CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #4

[Liwthe]

Just an odd thought I had.

RT seems to be well-off, financially. What if some sort of business deal went terribly wrong ... wrong to the point where lives were being threatened, or blackmail, or ??? Maybe BT is being held as collateral until RT forks over a colossal amount of money. The other party could have followed RT and BT into a remote area of the desert ... perhaps clandestinely ... or perhaps RT knew what was going to happen and felt he didn't have a choice. RT and BT would go for a walk, and BT vanishes without a trace, perhaps even disappearing around a corner exactly as RT stated ... only she wasn't alone. In a way, it could even be considered an "abduction" of sorts.

RT could be telling the basic truth about what happened ... just not the whole truth ... and he may not can say anything else publicly for fear of BT being harmed.

Probably not a likely scenario, because the very act of calling 911 in the first place could put BT in more danger ... but it also could explain a lot of things, including why no trace of BT has been found, why nobody seems to be saying anything, the "deceptive" results of the polygraph test, etc.

(All just speculation. MOO.)

If that was the case mentioning this on the news might make the abductors a little displeased to say the least.

 

[10ofRods]

Thing with a mountain lion is they hunt at night. And we are talking noon in July in the desert.

I think kitty is napping.

Also: I would be surprised if a mountain lion had a den anywhere near these trails & roads, etc. Too near humans. They would have their homes in more remote locations

Now, it isn't unheard of for a wild animal to be ill or in distress, etc. & then proceed to do & be in areas & habitats they generally are not found. But: I'd also think if this were the case - some ill, distressed mountain lion in the area would be known...ie, if the kitty were deranged & trying to pick off humans from a trail. But, hey: this case is odd, who knows

JMO

I do too - although not all of the fatal and nonfatal attacks have been at night. Here are a couple that are daytime (and fairly recent). The only reason I'm posting is that cougar population is higher this year.

Suspected mountain lion attack injures 4-year-old California boy

Necropsy of mountain lion confirms Colorado trail runner’s story he strangled, bludgeoned cat to death

There are others. Anyway...no evidence of foul play, human or cat. No evidence of anything at all. But the Sheriff clearly thought she was out there, even after the polygraph, or he wouldn't have put all those volunteers at risk for the last 5-6 days (when it was clear it was body recovery if she hadn't gone elsewhere).

Three main options:

1) she was never there and Sheriff did not know this for 10 days
2) she was there and left, voluntarily or involuntarily, leaving Robbie and all other family in the dark
3) she died out there of heat stroke or other misadventure

I think it's 3 and probably heat stroke.

 

[wary]

Under US law, if the missing adult (18+) is found, and is found to have voluntarily went missing, do the family get notified or not?

My belief, based on other cases, is that LE will notify family that the person has been located and is well—that there is no criminal case. But they will not give the location of the person—because people have a right to voluntarily go missing.

MOO

 

[PommyMommy]

I thought the VI said at one point Robert told someone they were familiar with the area and had been there before, but he had told LE or someone else that they had never been there? I'm not sure which is true or if I am remembering correctly. Imo

IIRC, they were familiar with the general area - the Mojave Desert- hiked, camped, etc. many times in the past. I don't think they were necessarily familiar with the exact area BT went missing. MOO

I am sorry I'm just bee bopping in and out. Something is weird to me and I don't know why it's bugging me.

Did a VI not say the awning on the trailer was extended and there were chairs out? Or am I dreaming?

Even if Barbara couldn't find the keys there would have been a chair at least.

If I'm not dreaming, it sounds like they were planning to stay awhile or RT sat there waiting on LE?

Just a random, fly by, muddled nagging thought.

Chairs set up, awning was an assumption. See BBM:

They had chairs set up in the shade of the camper, I assume an awning. That is where Robbie expected to see her when he returned.


So, I imagine the intended destination was some kind of camping/RV parking spot. They decided to stop alongside the road and go for a short, 2-mile hike. he intended destination was some kind of camping spot. Otherwise, they woudn't have brought the camper.


The above and the herbal life connection are neither speculation nor rumour.

...

I realise it doesn't make sense, but does it make sense to believe he harmed his wife, then goes on TV twice lengthy saying he believes she got kidnapped and taken to Las Vegas because she was wearing a bikini and how he is the prime suspect?

There aren't many options, to me the one that makes the most sense I posted a few pages back.

Yes. Perps give interviews all the time thinking they can fool the public and outwit LE. MOO

 

[Kapua]

Is William okay with Mountain Lion?

Fatal mountain lion attacks in California: Map and details

It's rare, but it does happen. It also ticks all the boxes for this disappearance (except...as far as we know...no evidence of mountain lion).

Note that not one of the fatal mountain lion attacks documented in California between March 1986 and September 2014 occurred in San Bernardino County.

Verified Mountain Lion-Human Attacks (1986-2014)

 

[Kittybunny]

...


I realise it doesn't make sense, but does it make sense to believe he harmed his wife, then goes on TV twice lengthy saying he believes she got kidnapped and taken to Las Vegas because she was wearing a bikini and how he is the prime suspect?

There aren't many options, to me the one that makes the most sense I posted a few pages back.

It does make sense to me to believe a man who harmed his wife would go on TV and try to sell whatever narrative pointed away from him. Sometimes the media comes to them or they feel they must do it to look not guilty. Follow true crime long enough and you'll learn how common it is, not just with spouses but parents and stepparents whose kids go "missing" when in fact they were the ones who harmed them.

One of the most commonly shared traits of criminals is a level of arrogance that normal people don't have. From the beginning, they believe that they will get away with their crime because they are smarter than law enforcement, or else they wouldn't do them in the first place. They are also willing to take risks that you and I would never dream of.

This is generally of course, not specific to RT.

 

[tcfpne]

Just an odd thought I had.

RT seems to be well-off, financially. What if some sort of business deal went terribly wrong ... wrong to the point where lives were being threatened, or blackmail, or ??? Maybe BT is being held as collateral until RT forks over a colossal amount of money. The other party could have followed RT and BT into a remote area of the desert ... perhaps clandestinely ... or perhaps RT knew what was going to happen and felt he didn't have a choice. RT and BT would go for a walk, and BT vanishes without a trace, perhaps even disappearing around a corner exactly as RT stated ... only she wasn't alone. In a way, it could even be considered an "abduction" of sorts.

RT could be telling the basic truth about what happened ... just not the whole truth ... and he may not can say anything else publicly for fear of BT being harmed.

Probably not a likely scenario, because the very act of calling 911 in the first place could put BT in more danger ... but it also could explain a lot of things, including why no trace of BT has been found, why nobody seems to be saying anything, the "deceptive" results of the polygraph test, etc.

(All just speculation. MOO.)

Yeah I thought that if an abduction took place, whoever it was knew that RT was well-off financially and would eventually contact him for ransom. But too much time passed for potential abductors to contact RT (As in, if it was an abduction, they would've contacted already). Maybe they decided it wasn't worth it with all the police attention.

 

[compass]

So many possible scenarios presented here, lots of smart and unfortunately, experienced sleuths on this site. I know searches have been thoroughly carried out, but I remember a case I followed here a few years ago. A woman’s car was found wrecked on side of road but no sign of her. Searches were carried out for weeks with nothing found. Many doubted her husband’s story and thought him guilty of harming her and hiding her body. Months later her body was found a short distance from her wrecked car, stumbled upon by accident, if I remember correctly. My point, perhaps she is in area not easily found. ??? MOO
I honestly hope she is safely hiding for some reason, maybe needed a break from some stress.

 

[moonrise]

If that was the case mentioning this on the news might make the abductors a little displeased to say the least.

Yep, that's why I mentioned that this scenario is probably unlikely, but maybe RT panicked and called 911 without thinking about the additional danger it may cause to BT.

I don't know. This whole thing is baffling to the point where I'm laying awake at night wondering what happened. And I know if it's this frustrating for a total stranger, I can't even imagine how BT's family feels right now. "Not knowing" has to be the worst feeling in the world.

 

[dbdb11]

Are you aware of something they or he may have been involved in that he would not want anyone to know?

should i be, honestly?
clearly i have my suspicions. TOS violations aside, i have my doubts as well.

realistically, i have almost no certainty at this point.

but i have been paying this surreal series of events a lot of mind. a mountain lion would be a regal outcome, at this point.

i suspect robbies involvement. im shocked at matts priorities in the grand scheme. im sorry for all the people over there who consider barb family. it is very tragic barb has been missing for three weeks, but this is also very, very serious. nothing should be overlooked. at this point we have already ruled out many of the original speculated scenarios.

with no info from LE, if you cant personally rule out any scenarios, they should not be ruled out.

i appreciate everyones continued help. if anyone has any pressing additional info, please message me privately, or email me at [email protected].

i believe this public forum has served a powerful purpose in the search for Barbara. I trust those with concern in their hearts will continue to guide this dialogue wisely; a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter... my aunt is out there somewhere.

if you know where she is, do the right thing.

 

[Nerissa]

I do too - although not all of the fatal and nonfatal attacks have been at night. Here are a couple that are daytime (and fairly recent). The only reason I'm posting is that cougar population is higher this year.

Suspected mountain lion attack injures 4-year-old California boy

Necropsy of mountain lion confirms Colorado trail runner’s story he strangled, bludgeoned cat to death

There are others. Anyway...no evidence of foul play, human or cat. No evidence of anything at all. But the Sheriff clearly thought she was out there, even after the polygraph, or he wouldn't have put all those volunteers at risk for the last 5-6 days (when it was clear it was body recovery if she hadn't gone elsewhere).

Three main options:

1) she was never there and Sheriff did not know this for 10 days
2) she was there and left, voluntarily or involuntarily, leaving Robbie and all other family in the dark
3) she died out there of heat stroke or other misadventure

I think it's 3 and probably heat stroke.

Yes. And - yes: they did go and search after he 'failed' the polygraph. HMMMMM. Barbara is somewhere. Maybe that's why they went back to search: because they didn't buy the abduction theory...

As for me: I'm on the fence because RT's story rings true in weird ways - why: because truth can be stranger than fiction. But, it's really the 'she went around a corner'. That doesn't mean he wasn't involved personally in her disappearance - it suggests to me, that somehow this visual memory is important & real. If he IS involved, he's sticking to the truth as close as he can get: and that's smart, just as VI said: he's intelligent.

JMO

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Sharing because I can’t recall if it was posted. Here is the area where they pulled off because the search base was here.

I do wonder where the rock was. I don’t see any.

I found this tweet that shows where search and rescue were set up. It is the same area I showed on the pic of the pull off spot.
SBCSDVolunteerForces on Twitter
Twitter

Twitter

 

[PaulR]

If that is Incident Command, I don't think that is where the RV would have been parked, because you don't want to disturb any trails left by the MP.

 

[Handsome Sailor]

Seems strange to me, that you have brand new rv/truck, yet you pull off in an undeveloped area to camp rather than finding an established campground?? talk about rolling the dice. I still think there was some dispute, perhaps on going, between the couple. the failed poly is very telling for me.

 

[Micheline]

It does make sense to me to believe a man who harmed his wife would go on TV and try to sell whatever narrative pointed away from him. Sometimes the media comes to them or they feel they must do it to look not guilty. Follow true crime long enough and you'll learn how common it is, not just with spouses but parents and stepparents whose kids go "missing" when in fact they were the ones who harmed them.

One of the most commonly shared traits of criminals is a level of arrogance that normal people don't have. From the beginning, they believe that they will get away with their crime because they are smarter than law enforcement, or else they wouldn't do them in the first place. They are also willing to take risks that you and I would never dream of.

This is generally of course, not specific to RT.

But why on TV?
Rambling scenarios to LE to point away from any suspicion they may have towards your OK, but since the viewers weren't even aware of this case, whats the use of going on TV telling you are the prime suspect and what not when you are the perpetrator?

 

[Liwthe]

should i be, honestly?
clearly i have my suspicions. TOS violations aside, i have my doubts as well.

realistically, i have almost no certainty at this point.

but i have been paying this surreal series of events a lot of mind. a mountain lion would be a regal outcome, at this point.

i suspect robbies involvement. im shocked at matts priorities in the grand scheme. im sorry for all the people over there who consider barb family. it is very tragic barb has been missing for three weeks, but this is also very, very serious. nothing should be overlooked. at this point we have already ruled out many of the original speculated scenarios.

with no info from LE, if you cant personally rule out any scenarios, they should not be ruled out.

i appreciate everyones continued help. if anyone has any pressing additional info, please message me privately, or email me at [email protected].

i believe this public forum has served a powerful purpose in the search for Barbara. I trust those with concern in their hearts will continue to guide this dialogue wisely; a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter... my aunt is out there somewhere.

if you know where she is, do the right thing.

I understand you have suspicions. It’s an unusual disappearance and must be extremely upsetting.

What I was asking was if you had information that led you to being so suspicious beyond what we all know already.

I hope she’s located and peace is restored between yourself and your family.

 

[kiwi50]

Some people who commit crimes have no awareness as to how absurd their claims are.

They think the scenario they are trying to sell is entirely plausible.

Diane Downs claimed that a stranger attempted to carjack her on a dark road in the middle of nowhere; shooting her kids, and killing one.

Susan Smith tried a similar tack, saying that someone carjacked her and kidnapped her children.

They both believed the public would believe the tearful pleas to the camera, and their fanciful tales.

This guy is trying to convince us that some random abductor couldn’t help but kidnap his scantily clad, beer carrying wife.

Like her being dressed that way is akin to leaving a pile of cash in the presence of a thief.

I’m not convinced. Not by a long shot.

Yes most people who kill their spouse, think they are smart enough to outwit LE , and amazing how many think they can put on a convincing performance on TV.
I believe if she was anywhere remotely near where he claims, she would have been found by the dogs.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #2

Look for the post from @sroad . It was the same spot.

I confirmed on Saturday with the Sheriff the precise location where the Thompsons had parked their 5th Wheel, the same location they had set up.

If that is Incident Command, I don't think that is where the RV would have been parked, because you don't want to disturb any trails left by the MP.

 

[LAhiker]

Seems strange to me, that you have brand new rv/truck, yet you pull off in an undeveloped area to camp rather than finding an established campground?? talk about rolling the dice. I still think there was some dispute, perhaps on going, between the couple. the failed poly is very telling for me.

While there may indeed have been some dispute, RT never claimed to have pulled over to camp. He said that they had pulled over to go look at an interesting rock formation. If he told LE about his plans for the rest of their trip, we haven't heard about it. JMO

 

[PommyMommy]

Seems strange to me, that you have brand new rv/truck, yet you pull off in an undeveloped area to camp rather than finding an established campground?? talk about rolling the dice. I still think there was some dispute, perhaps on going, between the couple. the failed poly is very telling for me.

According to RT, they pulled over and parked there to go for a walk. We don't know where they planned to camp. MOO