Found Deceased MT - Rebekah Barsotti 33, & dog (fnd deceased), Town Pump, Superior, Mineral Co, 20 Jul 2021 *Reward

[Steve McQueen]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. If this was foul play and the ex is responsible and they used the find my iPhone then he could have easily just shown up to where she was.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. But I think it is known that RB told the caretaker that she was going to the Alberton Rocks on her way home. It is not a stretch to surmise that the caretaker informed DB of RB's plans for that afternoon.

 

[iamnotagolem]

This article popped up in my FB feed today about Rebekah.

Six months missing: Family plans vigil for Rebekah Barsotti

 

[laurawlms]

Regarding the 911 call:

1. Privacy issues can be easily dispensed with by redaction of any personal information from the 911 call transcript. All that need be released is the time, date and location of the call and what was said (with redaction of any personal information).

2. @laurawlms' FOIA request for the 911 call was: "Denied - citing Confidential Criminal Justice Information and a pending investigation." Is this equivalent to the 911 call being part of an ongoing criminal investigation? Because it's my understanding that this is a missing person case and not a criminal investigation.

I see no reason whatsoever why a redacted transcript of the 911 call can't be released. The refusal to release the call just fuels the impression that

JMO

@Steve McQueen your explanation in #2 is what the denial letter stated. We are equally confused because there is no ongoing "criminal" investigation. Rebekah's case has always been a missing person case. Deputy RF specifically said this was never considered a crime and that is why search dogs were not brought in, the scene was not secured, and fingerprints were never taken from her vehicle or personal items found on the riverbank.

I agree a redacted transcript of the 911 call could and should be released. "The refusal to release the call just fuels the impression that" ... they are hiding something.

 

[laurawlms]

Thank you for the well crafted, well thought out, factual and detailed reply.

I have gone back through the thread and reread the transcript of the council meeting.

First this is from a post by @laurawlms:

"I have requested a transcript of the 911 call under the Montana Public Records Act § 2-6-1001 et seq. I will let you know the Sheriff's response. The Sheriff overseas the 911 call center.

From this I assume the request was made to the Sheriff's Office. Maybe @laurawlms can confirm this.

This is from the transcript of the council meeting:

On November 16th, 2021, my sister, Laura Williams, submitted a FOIA request for 911 calls placed on July 20th, 2021. This request is pending and the reason given was…the information returned to her was… For criminal investigation, pending criminal investigation or closed criminal investigation and she was informed to submit an additional form: The application of criminal justice information. She had mailed this off and to date, November 26, 2021, there has been no response. 911 calls are public information according to Montana law .To our knowledge Rebekah’s case has never been treated as a criminal investigation. Sheriff Toth continues to label this case as a river accident. If this is a river accident the question to consider here is Rebekah’s case a river accident or is it a criminal investigation? Because the answer determines how the case proceeds.

Nowhere in this portion of AM's presentation does she ask for the identity of the 911 caller or complain that it has not been released to her.

And then this from the meeting:

AM: The driver’s license and the credit card were perfectly laid out. You couldn’t have laid them out better with a ruler. Okay? And the whole thing is that this scenario is; ‘girl rescues dog’. You are not going to take the time to take your driver’s license and your credit card out of your pocket. You’re not going to take the time.

Rebekah wore sunglasses all day long, because of a nevus on the cornea of her eye. So she wore sunglasses all day long. So law enforcement looks at the sunglasses and the hat, discarded, as: she threw them off.

MT: The witness that found it says they picked up the driver’s license.

Woman X, in audience: What witness?

MT: We’re not going to tell you.

Woman X in audience: Exactly

MT: It’s because…you can’t…if you reach out to him, now you’re harassing a witness. We know who he is. We know who the family is. We’re in contact.

It is evident from this portion of the transcript that it was not AM that was pressuring MT for the identity of the 911 caller. Instead it was another woman present in the room. MT raises the issue of harassment with this unidentified woman, not AM.

You have stated above:

"I think the phone call time/date, Trooper's name, and that the witness said they found things near the river, is already known to the mother."

Even if this true, there may be other valuable information that could be learned from a full transcript of the call. Did the caller mention the presence of other people? Did he/she ask the if they knew the owner's of the personal items? Did the caller inform the dispatcher where he/she had searched for a potential owner of the items? These are just examples that illustrate that we really don't know what was said in that 911 call.

I believe the real issue here is a lack of transparency by LE. This is fueling distrust of the authorities by the family and is fostering the impression that they are hiding something from the family and the public. I'm afraid it will probably require a lawsuit by the family to receive the records they are requesting and this is unfortunate as that is a very expensive undertaking. Yes, it's an awful situation.

Yes, I did make my formal request to Sheriff Toth because he oversees the 911 call center. @Steve McQueen I agree with everything you have conveyed here.

@NoSpoonFeeding It is my understanding when someone places a 911 call in Mineral County it goes to the call center that Sheriff Toth oversees. I'm not sure how the system works but the Mineral County 911 call center handled the call that dispatched a Deputy (RF). The Mineral County 911 call center somehow also involved Highway Patrol. If this was not the case, I am sure Sheriff Toth would have explained at the Commissioner's meeting that the 911 call wasn't theirs to provide. I feel somewhat confident this would have also been relayed in the denial letter responding to my request.

 

[Steve McQueen]

Something else has always bothered me about the 911 call. If I found someone's belongings unattended on a beach, I would not think about calling 911. I would figure that the owner of the items was off exploring somewhere else and while I would think it odd that they would be so careless, I wouldn't consider it an emergency. If I did contact anyone it would be the entity that is responsible for the property where the items were left. In this case as it is a rest area, that would be the Montana Highway Patrol.

So I went back through the thread to review what we know about the call and I found the following from the @laurawlms OP:

"A passerby claimed to have found Rebekah’s belongings on the riverbank and called MT Highway Patrol. They arrived and in turn called Mineral County Sheriff Office."

"Per a phone call to the MT Highway Patrol for a copy of their report, they claim they never made a report from their call to the scene."

This seems logical to me (except for the part about not filing a report). So where did the idea that a 911 call exists come from and if it never did exist, then why does the Sheriff's Office continue to perpetuate that myth.

My apologies to @laurawlms if I have mischaracterized what was reported in the OP or if I missed something along the way since then.

MOO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“The impact has been deafening, the silence has been deafening,” Mastrovito said. She’s been staying in Missoula since Barsotti first disappeared. She had originally planned to return to her home on the East Coast in the fall, but extended her trip several months to support search efforts and continue seeking justice for her daughter.

Despite the unfavorable weather conditions, a handful of people showed up Thursday afternoon in Superior Thursday to support Mastrovito and Barsotti. Signs included pictures of Barsotti, with the question, "Have you seen me?" and others that encouraged domestic violence awareness.
Vigil held for Rebekah Barsotti 6 months after disappearance

 

[Bit of hope]

From Imstalla's post.

Community searches have largely subsided because of the weather and snow, Mastrovito said. They have pinpointed spots to look when searches can resume. Barsotti's family has also hired two private investigators to help put pieces of the puzzle together.

These investigators are separate entities from local law enforcement, and Mineral County Sheriff Mike Toth said his team has continued to follow reliable leads passed along to them. He also said the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations will be coming to Superior in a few weeks to review Mineral County's case file on Rebekah.

"We're at where we're at," Toth said.

The commissioners meeting, where Angela asked to get the DCI involved, was on 11/26/2021. Now it's January 21, 2022 and still they are not on the case.....it will take "a few weeks" from today. Say what!!?

 

[?!?]

From Imstalla's post.

Community searches have largely subsided because of the weather and snow, Mastrovito said. They have pinpointed spots to look when searches can resume. Barsotti's family has also hired two private investigators to help put pieces of the puzzle together.

These investigators are separate entities from local law enforcement, and Mineral County Sheriff Mike Toth said his team has continued to follow reliable leads passed along to them. He also said the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations will be coming to Superior in a few weeks to review Mineral County's case file on Rebekah.

"We're at where we're at," Toth said.

The commissioners meeting, where Angela asked to get the DCI involved, was on 11/26/2021. Now it's January 21, 2022 and still they are not on the case.....it will take "a few weeks" from today. Say what!!?

What would it take to photocopy the 'case file' and overnight it to DCI? Wasn't a copier in the budget for this year?

 

[laurawlms]

Something else has always bothered me about the 911 call. If I found someone's belongings unattended on a beach, I would not think about calling 911. I would figure that the owner of the items was off exploring somewhere else and while I would think it odd that they would be so careless, I wouldn't consider it an emergency. If I did contact anyone it would be the entity that is responsible for the property where the items were left. In this case as it is a rest area, that would be the Montana Highway Patrol.

So I went back through the thread to review what we know about the call and I found the following from the @laurawlms OP:

"A passerby claimed to have found Rebekah’s belongings on the riverbank and called MT Highway Patrol. They arrived and in turn called Mineral County Sheriff Office."

"Per a phone call to the MT Highway Patrol for a copy of their report, they claim they never made a report from their call to the scene."

This seems logical to me (except for the part about not filing a report). So where did the idea that a 911 call exists come from and if it never did exist, then why does the Sheriff's Office continue to perpetuate that myth.

My apologies to @laurawlms if I have mischaracterized what was reported in the OP or if I missed something along the way since then.

MOO

What you have quoted is info relayed to me by AM (back then), which was contrary to what Deputy RF told us when he met us at the rest area and took us to the scene where the personal items were found on the river bank (and I knew this when I posted it). Deputy RF specifically said a young man from a family from Oregon passing through called 911 and reported the personal belongings being found.

After AM contacted MT Highway Patrol for a copy of their report and learned they never made one I decided we should try to get a copy of the 911 call that Deputy RF referred to but this was after she attempted to get all public information on her own through Mineral County. It took a savvy investigative reporter to retrieve the copy of the PMFA and Standing Order of No Contact that was (conveniently) misfiled when AM attempted to obtain.

Understand, too, all the while, every LE agency was punting to the other. Highway Patrol punted to Mineral, Mineral punted to Missoula, Missoula punted back to Mineral and each one provided different information. All could have been alleviated with an admin copy of a report of some sort.

I don't want others to think I am misleading or making stuff up. The information received has always been very deceiving and like @Steve McQueen has conveyed, this fuels the distrust in LE there in the handling of Rebekah's missing case.

Although it has absolutely nothing to do with Rebekah missing, I also understand the issue with who has jurisdiction in certain situations. I have experienced it personally. Years ago we lived in an area where depending on where you were standing determined whether an issue would be handled by county or city LE. We had a nasty neighbor (actually the developer of a development) where a house that we bought was. The house was in the middle of the woods. We bought the property because we had acquired through rescue 5 male weimaraners and it was our plan to clear the property and fence it all in so we had a fun place to play with the boyz without ever worrying about them running out on the busy road. Anyway the developer got upset because we cleared property that he thought was wetlands (he said he could have gotten more money for the land if he had known) but it wasn't documented as wetlands on the plat. He even reported us to the Army Corp of Engineers who came out and agreed with us that we did not encroach on jurisdictional wetlands. The developer festered on this for years until one day when my husband was walking 3 of the weims outside the gated yard the developer attempted to run my husband and the dogs over. My husband called 911 and neither the City nor the County could decide who had jurisdiction. The developer was part of the good ol boy system that we weren't a part of so he was "protected" by this jurisdictional dilemma. Jackie Johnson, the Glynn County DA that was removed from office because of the Arbery case (Brunswick, GA), refused to do anything with our case. Being caught up in jurisdictional LE issues is very frustrating...everybody passes the buck...nobody wants to do the report....nobody ever gives the same answer.

 

[laurawlms]

What you have quoted is info relayed to me by AM (back then), which was contrary to what Deputy RF told us when he met us at the rest area and took us to the scene where the personal items were found on the river bank (and I knew this when I posted it). Deputy RF specifically said a young man from a family from Oregon passing through called 911 and reported the personal belongings being found.

After AM contacted MT Highway Patrol for a copy of their report and learned they never made one I decided we should try to get a copy of the 911 call that Deputy RF referred to but this was after she attempted to get all public information on her own through Mineral County. It took a savvy investigative reporter to retrieve the copy of the PMFA and Standing Order of No Contact that was (conveniently) misfiled when AM attempted to obtain.

Understand, too, all the while, every LE agency was punting to the other. Highway Patrol punted to Mineral, Mineral punted to Missoula, Missoula punted back to Mineral and each one provided different information. All could have been alleviated with an admin copy of a report of some sort.

I don't want others to think I am misleading or making stuff up. The information received has always been very deceiving and like @Steve McQueen has conveyed, this fuels the distrust in LE there in the handling of Rebekah's missing case.

Although it has absolutely nothing to do with Rebekah missing, I also understand the issue with who has jurisdiction in certain situations. I have experienced it personally. Years ago we lived in an area where depending on where you were standing determined whether an issue would be handled by county or city LE. We had a nasty neighbor (actually the developer of a development) where a house that we bought was. The house was in the middle of the woods. We bought the property because we had acquired through rescue 5 male weimaraners and it was our plan to clear the property and fence it all in so we had a fun place to play with the boyz without ever worrying about them running out on the busy road. Anyway the developer got upset because we cleared property that he thought was wetlands (he said he could have gotten more money for the land if he had known) but it wasn't documented as wetlands on the plat. He even reported us to the Army Corp of Engineers who came out and agreed with us that we did not encroach on jurisdictional wetlands. The developer festered on this for years until one day when my husband was walking 3 of the weims outside the gated yard the developer attempted to run my husband and the dogs over. My husband called 911 and neither the City nor the County could decide who had jurisdiction. The developer was part of the good ol boy system that we weren't a part of so he was "protected" by this jurisdictional dilemma. Jackie Johnson, the Glynn County DA that was removed from office because of the Arbery case (Brunswick, GA), refused to do anything with our case. Being caught up in jurisdictional LE issues is very frustrating...everybody passes the buck...nobody wants to do the report....nobody ever gives the same answer.

I never understood how a family from Oregon would know to call Highway Patrol based on where they were. How would they even know the number? If I personally had something I wanted to report suspicious or criminal, I would just dial 911. In this case Deputy RF's explanation seemed most logical to me.

 

[iamnotagolem]

Calling HP vs calling 911. I think there could be a few scenarios, they googled MTHP to call a non-emergency number, pretty common, nothing unusual about it. Or maybe there were separate calls? One to 911 and one to HP? Unless it’s been established that there was only 1 call, then ignore that scenario.

If they saw dog & human footprints by the water, I could see them calling 911 instead of HP. I imagine this family stopped to relax by the river for a while and when they noticed the stuff they realized there had been no one else they’d seen but remembered the vehicle in the parking lot and became alarmed. No matter what happened to Rebekah, all signs at the scene point to her being in the river so anyone who came on the scene would assume that so calling 911 wouldn’t be alarming or out of the ordinary. JMO, IMO

 

[Laughing]

What would it take to photocopy the 'case file' and overnight it to DCI? Wasn't a copier in the budget for this year?

Scan the darn thing! Readable in a minute or so & no trip to the post office, either.

Take it over to the Extension office -- they'll scan it and keep everything confidential. MY office would!

jmho ymmv lrr lrr lrr lrr lrr so much shampoo in Montana....

 

[Gina20]

Reported missing on December 31, 2021. DCI on the case, in person, on January 12, 2022.

https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-new...y-woman-who-disappeared-just-before-christmas

That's 12 days later. Found 20 days after being reported as missing.

 

[Gina20]

What would it take to photocopy the 'case file' and overnight it to DCI? Wasn't a copier in the budget for this year?

The year ahead for Mineral County Sheriff's Office

I don't see a new photocopier among the items added to the sheriff's office in 2021. However, the sheriff did say, "I know how to give the service the people deserve. The deputies are friendly and want to meet and work with everyone. We all care and we're here for public safety, and I'm a phone call away for anyone."

Maybe it could be a suggestion for the next budget year.

 

[Steve McQueen]

This article popped up in my FB feed today about Rebekah.

Six months missing: Family plans vigil for Rebekah Barsotti

From the article:

"That investigator, James Terry, said he's uncovered new information after he's talked with Barsotti's husband who she was separated from, David Barsotti, as well as other people who know them both. The Mineral County Sheriff's Office reported they were following up on those leads."

I wonder what he uncovered. And do we think the Mineral County's Sheriff's Office will adequately follow up on it?

 

[Steve McQueen]

I never understood how a family from Oregon would know to call Highway Patrol based on where they were. How would they even know the number? If I personally had something I wanted to report suspicious or criminal, I would just dial 911. In this case Deputy RF's explanation seemed most logical to me.

It's easy enough these days to Google the MHP contact info on your phone. Also I can see from Google maps that there are signs at the Rest Area, some of which may list who to call for assistance. However, it's a moot point as you have clarified that indeed a 911 call was placed. I re-watched the council meeting video and Sheriff MT clearly calls it a 911 call.

 

[laurawlms]

Reported missing on December 31, 2021. DCI on the case, in person, on January 12, 2022.

https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-new...y-woman-who-disappeared-just-before-christmas

That's 12 days later. Found 20 days after being reported as missing.

It is unbelievable how the two missing cases have been handled so differently. IMO the difference in handling rests on the Sheriff. One went above and beyond, the other was lazy or negligent...again my opinion.

 

[laurawlms]

From the article:

"That investigator, James Terry, said he's uncovered new information after he's talked with Barsotti's husband who she was separated from, David Barsotti, as well as other people who know them both. The Mineral County Sheriff's Office reported they were following up on those leads."

I wonder what he uncovered. And do we think the Mineral County's Sheriff's Office will adequately follow up on it?

I wonder too. My connection to the missing case remains silent when asked. I do not have confidence in Mineral County Sheriff's Office adequately following up on any leads.

 

[Steve McQueen]

Experts on the Twisted Reasons Why Some Husbands Kill Their Wives

I've done a fair amount of speculating on this thread about how DB might have carried out an abduction of RB and her dog Cerberus resulting in their demise. Until now, what I haven't attempted to address, are the possible motives for his actions. Of course this assumes DB harmed RB and her dog and they were not the victims of an accidental drowning, which has yet to be proved. (i.e. MOO)

The following is my list of potential motives (backed up by the above linked article):

1. DB acted out of revenge after RB filed assault charges against him and initiated a No Contact Order which was handed down in March, four months before her disappearance. He reportedly repeatedly threatened her life during this time.

2. DB's trial for the assault charge was scheduled for that September. Were his action a means of avoiding a conviction in court?

3. The fact that the family's PI, James Terry, indicated he had uncovered new information after talking with DB and mutual friends of RB and DB, leads me to propose another motive. Is it possible that RB had contacted a lawyer about initiating divorce proceedings and DB found out? This is something she may not have discussed with her family, but may have told a friend who may have leaked the information to DB.

4. I think other motives such as insurance money or jealousy are less likely.

Did I miss any? JMO

 

[Gina20]

Experts on the Twisted Reasons Why Some Husbands Kill Their Wives

I've done a fair amount of speculating on this thread about how DB might have carried out an abduction of RB and her dog Cerberus resulting in their demise. Until now, what I haven't attempted to address, are the possible motives for his actions. Of course this assumes DB harmed RB and her dog and they were not the victims of an accidental drowning, which has yet to be proved. (i.e. MOO)

The following is my list of potential motives (backed up by the above linked article):

1. DB acted out of revenge after RB filed assault charges against him and initiated a No Contact Order which was handed down in March, four months before her disappearance. He reportedly repeatedly threatened her life during this time.

2. DB's trial for the assault charge was scheduled for that September. Were his action a means of avoiding a conviction in court?

3. The fact that the family's PI, James Terry, indicated he had uncovered new information after talking with DB and mutual friends of RB and DB, leads me to propose another motive. Is it possible that RB had contacted a lawyer about initiating divorce proceedings and DB found out? This is something she may not have discussed with her family, but may have told a friend who may have leaked the information to DB.

4. I think other motives such as insurance money or jealousy are less likely.

Did I miss any? JMO

Revenge, money, control: I'm not sure these motives can be separated sometimes. It is possible that explosive narcissistic rage led to Rebekah going missing. All speculation at this point, because isn't this case being investigated not as a missing person or homicide, but as an accidental drowning only? I've never understood how a conclusion of accidental drowning can be made without a body, or why all possibilities are not on the table without a body or an autopsy.

I would not discount money, or rather the possibility of asset division, being a factor. If RB had initiated divorce proceedings, assets would have to be divided at some point. That might mean selling the marital home, or one partner paying out the other to keep it. Also, if there were any "hidden" assets or income sources that RB knew about, those would be on the table, too. Do we know if DB and RB had a prenuptial agreement?