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

[Nerissa]

Apparently they liked the desert - been said by the VI before

Used to live in the Mojave - but way back when - very different now. Incredibly beautiful, sometimes a surreal beauty. Pure quiet & majesty

Personally, I don't see the draw, going to the desert. I find it boring. So many beautiful places to see in Cal. why go there. That's MO

To each their own BTW used to live on the Humboldt county north California coast too - sure pretty but couldn't wait to get out!!! High & dry in the Rockies now @ 7,000 feet

I also collect rocks - yes: easy to go astray looking at this & that, especially if she were feeling ill, too...

 

[kay74]

Is it stated that she said that she wanted to go back when he asked her to wait?

If they quarreled: whole 'nother ball game

JMO
that's why

If they were quarreling, why would he ask her to wait?

 

[Twistinginthewind]

Snipped by me.
Imagine that you are within 1/2 mile of that nice RV pictured in post #380. Surely that deluxe model has a comfy, private little bathroom in it. That's where I'd be heading when nature called. If nature's call was particularly urgent, I am sure a veteran camper would know what to do. MOO

I agree that BT would have / should have been headed directly to the RV -- RT even said she "pulled ahead" and she "wanted to go to the RV" on MSM video.

I don't believe she 'went behind a bush' to relieve herself, nor that she became disoriented, nor that she went to look at some rocks down the road a piece, or in some other fashion somehow managed to get lost on her own.

She was an experienced desert hiker, and since RT said she had no 'supplies' with her, and she was within easy walking distance of the RV that contained all the life saving aspects that a person needs to have nearby to survive in the desert, she would have been making a beeline for their vehicle, IMO. Especially after walking for 2 miles in the desert heat without any supplies (aside from a beer according to RT).

RT said on MSM they were both less than 5 - 10 minutes walk back to reaching their RV when they 'became separated', which is why he said he thinks the only thing that makes sense was that she must have been abducted, implying even he doesn't think it makes sense she could have gotten lost in that short of a distance from him that close to returning to their RV where he said she wanted to go when she "pulled ahead".

LE searched the area looking for BT for 9 days with K9 units, a helicopter, and ATVs, and they did not find "any evidence of Barbara Thomas" in their words.

IMO there is no evidence to suggest that she became lost on her own at that location where RT said she "went around a corner" and he "never saw her again".

IMO LE would have found her if she had become lost on her own within a few minutes' walk from the highway where they had just pulled off to 'go for a 2 mile walk' shortly before.

Her whereabouts are still unknown 19 days since she went missing on July 12th, and 10 days since LE ended their very thorough search for her.

It's very sad to think of the alternatives to her getting lost, but I just don't believe she became lost under the circumstances as described by her husband.

All JMO. Keeping her loved ones in my thoughts, and hoping for some news / any news about BT this week.

 

[Tillicum]

It's incredibly sad that after 19 days since Barbara went missing, not one friend has spoken about her. Have any friends said anything on social media? Did Barbara have any friends?

 

[kay74]

I wish they would call the FBI. She crossed state lines so they could very well do that.

 

[enelram]

Has anyone or even LE verified that she was
there where RT says? Maybe she disappeared
long before RT called from the desert.
Maybe something happened to her on the route
to the desert area.
I have a feeling LE will eventually get their
answers they're looking for.
But the story will probably not align with what
RT is telling.

 

[Davia18]

It's incredibly sad that after 19 days since Barbara went missing, not one friend has spoken about her. Have any friends said anything on social media? Did Barbara have any friends?

I was thinking the same thing. I find it odd that we haven't heard from friends. Here in Mohave county there is a large amount of retired folks and many of them do things in groups JMO.

 

[10ofRods]

It was posted that if she did not take a certain turn in the trail & went straight instead she would hit Kelbaker Street - how far a walk would that be? How far would it be from the street back to RV? (assuming she could take that street back to the RV?)

This is just about one of the only scenarios I see wherein she may have been abducted. Walking back along the street to the RV.

Has RT said why BT did not wait for him as he requested - ?

Was she feeling tired, overheated? Not feeling well?

Did they quarrel - ?

Or is this her personality - does her thing, she didn't want to stop & stand around in the heat so she just kept on going....?

JMO

Looks to be about a mile. So, if she thought she had a half mile to walk and walked parallel to the road on that southbound trail, after about 10 minutes, she must have wondered where she was. Sroads says she would have been able to hear cars and I totally believe that, as she'd have been continuously about 1/4-1/2 mile from the road, gradually approaching it. Maybe if she heard the road up ahead, she would keep walking forward rather than backtracking (to where she knew she had left her husband).

That would put her closer to the I-40 (and there's a little pull out where that trail hits Kelbacker). She might have thought the RV should be there but wasn't. What would she do then? I'm assuming there would have been real anxiety. She should have known to turn right and walk north on Kelbacker (but now her brief walk to the RV has turned into half an hour or more). 2 miles has turned into 3 miles and now there's a mile to walk back...

I just can't believe she'd get off trail in what she was wearing...but walking along the road might have presented greater risk (including hitch hiking).

I think it's an unlikely scenario, but it's the main reason why I wish LE would have updated more precisely on what area they think they searched thoroughly by that 10th day.

 

[neesaki]

May not hurt to do some searching away from the area from which she was reported missing.

IOW, Do they any other favorite places they liked to spend time camping, etc. ?

I’m not saying I believe RT is guilty of anything.... I’m on the fence. But still......

 

[Kapua]

I agree that BT would have / should have been headed directly to the RV -- RT even said she "pulled ahead" and she "wanted to go to the RV" on MSM video.

I don't believe she 'went behind a bush' to relieve herself, nor that she became disoriented, nor that she went to look at some rocks down the road a piece, or in some other fashion somehow managed to get lost on her own.

She was an experienced desert hiker, and since RT said she had no 'supplies' with her, and she was within easy walking distance of the RV that contained all the life saving aspects that a person needs to have nearby to survive in the desert, she would have been making a beeline for their vehicle, IMO. Especially after walking for 2 miles in the desert heat without any supplies (aside from a beer according to RT).

RT said on MSM they were both less than 5 - 10 minutes walk back to reaching their RV when they 'became separated', which is why he said he thinks the only thing that makes sense was that she must have been abducted, implying even he doesn't think it makes sense she could have gotten lost in that short of a distance from him that close to returning to their RV where he said she wanted to go when she "pulled ahead".

LE searched the area looking for BT for 9 days with K9 units, a helicopter, and ATVs, and they did not find "any evidence of Barbara Thomas" in their words.

IMO there is no evidence to suggest that she became lost on her own at that location where RT said she "went around a corner" and he "never saw her again".

IMO LE would have found her if she had become lost on her own within a few minutes' walk from the highway where they had just pulled off to 'go for a 2 mile walk' shortly before.

Her whereabouts are still unknown 19 days since she went missing on July 12th, and 10 days since LE ended their very thorough search for her.

It's very sad to think of the alternatives to her getting lost, but I just don't believe she became lost under the circumstances as described by her husband.

All JMO. Keeping her loved ones in my thoughts, and hoping for some news / any news about BT this week.

IMHO, there's no evidence to support that she was ever there in the first place.

 

[Liwthe]

Excellent post. I’ve been following all the thread comments as best as time permits, and it seems as if everyone really wants to believe the husband.

But it’s hard.

We all want to learn BT was angry and took off for China, and will return hearty and hale.

But it’s hard.

We all want to believe love lasts forever, and 69 year old women in bikini’s with a beer hiking about come to no harm.

But it’s hard.

Will BT be found?
Anyone who has spent any amount of time on these threads know that while statistically we know probable outcomes, anything is possible.

As long as no earthly remains have been recovered, I will hold on to that shred of hope that the hubby is truthful, and this will all be a made for TV movie someday.

Amateur opinion and speculation

It’s funny how different perception is. You say you feel everyone on the thread really wants to believe the husband whereas I feel that the majority are focusing entirely on the husband as having murdered BT and finding very (to me) unusual theories to support the belief. I know it’s a thing here to try to notice any inconsistency, but there’s a lot of innuendo. Especially as he is not a suspect and still a victim until the police say otherwise.

Secondly I feel plenty of people question the other victim for her choices in beverage and outfit for her age, which is again mentioned here. That can feel to me like victim shaming unless simply discussing the survival aspects or the possibility of abduction and whether or not it did make her more likely to be abducted.

What do you think the statistics are for being lost vs murdered? As has been stated many times, missing people, particularly in these harsh climes is common. Probably more common than spousal murder.

I’m not trying to be offensive. I am new here. It’s more that I’m struggling with the objectivity aspect. I would hope that if my husband went missing that I would be given the benefit of the doubt. So much more than has been brought up against RT could be used against me by my relatives (we’ve had struggles, come close to divorce before). I don’t get along with all of them and can imagine some in their fear, grief and upset thinking anything.

 

[dbdb11]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed>

if anyone would like find barb-flyer-jpegs to share with truckers like chihuahua, or to place in other relevant areas, DM me.

 

[kay74]

Looks to be about a mile. So, if she thought she had a half mile to walk and walked parallel to the road on that southbound trail, after about 10 minutes, she must have wondered where she was. Sroads says she would have been able to hear cars and I totally believe that, as she'd have been continuously about 1/4-1/2 mile from the road, gradually approaching it. Maybe if she heard the road up ahead, she would keep walking forward rather than backtracking (to where she knew she had left her husband).

That would put her closer to the I-40 (and there's a little pull out where that trail hits Kelbacker). She might have thought the RV should be there but wasn't. What would she do then? I'm assuming there would have been real anxiety. She should have known to turn right and walk north on Kelbacker (but now her brief walk to the RV has turned into half an hour or more). 2 miles has turned into 3 miles and now there's a mile to walk back...

I just can't believe she'd get off trail in what she was wearing...but walking along the road might have presented greater risk (including hitch hiking).

I think it's an unlikely scenario, but it's the main reason why I wish LE would have updated more precisely on what area they think they searched thoroughly by that 10th day.

I totally agree with the last sentence. I wanted to bold it, but my computer is not working right.

 

[PaulR]

Maybe she mistook a wash for a trail? That seems easy enough, they're going to look similar on the ground.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

Well...as for her just leaving when asked to stay - two theories here of mine:

1.) he's telling the truth...yeah: shocker! lol (we jaded people, we)

2.) he is sticking close to the truth - they DID quarrel & something happened back at the RV

JMO

Good theories, IMO, if true, I'm leaning towards a quarrel and what's behind door 2.)!.....
because there were a few moments when RT was on camera with MSM and talking about what BT 'did' (pulled ahead, wore a bikini and had a beer) that he seemed to me to be a bit pissed off. JMO

 

[kay74]

Good theories, IMO, if true, I'm leaning towards a quarrel and what's behind door 2.)!.....
because there were a few moments when RT was on camera with MSM and talking about what BT 'did' (pulled ahead, wore a bikini and had a beer) that he seemed to me to be a bit pissed off. JMO

Enough to kill her! I don't think so.

 

[10ofRods]

I'm not assuming that BT disappeared in the vicinity of where the call was placed. As another poster mentioned, I don't personally find that area so photo-worthy that I'd even get out of the car on a *very* hot day. There are so many really, really beautiful and unique places in the Golden State (Sequoia National Park, for example) that I'd rather visit. But to your point, with one sketchy (IMHO) story and zero evidence, I am not drawing any conclusions. MOO

But you're not a desert rat. This is exactly the kind of place we'd go to, if we lived near enough (DH and I). The granite outcropping, alone, is a place I'd want to collect rocks. And I believe it's legal to do so there (it is not legal in Sequoia NP, which we do visit frequently). The desert is really soothing to me.

They lived nearby (in desert standards). A mere 2 hours. There are low cost campgrounds that almost always have availability this time of year (try getting one at any of those places you mentioned - it's next to impossible; Sequoia is completely booked, no spontaneous trips for a big trailer - and they'd have to take the further entrance into the park with that behemoth). Alabama Hills is nicer - but 6 hours, at least, from their home.

I'd have gone out to see this exact site if it were just 2 hours away. 4 hours and I'm not so happy to do it.

The dunes (just another couple of miles away) are also great and at higher elevation than the ones in DV (which, to me, is the place I wouldn't go in summer). Kelso Depot is cute and at around 3000' IIRC, so only about 90-95 right now. So many things to see out there, really. People do in fact visit Death Valley, Alabama Hills, (ugly) Lake Mead and so on. The advantage of Mojave NP is that it really is less crowded and that's one some of us seek.

 

[PommyMommy]

Has anyone or even LE verified that she was
there where RT says? Maybe she disappeared
long before RT called from the desert.
Maybe something happened to her on the route
to the desert area.
I have a feeling LE will eventually get their
answers they're looking for.
But the story will probably not align with what
RT is telling.

July 17
69-year-old woman missing after hiking in California's Mojave Desert with her husband - National News - ABC News Radio
A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department told ABC News there is no evidence at this time suggesting foul play.

July 19
Husband of missing 69-year-old hiker says police consider him a suspect

• Authorities also say they have no evidence the woman was abducted nor have they found any trace of her.
• Officials also say that they are unaware of any medical conditions that may have caused BT to become disoriented or lost.

July 22
California police say missing hiker who vanished 'in her bikini' was NOT abducted | Daily Mail Online
'We don't think she was abducted. It's a very remote area. There's no evidence to suggest she was abducted,' spokeswoman Jodi Miller told DailyMail.com.

JUL 23
Daily searches suspended for bikini-clad woman who vanished in Mojave Desert | Fox News

• On Monday, the sheriff's office said the ongoing daily searches in the Mohave National Preserve have been suspended.
• "Additional searches will be conducted as any additional information is developed in the investigation," the sheriff's office said.
• "Detectives from the Specialized Investigations Division have assumed the investigation as is standard department policy when a missing person has not been located."
• "There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located on previous days," the sheriff's office said.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

Has anyone or even LE verified that she was
there where RT says? Maybe she disappeared
long before RT called from the desert.
Maybe something happened to her on the route
to the desert area.
I have a feeling LE will eventually get their
answers they're looking for.
But the story will probably not align with what
RT is telling.

Unfortunately, no, there has not been any verification by anyone or even LE that BT was where RT says she was when she went missing.

LE said in their statement after the search ended (quoted & linked by Pommymommy above ^^^, thanks!) that "There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located on previous days" in the area where they searched and her husband said they were walking when she went missing.

There's been some discussion here about ways to tell if she was ever there, but nothing proven to be true or verified by anyone or even LE, e.g., (1) if there are photos of BT that day with time stamps taken in that location on RT's camera, (2) if there were webcams (in the middle of the desert??) that caught them together at that location, (3) if anyone in a parking lot (near a trailead?) a few miles away may have seen them (according to RT during a 360 degree photo they took from on top of a hill earlier in the day, there was a parking area with vehicles, but it was several miles away from their walk location IIRC).

MOO

 

[Reasonable & Just]

It’s funny how different perception is. You say you feel everyone on the thread really wants to believe the husband whereas I feel that the majority are focusing entirely on the husband as having murdered BT and finding very (to me) unusual theories to support the belief. I know it’s a thing here to try to notice any inconsistency, but there’s a lot of innuendo. Especially as he is not a suspect and still a victim until the police say otherwise.

Secondly I feel plenty of people question the other victim for her choices in beverage and outfit for her age, which is again mentioned here. That can feel to me like victim shaming unless simply discussing the survival aspects or the possibility of abduction and whether or not it did make her more likely to be abducted.

What do you think the statistics are for being lost vs murdered? As has been stated many times, missing people, particularly in these harsh climes is common. Probably more common than spousal murder.

I’m not trying to be offensive. I am new here. It’s more that I’m struggling with the objectivity aspect. I would hope that if my husband went missing that I would be given the benefit of the doubt. So much more than has been brought up against RT could be used against me by my relatives (we’ve had struggles, come close to divorce before). I don’t get along with all of them and can imagine some in their fear, grief and upset thinking anything.

These are excellent points, and it may be good to contact a Mod to clarify. I think we have taken some liberties on the thread because RT himself stated he was the "prime suspect'. This is of course not the same as the police saying he is a POI.

As for victim-blaming Barbara, I have not really seen that, but could have missed it. What I get at, and others have as well, is that something about his need to mention it, and his phrasing and intonation on that video sounds as though he may be blaming her attire and beverage for what he claims is an abduction. What you mentioned in the bolded portion is victim-blaming, as I understand it. As we all know, women of all ages, attire, and states of sobriety are victimized every day. Predators who target women tend to be opportunists, so the fact that she was alone is really the only factor that seems relevant in this scenario, where there was such a tiny window of opportunity per RT.