a huge challenge balancing a missing person/distraught family member and potential crime scene. We have seen this SO many times....If SAR had any potential tracking dogs they would have a horrid task if the scene is totally contaminated. However since its been stated it took nearly two hours for SAR to arrive there would have been pleeeeenty of time for RT to look for foot prints and add his own.

It only takes me about 5 secs to snap a photo..and I have always been confused by the Vegas statement.

That being said, I can visualize someone seeing BT walking alone, maybe even distressed/sick/angry/crying?, stopping to offer a ride and she says oh sure, RV right there and they take off with her instead of stopping. Lots of turns offs to do something nefarious outside the search area.

I am so sad for her.
JMO

assuming barb had no plans to flee on her own, they weren't far from the camper. even if she had to cross the road, i can see no reason to think she would willingly get in a strangers car to get back to camper faster. ppl who live in that region have expressed wierdos do abound. strange and dangerous things happen. seems to be common knowledge for ppl who live there. i would state there is no way barb would willingly jump in a car just to get back to the camper faster. impossible in my mind.

moreover, unless under extreme distress, she would not get into a strangers car around there, for any reason.

 

[helpfulcharlie]

assuming barb had no plans to flee on her own, they weren't far from the camper. even if she had to cross the road, i can see no reason to think she would willingly get in a strangers car to get back to camper faster. ppl who live in that region have expressed wierdos do abound. strange and dangerous things happen. seems to be common knowledge for ppl who live there. i would state there is no way barb would willingly jump in a car just to get back to the camper faster. impossible in my mind.

moreover, unless under extreme distress, she would not get into a strangers car around there, for any reason.

I could think of one possible reason for doing so. Wrong turn on trail, ending up at road in a different spot, hitching a ride back in the direction she believes the camper is in.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

LE can get a court order to remove a persons constitutional right to free speech?

I've never heard of that.

Can people just stop judging other people's way of living and start discussing what is important here?
Barbara is missing, her family can't find her or get hold of her.
We are here to help them.

New posters to this thread (who neglect to read all the posts, esp. the ones by the VI, or care to look up if it has already been discussed) seem amazed an elderly woman would go for a walk in the desert wearing a bikini, carrying a beer.
Yes, people do, and Barbara has done this with family members many times!
Young-er-ish posters in this thread seem amazed she didn't have a cell phone with her.
I don't! I borrow other peoples if I need one, I refuse to be brain-washed. I have a laptop I do my work on and emails are enough.

Taking a walk in a bikini top and a beer is way different than hiking in a bikini top and drinking beer. Cell, too.
We’re trying to establish her routines in different contexts.
Walking along in a bikini sounds normal to most of us, I think. However, hiking would seem not logical here.
So we now are pretty sure she wasn’t planning on walking far. No cell on her leads to same conclusion. Not going far.
I might walk to my mailbox in a bikini top with a beer, and no cell, but if I’m going for a 30 minute exercise walk around the neighborhood, totally different attire.
I believe sleuthers are turning over every bit of info to understand what could have happened, why and how.
There is no disrespect, scorn or commentary on her chosen way of life. Open discussion. Everyone can throw in their 2 cents worth.

 

[dbdb11]

I could think of one possible reason for doing so. Wrong turn on trail, ending up at road in a different spot, hitching a ride back in the direction she believes the camper is in.

imo if robbies info is reliable, and the area he said they were in is where they in fact were, wrong turn on trail has been ruled out.

medical event resulting in.her wandering beyond search area is a possibility, but save that, id strike her getting lost right off the page.

i saw the aerial and ground photos from sroads who wandered the area.

 

[GordianKnot]

assuming barb had no plans to flee on her own, they weren't far from the camper. even if she had to cross the road, i can see no reason to think she would willingly get in a strangers car to get back to camper faster. ppl who live in that region have expressed wierdos do abound. strange and dangerous things happen. seems to be common knowledge for ppl who live there. i would state there is no way barb would willingly jump in a car just to get back to the camper faster. impossible in my mind.

moreover, unless under extreme distress, she would not get into a strangers car around there, for any reason.

Question:

Does Barb have her own vehicle, or do she and RT share one?

 

[Knox]

BBM:

Sure, there's a reason:

RT's told us why he thinks "somebody took her."

Because she was wearing a bikini, and she had a beer in her hand.

That's why.

JMO.

I have to wonder if the media blitz that happened in the Sheryl Powell case influenced his thoughts of an abduction? Her family starting saying she had been abducted on day 2 and the media picked it up immediately. These two disappeared on the same day. Just musing, but the timing is interesting.

 

[Steelslady]

my father is the one who insisted she not push forward her dates to visit, and im sure the detail is extra heartbreaking for him.

for perspective on his condition, my wife and i just returned from an anniversary holiday with my kids too. i was definitely not excited for a vacation, given the circumstances. but in these situations, especially a long term illness, sometimes even immediate family can get a lot out of some time away. we also considered cutting our trip short, after we learned about barb, right in the middle of the trip... we ended up sticking to original plan regardless, and that meant lot of sleepless nights with you good folks.

welcome to your own opinion on our priorities. of course, i wish it was my dad and his wife on holiday instead of me, and i wish barb had been planning to visit purely for leisure, and i still hope she turns up in hong kong by some miracle...

Same happened when my mother-in-law was dying of cancer. We had a wedding to go to that was about 9 hours away, and we had already planned this months ahead. We went, and I told hubby if he was needed back home, we would be on our way, no questions asked. My MIL passed away in October, and it was June when we went away. We've always said it was a good thing we took that vacation, as it was a long summer afterwards of visiting her in the hospital and eventually hospice. She died a couple of days before our anniversary. I am sure you and your family needed some time away. It really does the heart some good to just be somewhere different to distract you from what's happening with your loved one at home. I feel terrible hearing that you found out about your Aunt Barbara's disappearance on your vacation, I can't imagine what that had to be like. I am glad you stayed on your vacation with your family- there wasn't anything you could do then to help Barbara, and being with your family was best at that time.