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

[Twistinginthewind]

Why do you believe BT disappeared from there?

I said "If" she disappeared from there, it is perplexing to me.

 

[LietKynes]

I can see that. I just thought as ‘websleuths’ (maybe I’m taking the name too literally), it’d be great if we had more facts.

Emph. mine

Yes, Ita.^^^

I have zero problems with that !!
And no, you're not taking the name too literally.
The reason people keep looking carefully at small details is because there's so little to go on.

I've thought about what's the most logical outcome to Barbara's vanishing.
Think Occam's Razor.
But that's depressing and I'm sure Barbara's family wants to think she's alive somewhere-- just being held for unknown reasons.

Doubtful it's for financial/debt reasons , as creditors don't usually go around kidnapping people.
And if it was ransom--- there'd have been a demand by now.

For instance--- WHY has no one from Barbara's side of the family said anything about the relationship between RT and Barbara ?

Why has no one from Barbara's side asked the public to get out there and look.
Heck, even in Vegas.
Even if RT didn't specifically SAY Vegas.
Why not look there ?

What if someone has her holed up somewhere and she cannot get away or even free from bondage (if she's tied up?) ?

Why has Robbie gone silent ?
He needs to speak to investigators and tell them where they stopped that day before the hike -- to refuel, convenience stores, restaurants for breakfast, bathroom stops.
Anywhere there are security cameras that show Barbara , and if another vehicle was tailing them. That latter part is doubtful.

If RT feels that people are looking at him askance -- he's the one who used the words "prime suspect", from the video interview with the elderly retired policeman.
The retired cop said that investigators and police will never tell a person to their face that they are the P.S.
Even if LE think so.

Absolutely we need more facts !
We're not even positive she was with him on that hike. Even though she was seen on neighbor's surveillance cameras around 8:30 am.
IMO

 

[diggndeeperstill]

I've been following this case and my only Q at this particular point in time is:

**WHY have a key hidden (under a rock or whatever) when RT's Ford truck has a key code for the door?**

I have a Ford and my code is 5 digits - surely 5 digits isn't beyond the realm of what can be memorized by BT or RT. That is all.

MOO.

(I tried to find a pic of the truck to link but can not - sorry)

I’ve wondered about where the truck keys were but hadn’t thought about keyless entry on the truck. Yes if it had keyless I most definitely would have put the keys under the seat in truck. Someone could break a window in both the truck and rv so that doesn’t sound like a reason not to.

My ford is a 2012 with keyless. I totally can’t picture if we have keyless on both drivers and passenger side? In his truck pic, it does look like keyless on the driver side, at least that’s what I think the long rectangle thing is. I am unsure because it’s only on one side. Anyone know? I’ll look tomorrow on ours.

Also worth wondering about. The rv may have two different keys. May have a deadbolt.

 

[PaulR]

Yes but if you have a secure combination to get into the truck, leaving the fifth wheel key inside the truck is a lot safer than hiding it under a rock.

Can you open the car with just the combination? I know sometimes you also need the key in proximity as well. Which is the reason that the keys were hidden under a rock.

 

[PommyMommy]

Back to the topic of BT's disappearance, I have to say that after following many missing persons cases over the years, Barbara's disappearance is the most perplexing to me. If she disappeared so quickly from such a remote place all by herself, there has to be a plausible explanation, and there just doesn't seem to be one. I sincerely hope some new information will come to the fore ASAP that will help LE find her and give her loved ones some answers. MOO

Thank you. I've been checking the thread title the last few pages to make sure I was in the right place.

 

[EmilyVan]

My ford is a 2012 with keyless. I totally can’t picture if we have keyless on both drivers and passenger side

my Ford is 2011. the keypad is only on driver side.

...which is inconvenient at the grocery store when you approach from the passenger side.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Can you open the car with just the combination? I know sometimes you also need the key in proximity as well. Which is the reason that the keys were hidden under a rock.

Yes combo only.

 

[Handsome Sailor]

When was the last time someone saw her other than hubby? That's the timeframe I'd be investigating if I were there.

 

[EmilyVan]

Can you open the car with just the combination? I know sometimes you also need the key in proximity as well. Which is the reason that the keys were hidden under a rock.

BBM
yes you can - you can lock it as well. you do not need the key nearby to open the door with the keypad. (on my 2011 Ford - that is)

 

[PommyMommy]

When was the last time someone saw her other than hubby? That's the timeframe I'd be investigating if I were there.

She and RT were seen via the neighbor's surveillance camera at 8:15 a.m. on the day she disappeared. MOO

 

[Liwthe]

That’s the media, not the justice system.

Intense media coverage can bias potential jurors. The courts don’t have any control over what the media does.

The legal system tries to remedy this, by occasionally moving trials.

It is set up for fairness, even though it doesn’t always work that way.

I’m talking about what LE and the prosecutorial team leaks to the media. We see all the time how it can prejudice cases. A trial is expensive and they want to make sure they get their suspect. Sometimes things get too gung-ho and the suspect doesn’t stand a chance of a fair trial because the public has already decided they’re guilty due to the things that had been released by LE. Sometimes these things turn out to be incorrect.

 

[MsBetsy]

Yes. I can see most of those. Unfortunately ‘so the defendant gets a fair trial’ is not one I think happens often.

I think it does now more than ever, with all the speculation and rumors that are spread on Social Media. Imo

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Can you open the car with just the combination? I know sometimes you also need the key in proximity as well. Which is the reason that the keys were hidden under a rock.

I have no idea. My cars don't even have electronic fobs, not to mention keypads.

But I do understand hiding a key as opposed to putting it in a pocket -- there is a greater risk (IMO at least) of losing the key along the trail, perhaps if one stumbles, than of it getting lost or stolen from a hiding place. Obviously a very location sensitive decision.

I actually had keys fall out of a zippered windbreaker pouch from which the zipper had unknowingly failed, while I was on a cross-country ski hike along a trail in Donner State Park. Only pure, sheer luck allowed me to backtrack less than a half hour, notice a 2" diameter hole in the snow near my tracks, reach in and reclaim my keys.

my Ford is 2011. the keypad is only on driver side.

...which is inconvenient at the grocery store when you approach from the passenger side.

My totally non-electronic 2017 pickup can only be unlocked from the driver's side. I hate this feature so much! Almost as much as the automatic locking when driving, which can apparently be opted out of on automatics, but not on my manual transmission. Bizarre.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

I think it’s just weird to leave your keys under a rock. Why not carry them in a pocket or bag. If one person wants to head back early, just ask for the keys. It was just a short walk. You can go to any outdoor event and there’s always a small chance you could lose your keys but do you hide them under a rock?

 

[Kapua]

I’ve wondered about where the truck keys were but hadn’t thought about keyless entry on the truck. Yes if it had keyless I most definitely would have put the keys under the seat in truck. Someone could break a window in both the truck and rv so that doesn’t sound like a reason not to.

My ford is a 2012 with keyless. I totally can’t picture if we have keyless on both drivers and passenger side? In his truck pic, it does look like keyless on the driver side, at least that’s what I think the long rectangle thing is. I am unsure because it’s only on one side. Anyone know? I’ll look tomorrow on ours.

Also worth wondering about. The rv may have two different keys. May have a deadbolt.

Putting the key(s) under a rock is one more thing about RT's story that makes zero sense to me. Like you say, he could have put the keys in the truck - under the seat, in the glove box, in the center console, wherever. He could also have taken them with him. Did his pants/shorts not have pockets? Didn't he have a backpack? Maybe he was wearing a Speedo. MOO

 

[MsBetsy]

I can see that. I just thought as ‘websleuths’ (maybe I’m taking the name too literally), it’d be great if we had more facts.

I think that's why this case is so hard to solve. There are hardly any facts that we know of.
All we really know for sure is that there is a woman named Barbara who was seen leaving her home at 8:15 that morning and now she is nowhere to be found. Imo

 

[LietKynes]

Putting the key(s) under a rock is one more thing about RT's story that makes zero sense to me. Like you say, he could have put the keys in the truck - under the seat, in the glove box, in the center console, wherever. He could also have taken them with him. Did his pants/shorts not have pockets? Didn't he have a backpack? Maybe he was wearing a Speedo. MOO

BBM

Eeewww !
That's not a sight I'd ever want to see.
Thanks for the laugh, though !

 

[PaulR]

Putting the key(s) under a rock is one more thing about RT's story that makes zero sense to me. Like you say, he could have put the keys in the truck - under the seat, in the glove box, in the center console, wherever. He could also have taken them with him. Did his pants/shorts not have pockets? Didn't he have a backpack? Maybe he was wearing a Speedo. MOO

Hey, I don't get why she wasn't wearing clothes with pockets

 

[MassGuy]

Hey, I don't get why she wasn't wearing clothes with pockets

A lot of women don’t wear clothes with pockets. If she was dressed the way he claims, then she clearly didn’t have any.

I don’t think I’ve ever worn anything without pockets, and I’m a guy.

 

[MsBetsy]

I’m talking about what LE and the prosecutorial team leaks to the media. We see all the time how it can prejudice cases. A trial is expensive and they want to make sure they get their suspect. Sometimes things get too gung-ho and the suspect doesn’t stand a chance of a fair trial because the public has already decided they’re guilty due to the things that had been released by LE. Sometimes these things turn out to be incorrect.

That's exactly why LE does not give much information to the public in the first place. They want to prevent that from happening, so they only reveal what they have to. Imo