CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #5

[10ofRods]

Granted, I'm no science person, but would dogs really be able to track off of a (former) puddle of drool in the desert? As others have pointed out, fluids tend to evaporate pretty fast on fry-an-egg pavement at high noon. Whether they leave behind much of a scent, I cannot say.

Urine doubtless would, based upon my experience on the streets of NYC, but it doesn't smell instantly; it takes a while baking in the heat for that signature to evaporate.

I should think "blood" is being concentrated upon by those who are concentrating upon it above all other bodily fluids, because in addition to leaving behind the expected biological spoor, blood would leave behind a stain; and in the pantheon of things likely to happen I should think that someone who hit-and-ran in the desert, then pressure-washing (or similar) the pavement to remove the bloodstains before they move on with their hit-and-run victim, is the least likely.

I really don't think you'd be able to see blood easily on the pavement out there. Whether a hit and run left a lot of blood would be another variable, many of them don't, the person ragdolls through the air and dies on impact with the pavement. Some blood would be there, but not a big puddle of it.

I don't think sniffer dogs sniff for blood, though, they sniff for the person's scent. Cadaver dogs sniff for the products of death. There may be specialized dogs that sniff urine, but I doubt it (and there would probably be quite a bit of urine scent out there, from other travelers, from wildlife, etc, not sure how specific urine smell is to an individual).

 

[HongKongPhooey]

If our walks are anything to go by, dogs can pick up a dried up drop of pee not visible to the human eye (altho presumably fox, or other dog....I hope)

 

[Kapua]

How Search-and-rescue Dogs Work
https://barkpost.com/discover/cadaver-dog-breeds/
dog tracking vs trailing - Daily Dog Discoveries
Search & Rescue Dog Training | Highland Canine Training

Some light reading for you about various types of SAR dogs.

 

[Charlot123]

I could imagine that scenario, but presumably he would want her found so I can't see that he would let them concentrate the search in the wrong place.

I think he is afraid to tell them what happened. This is my “best” version of what had happened.

 

[PommyMommy]

This happened in the case of Jennifer Dulos's disappearance on May 24th (there's a very active thread here on WS for her). Her husband and his girlfriend were seen on video from a bakery disposing of items in trash bins in front of their business (LE later tied to her disappearance), and one of the bakery employees / owners told MSM about it; otherwise it would not have been public knowledge that LE had video footage from their business. IMO

Thank you, that's a good example. I'm thinking it was the Kelsey Berreth case that we learned LE had surveillance footage from Wal-Mart, a bank, a furniture store, a Sonic and there was no public request for footage. But, we knew about the Sonic visit because someone there blabbed. @Kapua will correct me if I'm misremembering.

The point being, LE does not always publicly request video footage. MOO

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

While that would indeed have been a clever way to cover up a crime, our VI has reported that BT and RT were seen on a nearby surveillance camera leaving the house at 8:15am on the morning she disappeared. This, of course, does not indicate whether the rest of his account is true (or false), but it does imply that whatever happened to her, it did not happen at their home. MOO

Hearsay from a neighbor. Did LE or our VI view the video?

 

[PommyMommy]

I had heard this early on as well, then it really wasn’t discussed much. “Use the RV”. It’s interesting why he said that here. Why wouldn’t he put himself last and make sure she got to the RV ok especially because she didn’t just “want” to go back she “needed” to. And why did he not say this in all the other interviews?

I think the fact that she was comfy in s bikini also probably says she’d squat where she needed to if she couldn’t make it. Also think as we age we are really in tune with our bodies and how long we can wait till we are desperate.

I have as well. I think this is compounded as well by all the different agencies involved. I am not even sure who they all are. SBCO, And who else?

Has anyone heard back from reaching out? I haven’t.

My dog is not a trained search dog but I think he should be trained. We are selling our house and every time we come back after he is nose to the ground all over where they were. I hope they are t dropping body fluids in all those places! Surely these dogs would have found scent if she was there.

I agree it would be interesting to see what he was doing earlier in the week but not for those reasons. Our VI has stated she was seen at 8:15 that morning. But I am curious if he could have been to the desert earlier in the week to prepare a place there. Not saying the word. :/

BBM I haven't either. I will send follow-up emails in a couple of days if I don't receive a response. MOO

 

[al66pine]

Editing & paraphrasing from my previous post:
After RT saw BT going around 'the corner' if BT had been concentrating on taking photos ...all his mental and sensory attention would be/might be laser-focused on his photography to the point of excluding extraneous sound.
IOW, if he was really wrapped up in his photography, he just might have been oblivious to traffic noises (if they occurred).*

....
RT was finished taking the photo when he lost sight of BT. MOO
At the :35 mark in the video
"By the time I took the picture, she was continuing on because she wanted to [use?] the RV. And, she rounded the corner and I lost sight of her."
Husband of missing 69-year-old hiker says police consider him a suspect
They were on their way back to the camper when Bob said his wife started pulling ahead. He told her he wanted to take a picture of a rock formation and as he put his camera away, he saw her rounding a corner.
Husband of Woman Who Vanished During Mojave Desert Hike: 'I Just Want Her Back'....

^snipped for focus.
@PommyMommy Thanks for your response. Good point. Per ^ MSM, after/at time of seeing BT go around the corner, RT said he took photo and put camera away. Maybe at that point he tucked cam away, and he was then only 5 (or 10?) min. behind her, if his stmt is accurate.

Or did he think to himself: Okay, she's going back to RV to do what-ev, so now I can get terrific shots', took camera out of pack, then dawdled & fussed w pix, and was oblivious to time and perhaps traffic sounds? Did 30, 45, 60 min. fly by before he knew it?

I'm not convinced of either scenario. Again, all this hinges on accuracy of RT's narration and sense of time (assuming he did not look at time on cell phone he said he carried).
All jmo.

 

[PommyMommy]

Editing & paraphrasing from my previous post:
After RT saw BT going around 'the corner' if BT had been concentrating on taking photos ...all his mental and sensory attention would be/might be laser-focused on his photography to the point of excluding extraneous sound.
IOW, if he was really wrapped up in his photography, he just might have been oblivious to traffic noises (if they occurred).*


^snipped for focus.
@PommyMommy Thanks for your response. Good point. Per ^ MSM, after/at time of seeing BT go around the corner, RT said he took photo and put camera away. Maybe at that point he tucked cam away, and he was then only 5 (or 10?) min. behind her, if his stmt is accurate.

Or did he think to himself: Okay, she's going back to RV to do what-ev, so now I can get terrific shots', took camera out of pack, then dawdled & fussed w pix, and was oblivious to time and perhaps traffic sounds? Did 30, 45, 60 min. fly by before he knew it?

I'm not convinced of either scenario. Again, all this hinges on accuracy of RT's narration and sense of time (assuming he did not look at time on cell phone he said he carried).
All jmo.

Well, if he did that it's no wonder he failed the polygraph!

Seriously though, I've not considered something like that and it's certainly possible. If you believe his narrative, that is. MOO

 

[Twistinginthewind]

Regarding RT saying that BT "wanted to go back to [or use] the RV", I would watch the video of his interview again, because alot of posters here struggled to hear exactly what he said, because as he said it he turned his head, and mumbled a bit:

See 27 second mark:
Video: Woman missing after hike in California desert

 

[rkendmar]

I really don't think you'd be able to see blood easily on the pavement out there. Whether a hit and run left a lot of blood would be another variable, many of them don't, the person ragdolls through the air and dies on impact with the pavement. Some blood would be there, but not a big puddle of it.

I don't think sniffer dogs sniff for blood, though, they sniff for the person's scent. Cadaver dogs sniff for the products of death. There may be specialized dogs that sniff urine, but I doubt it (and there would probably be quite a bit of urine scent out there, from other travelers, from wildlife, etc, not sure how specific urine smell is to an individual).

Minuscule pieces of skin would be mixed with the body fluids, thereby identifying the individual the dog was in search of.
Even if a dog is not specifically trained to search for cadavers, SAR dogs will alert to smells of (human) death.

 

[10ofRods]

Yes, and I'm not a car person but I will add that it's an extended cab, and a dually. I'm guessing those fenders don't come standard but I'm not sure. MOO

I agree. I think that truck could have cost $60,000 out the door. The 5th wheel is probably not the base model, either.

1) LE is too quiet.
2) No evidence of struggle, abduction.
3) No call for travelers who may have been in the area to come forward with information.
4) BT's disappearance was too clean, complete.
5) Finally...where's the "beer"?

As time moves along, so do my opinions and I must say, I now believe this might be realized to have been a 'perfect' crime.

The culprit just might get away with it.

We haven't talked about it a lot here, but frankly, this is the part that is driving me nuts. The more I learn about this case, the desert, and the more I think about all the variables, the more I worry that this could be an unsolvable crime.

Since Barbara was apparently seen on camera getting into the vehicle that morning, so I believe if LE had in fact searched the RV, they would have found her things and nothing out of the ordinary. I can think of all kinds of ways that this could have been a murder and will be very hard to solve.

 

[Kapua]

Bringing media links forward for those who want to proactively contact them:
Las Vegas News Channel
Man says police think he is a suspect in wife's disappearance
You Ask. We Investigate. story ideas: Click here or email [email protected]

m.me/ZachNews
n[email protected]
ZachNews

Media Center – San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
Email: [email protected]

Arizona News
Arizona woman missing in California's Mojave Desert
News tips and story ideas
If you see news happening, or know of something that should be covered in The Arizona Republic, email us at [email protected] with as much detail as possible and your contact information. You may also call the newsroom at 602-444-NEWS (6397)

Mohave Valley Daily News
Search continues for missing Bullhead City woman
Bill McMillen, Mohave Valley Daily News Editor ext. 5144 / [email protected]
BREAKING NEWS EMAIL: [email protected]

 

[Jo in Calif]

Regarding RT saying that BT "wanted to go back to [or use] the RV", I would watch the video of his interview again, because alot of posters here struggled to hear exactly what he said, because as he said it he turned his head, and mumbled a bit:

See 27 second mark:
Video: Woman missing after hike in California desert

At the very end of this other interview from 6 days after she went missing he says "She was the love of my life." Was......... past tense......... If nothing else, speaking of his love for his missing wife in the past tense indicates to me that he's certain she is no longer 'with us' for whatever reason. That is very sad, that he's obviously given up hope and is speaking about her in past tense less than a week after she disappeared. IMO
Husband of Woman Who Vanished During Mojave Desert Hike: 'I Just Want Her Back'

Please listen again. He said is not was the love of my life.

 

[Cherwell]

In other cases (Mollie Tibbits, Abby & Libby, etc) LE has made public pleas for business and homeowners to check their cameras.

I don't know those cases - are there similarities with this situation?

 

[PommyMommy]

Regarding RT saying that BT "wanted to go back to [or use] the RV", I would watch the video of his interview again, because alot of posters here struggled to hear exactly what he said, because as he said it he turned his head, and mumbled a bit:

See 27 second mark:
Video: Woman missing after hike in California desert

At the very end of this other interview from 6 days after she went missing he says "She was the love of my life." Was......... past tense......... If nothing else, speaking of his love for his missing wife in the past tense indicates to me that he's certain she is no longer 'with us' for whatever reason. That is very sad, that he's obviously given up hope and is speaking about her in past tense less than a week after she disappeared. IMO
Husband of Woman Who Vanished During Mojave Desert Hike: 'I Just Want Her Back'

In your second link, I don't hear "was." I hear, "She is the love of my life." At the 2 minute mark. MOO

ETA: Thanks for those links, @Kapua.

 

[rkendmar]

Do we know if BT had any financial assets of her own?
Just wondering.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

I hear “is” as well. Copied the text from article here:

"She is the love of my life," he said. "Come home. We're missing you."

Regarding RT saying that BT "wanted to go back to [or use] the RV", I would watch the video of his interview again, because alot of posters here struggled to hear exactly what he said, because as he said it he turned his head, and mumbled a bit:

See 27 second mark:
Video: Woman missing after hike in California desert

At the very end of this other interview from 6 days after she went missing he says "She was the love of my life." Was......... past tense......... If nothing else, speaking of his love for his missing wife in the past tense indicates to me that he's certain she is no longer 'with us' for whatever reason. That is very sad, that he's obviously given up hope and is speaking about her in past tense less than a week after she disappeared. IMO
Husband of Woman Who Vanished During Mojave Desert Hike: 'I Just Want Her Back'

Please listen again. He said is not was the love of my life.

In your second link, I don't hear "was." I hear, "She is the love of my life." At the 2 minute mark. MOO

ETA: Thanks for those links, @Kapua.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

I hear “is” as well. Copied the text from article here:

"She is the love of my life," he said. "Come home. We're missing you."

Sorry, I heard "was", thanks for pointing that out, I will try to edit my post if not too late.

ETA: I find his speech difficult to understand clearly (like he has marbles in his mouth.), must be the way I'm wired. My bad.

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

If there is a video of BT getting into the Truck or RV in the morning why hasn’t it been posted online?
Why hasn’t anyone seen it besides the neighbor?