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

[diggndeeperstill]

The only reason I can think of, honestly (and I think about this case way too much), is that he has absolutely no one else to tell except the cameras. No friends, no close family, no one. And he's shaken. When holding onto to stress-inducing information (such as failing a polygraph and being considered a suspect in wife's death), many people just can't handle it without telling someone. So he told the whole world.

I doubt he thought through his reasons very consciously (unless of course, he really did have a nefarious plan). If he did have something to do with Barbara's death, it was as part of a jointly planned camping trip, I don't think he planned all the way to how to handle the media. I could be very wrong. MOO of course.

Really good points.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

I believe enough time has passed that electronic data such as phone pings, gps locations, etc should be in the hands of LE .
As for the phone, surely no subpoena was needed.
Every little thing has to be done 100% correctly, in case there's ever a trial for any reason.
Anyone think data is still being sought as far as electronic and triangulation?
It can take a lot of time, depending on many things.
Jmo
Chi
ETA I realize it's been stated officially that according to initial report that BT didnt have her cell

It'll be 3 weeks tomorrow since BT went missing : ( I don't know if that's enough time yet for them to gather all the electronic data from GPS and their cell phone, but hopefully LE has collected some helpful data by now, and their investigators have been following up with RT if they have any questions about their movements that day.

I wonder if LE has also been looking at his / their computer. In the Erin Corwin case near Twentynine Palms CA (not too far from The Mojave) the married man she was having an affair with took her out into the desert for a 'special time alone together' and then murdered her and dumped her body into an 80+ foot deep abandoned mine shaft. LE looked at his computer and discovered he had been searching for 'places to dispose of a body that would never be found' and looked at maps of where abandoned mine shafts were out in the desert near where they lived. LE with the help of the dedicated SBCO SAR never gave up looking for Erin's body, and after searching dozens of mine shafts in the desert heat for months, finally found her.

By the way, regarding cell phones belonging to RT and / or BT, it was stated early on by our VI that BT did not own her own cell phone. So RT's statement that "she didn't have a cell phone with her" should be taken with an emphasis on the word "a". Not she didn't have "her" cell phone with her.

JMO

 

[dbdb11]

I read it all over the past couple of days and it was very helpful.

I can't imagine what this has been like for you and your family, especially because of the vast distance. I pray you all have answers soon.

thank you. robbie and barb's family stateside also suffering. such a surreal series of events.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

I wish we knew whether "familiar with the cave" meant "we'd been there on previous trip/s" or "we noted it earlier in the day, on the outward leg of this walk"

That would be nice to know. Although RT did not say they had been there before (on previous trips), just that they chose that spot to pull over and take a 2 mile walk to check out some rock formations. JMO

 

[chihuahua]

Off for a bit, hoping something comes to light.
Have an unsettled feeling right now.
Hmmm, will wait and see.
Chi prayers for B's family including you @dbdb11

 

[coastal]

That's a grand idea. If I lived in the area and I could drive around or do a flyover with a plane or even operate a drone camera, I would also focus on places where you could pull off at an 'overlook' next to a canyon or formation with a sheer drop (between Bullhead City and the area she went missing and within say an hour or two driving distance of there). JMO

Is RT a pilot? I read that he and BT own a plane, anyway. If so, has he done any flyovers of the area himself? Maybe he can enlist some pilot friends to help him look for his wife. It's a big desert!

Where are you, Barbara?

 

[MsBetsy]

I wish we knew whether "familiar with the cave" meant "we'd been there on previous trip/s" or "we noted it earlier in the day, on the outward leg of this walk"

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

 

[PaulR]

Is RT a pilot? I read that he and BT own a plane, anyway. If so, has he done any flyovers of the area himself? Maybe he can enlist some pilot friends to help him look for his wife. It's a big desert!

I think you'd want a drone search.

Flying close enough to the ground to see a body would be suicidal IMHO. And perhaps not even legal.

 

[CSIDreamer]

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

Linking this Fox video clip from 07/19 again. Points raised in the piece include a couple of bonafide head-scratchers:

• SBSCO remaining tight-lipped.
• No evidence that BT was abducted.
• Not a single trace of BT having been found.
• LE is "unaware" of how long RT and BT were separated before she disappeared.
• LE "doesn't know" how far BT was from the RV at the time they became separated.

One logical explanation for the first 3 bullet points would be that BT was never at that location.

There is NO logical explanation for the last 2 bolded bullet points...if one assumes LE believes RT's version of events is true, at least.

The last 2 bullet points do make perfect sense if one assumes LE does not believe RT's account of what happened that day.

It's as plain as the nose on Pinocchio's face:

LE doesn't believe that BT is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the circumstances surrounding BT'S disappearance.

JMO.

So, if she was abducted, the kidnappers took the beer as well.

 

[MsBetsy]

thank you. robbie and barb's family stateside also suffering. such a surreal series of events.

I hope the drone search can give us some answers soon.
This must be a nightmare for all of you. I hope you have support from family and friends through this time.

Any word from Robert or how he is holding up? Are any other family members doing any searching on their own?
Was Barbara's son able to get an interview with the media? It might be helpful to get this case back on the news, especially if Robert still believes she was abducted. Imo

 

[MsBetsy]

So, if she was abducted, the kidnappers took the beer as well.

Assuming there was any left. If not, the can/bottle/ thermos has to be somewhere lying around. Imo

 

[CSIDreamer]

Assuming there was any left. If not, the can/bottle/ thermos has to be somewhere lying around. Imo

Exactly.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

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

Yes, this is what I was thinking of. We've seen "familiar with the area" but don't know if that means familiar with that specific trail or just that general part of the desert.

 

[tcfpne]

Do we know what brand/type of beer Barbara had? Maybe if search dogs were given a sample of the same beer they could locate a possible trail? Or the desert heat, etc destroyed it?

(I know plenty about electronics, but nothing about search dogs, just a crazy idea)

 

[Twistinginthewind]

Lots of great thoughts, thanks! One thing that you mention has been bothering me, and that is why has RT gone silent?

Apparently, he has not just gone silent publicly (no MSM articles in recent weeks), but IIRC our VI, dbdb11, said he has stopped communicating with BT's family in Hong Kong whom he had been in touch with a few times after BT disappeared. This has got to be making matters so much worse for her family who is so worried about her, to not be able to communicate with her husband who was with her when she went missing!

I've seen posts that assume he has gone silent because he has gotten a lawyer and they have told him not to talk, but we don't know if this is true. If it is true, why does RT need a lawyer? Has LE been actively engaging with him about the supposed "deception" result of the polygraph they gave him? The radio silence is deafening, 3 weeks from tomorrow she's been missing with no word!

JMO

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

 

[al66pine]

Ranked Probabilities IMO MOO
less than 1% -- Animal attack/carried off while headed back to RV, but with no screams, no blood, and no dropped hat, mug, visible scuffle or tracks etc
less than 1% -- Medical issue/animal bite/sting while headed back to RV, that somehow included the ability to hide nearby in rocks etc, well enough that searchers have not found
less than 1% -- Voluntary missing while headed back to RV, coupled with refusal to speak up even after weeks of LE searching and family distress
2% -- Voluntary missing or true accident from earlier in the day -- after cctv capture but before the RV parked for the stroll -- but with RT unwilling for some reason to acknowledge even at the risk of being unfairly suspected
4% -- Involuntary departure after heading back toward RV -- either vehicle accident with no evidence left behind, or abduction, possibly involving medically-caused disorientation on her part
10% -- Involuntary harm/hidden near RV/stroll area
76+% -- Involuntary harm/hidden earlier in the day -- after cctv capture but before the RV parked for the stroll
5% -- something else not yet thought of
ALL IMO MOO

Hey, @Auntie Cipation -- Thanks for your post. Like your idea of ranking like ^this^.

@Auntie Cipation. Let's say, hypothetically :
BT takes walk/hike w BT, tells him she wanted to return to RV (tired, tinkle break, headache, for what-ev reason) and starts that direction, he loses sight of her, as RT says.
Maybe:
Then disoriented (heat exhaustion, alcohol, other medical event, etc) or distracted (oh, look, unusual rock, pretty plant, gold coin, etc), between leaving-RT-point and the RV destination, she wanders off course/path. Collapses, unconscious, then dead, she is not in location RT anticipated & described (btwn him & RV, and/or highway abductor) and is outside search area SAR teams defined & searched. For ex: she walks close by RV, then continues past it, in direction opposite/away from RT.

Possible Result:
X % Involuntarily Disoriented or Voluntarily Distracted, while headed back to/a little past RV, collapses & dies, outside SAR search area.

Does ^this^ fit in one of your Ranked Probabilities? If so, which one, pls? Thx in adv.

BTW, ^this^ does not top my probability list.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Hey, @Auntie Cipation -- Thanks for your post. Like your idea of ranking like ^this^.

@Auntie Cipation. Let's say, hypothetically :
BT takes walk/hike w BT, tells him she wanted to return to RV (tired, tinkle break, headache, for what-ev reason) and starts that direction, he loses sight of her, as RT says.
Maybe:
Then disoriented (heat exhaustion, alcohol, other medical event, etc) or distracted (oh, look, unusual rock, pretty plant, gold coin, etc), between leaving-RT-point and the RV destination, she wanders off course/path. Collapses, unconscious, then dead, she is not in location RT anticipated & described (btwn him & RV, and/or highway abductor) and is outside search area SAR teams defined & searched. For ex: she walks close by RV, then continues past it, in direction opposite/away from RT.

Possible Result:
X % Involuntarily Disoriented or Voluntarily Distracted, while headed back to/a little past RV, collapses & dies, outside SAR search area.

Does ^this^ fit in one of your Ranked Probabilities? If so, which one, pls? Thx in adv.

BTW, ^this^ does not top my probability list.

I would include that in my second bullet, medical etc issue somehow ending up not found by searchers. I guess I assumed the search area included at least a few miles in all directions from the RV? I assume they flew over the area looking for things catching the eye even before having ground searchers? The chance that, while disoriented or feeling unwell, she could hide so well, or as you say cover enough ground to be outside the search area, just seems unfathomably small to me.

ETA: I mean, even if she walked twenty miles before collapsing out on the open desert floor, the searchers would have scanned for such an easily visible target, I hope! But I could be wrong on that, in which case I hope such an aerial search is done ASAP.

I also realize that my list also didn't mention voluntary self-harm, which I would put in that same less-than-1% category. Not because I know her mind but because she wasn't found by the searchers!

 

[Micheline]

For those who think Robert was involved, if so, why would he do 2 lengthy interviews on TV? Inviting them inside his home, sharing personal things?
On top of that claiming him being the prime suspect and failing a lie detector test?

What would be the benefit of this if he was the perpetrator? Why not stay away from cameras to begin with?

Why would a perpetrator not only seek media attention, but also do it in such a way that the case would peek everyone's interest, even in Europe? A 69 woman in her bikini, drinking beer, probably kidnapped to Las Vegas, husband says he is the prime suspect. It almost seems like a well thought out pr stunt for a missing persons case, that otherwise would not have gotten that much media attention, if any.

(reposting this, deleted it because of concern it may be victim unfriendly, but to me it is defending him, and it can be a constructive discussion imo)

 

[MsBetsy]

Lots of great thoughts, thanks! One thing that you mention has been bothering me, and that is why has RT gone silent?

Apparently, he has not just gone silent publicly (no MSM articles in recent weeks), but IIRC our VI, dbdb11, said he has stopped communicating with BT's family in Hong Kong whom he had been in touch with a few times after BT disappeared. This has got to be making matters so much worse for her family who is so worried about her, to not be able to communicate with her husband who was with her when she went missing!

I've seen posts that assume he has gone silent because he has gotten a lawyer and they have told him not to talk, but we don't know if this is true. If it is true, why does RT need a lawyer? Has LE been actively engaging with him about the supposed "deception" result of the polygraph they gave him? The radio silence is deafening, 3 weeks from tomorrow she's been missing with no word!

JMO

Maybe he has fallen into a deep depression and he doesn't want to talk to anybody.

 

[tcfpne]

The fact that its been so long in the search for Barbara tells me that an abduction of some kind did happen. Either by an unknown 3rd party who happened to be there when Barbara was alone or RT paid someone to abduct her or he did it himself.

I know its not fair to blame the husband, but SAR teams can't find her, or any trace of her, even the beer. If she got lost/injured/disoriented then she probably would've been found, the fact that she isn't means someone is actively trying to cover up her whereabouts. Maybe the kidnappers knew about the beer and made sure nothing was left behind. Maybe thats why RT is silent, because the kidnappers are blackmailing him now.

The 2 fugitives that RCMP can't find in connection with the weird case are actively trying to hide, (or were actively trying to hide, if we were to assume they died). People that aren't trying to hide/run are easier to find. Someone else played their hand in this case

All MOO.