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

[laurawlms]

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

Thank you for pointing those potential motives out.

Although not a motive, the article states "Drugs and alcohol only fan the flames, since they interfere with self-control and judgement. All the motives I’ve mentioned are more likely to result in a lethal action in the presence of alcohol and drug intoxication.” DB has had a drug and alcohol problem for many years from what I have been told by those who have known him even before the relationship and marriage to RB. I have been told of other incidences of DB abuse towards RB. She finally got tired and brave enough to walk away.

I do believe DB was uncomfortable (maybe not jealous but enraged) that RB was making it on her own without him. We know from comments on other social media that DB was controlling of RB's social life outside the marriage and she lost contact with many friends (and family) once the relationship with DB began.

I think DB is a psychologically complex individual (and I am being nice stating it that way). I think that makes the disappearance of RB even more difficult to solve. The article further explains, "when it comes to solving these crimes, according to Dietz and Giacalone, the boyfriend or husband is the first suspect on the list." RB's missing case is the first missing wife case I have ever seen where the husband is not a suspect "and never will be" (Sheriff Toth).

 

[laurawlms]

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?

No pre nuptial agreement to my knowledge. The division of marital property was an issue.

 

[Gina20]

Thank you for pointing those potential motives out.

Although not a motive, the article states "Drugs and alcohol only fan the flames, since they interfere with self-control and judgement. All the motives I’ve mentioned are more likely to result in a lethal action in the presence of alcohol and drug intoxication.” DB has had a drug and alcohol problem for many years from what I have been told by those who have known him even before the relationship and marriage to RB. I have been told of other incidences of DB abuse towards RB. She finally got tired and brave enough to walk away.

I do believe DB was uncomfortable (maybe not jealous but enraged) that RB was making it on her own without him. We know from comments on other social media that DB was controlling of RB's social life outside the marriage and she lost contact with many friends (and family) once the relationship with DB began.

I think DB is a psychologically complex individual (and I am being nice stating it that way). I think that makes the disappearance of RB even more difficult to solve. The article further explains, "when it comes to solving these crimes, according to Dietz and Giacalone, the boyfriend or husband is the first suspect on the list." RB's missing case is the first missing wife case I have ever seen where the husband is not a suspect "and never will be" (Sheriff Toth).

This brings me to another point. If one partner is the income earner in a family, and that person leaves, the non-earning partner has their source of funds cut off. How would that person pay for alcohol and drugs without a source of income? In theory, of course, because this case is purely an "accidental drowning".

 

[Gina20]

Next question: did RB have a will, or rewrite her will after she left the marriage? What happens to marital property if a spouse who has separated dies intestate in Montana? Formal separation/divorce documents might matter here.

It could be symbolic that RB supposedly went to collect a shopping bag of her belongings, then went and "accidentally drowned". After six years of marriage, you'd think there would be more assets than what would fit in in a shopping bag. A few sentimental trinkets hardly compare to the value of real estate.

 

[Bit of hope]

I'm going to shut up....until more info is coming out.....I'm going to do the last part of the commissioners meeting when I have some spare time....but it will come this way eventually. This case....so sorry for you Rebekah and family...is a mockery IMO.

 

[laurawlms]

Next question: did RB have a will, or rewrite her will after she left the marriage? What happens to marital property if a spouse who has separated dies intestate in Montana? Formal separation/divorce documents might matter here.

It could be symbolic that RB supposedly went to collect a shopping bag of her belongings, then went and "accidentally drowned". After six years of marriage, you'd think there would be more assets than what would fit in in a shopping bag. A few sentimental trinkets hardly compare to the value of real estate.

To my knowledge there were no formal separation documents.

 

[Zoose]

Hey all, Private Analyst joining the search from England here, Is it okay if i ask a few questions that have been bugging me?

 

[laurawlms]

Hey all, Private Analyst joining the search from England here, Is it okay if i ask a few questions that have been bugging me?

Absolutely.

 

[Zoose]

Much Appreciated!

You mentioned the phone of RB was recovered along with the data on it, was the training video the only video or imagery she had of this location on the device?

Supposing there is other images of the location on the phone is there a chance they could reveal any small details or hints?

Have the social medias and messaging apps all been checked on the phone, assuming this is possible it would reveal the timing of the last physical action she took using the phone, be it taking an image or sending a message, it would give a better timeframe as to when she was last physically active on her device.

 

[Zoose]

In addition to this would you be able to provide the rough coordinates as to where Cerb was located please (im creating a google earth kml timeline)

 

[Steve McQueen]

Hey all, Private Analyst joining the search from England here, Is it okay if i ask a few questions that have been bugging me?

Welcome to Websleuths!! Any help you can provide is much appreciated!

 

[Zoose]

Welcome to Websleuths!! Any help you can provide is much appreciated!

Much appreciated, glad to be able to help, ive been looking into the case in my own time for a while now, me and a partner have been trying to solidify a few facts

 

[Angleterre]

Ok I have only just come across this thread so I apologise for the late input. Firstly can I say to the family of Rebecca that I am truly sorry for the situation that you find yourself in and with Rebecca still missing. I am only 4 pages into this thread and as many of you on WS know, I am a Retired High ranking Detective and Sio ( senior investigative officer who would lead Murder and major crime and the occasional high profile MFH especially where DV ( domestic violence ) is involved. I’m in the U.K. and our way of working and investigating has similarities to the USA, but we also have some differences with regards to entry of property and seizure of evidence which makes it far easier in the U.K. to make progress. I have already noted 3 pages of lines of enquiry and things that bother me which the family could potentially progress . If because of differing laws around your amendments come up, then I apologise in advance because I can only go off what I know to be the process In U.K. Furthermore , because I’m only 4 pages in , it may be that many of these lines of enquiry have been done or are in progress so apologies if that’s the case.
I have both questions and observations and they are random as I’ve been reading the thread and therefore are in no particular order .
In relation to DV it’s a widely known fact that this is the most dangerous point in any relationship break up because the perpetrators of DV are losing control. I don’t say this to scare you but I am being real about the situation, I see that R had ongoing DV issues with her ex and that there are currently cases before the court in this regard plus she had a ‘no contact order ‘.
So firstly a few background questions:
Were any DV support agencies involved with R? If so, they need to identified and spoken to as they may have documented evidence of DV and threats . I presume that to get a no contact order, you have to appear before a judge and satisfy the judge of the need for this ? If so, you need to get details of what was lodged by R with the court even if this is by going to a solicitor and obtaining a release order or a FOI ( freedom of information) request. Does the ex have pre convictions for DV ? DO NOT answer this on this thread but treat as a form of rhetorical question and if yes then obtain these . DONT DISCUSS on this thread though unless you do it by private conversation because nobody has been named a POI so against WS policy.
Did R still reside at same location as ex? Is she still co owner?Does mum have a key and authority from R to go into the marital home without warrant ?( If LE saying no crime therefore they don’t have probable cause for a warrant then surely if mum has key and an unconditional permission to enter , why not do so to ensure that R is not at the location? ( seek advice from @gitana1 ). My post is long so I will move onto a new post to break it up…. To be continued @laurawlms

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

Hey all, Private Analyst joining the search from England here, Is it okay if i ask a few questions that have been bugging me?

Hello and Welcome, from a descendant of Sedgley in the U.S., have you taken time to read the thread? Many things have already been discussed, and questions answered. There are locations, photos and links posted, with lots of information.

 

[Angleterre]

What I don’t understand is LE saying that this is not being treated as a crime. If that’s the case, who obtained access to R phone and downloaded the video of the dog training? If LE then they would surely need a warrant with probable cause to do so. If that’s the case then how do they not have probable cause to obtain a warrant and enter the marital home ?
Was R phone an iPhone ? Has the location history been downloaded? Was the phone pinged for last known location before found in the event that it showed a different location when pinged to where it was actually found? Was it turned off or run out of battery when found ? How long after her disappearance was it found. Can LE or do family have access to her network provider to retrieve call history and text messages including content? ( within a certain time frame it’s not true to say that text messages can’t be retrieved, just the time sent and received. )The message content can be obtained.
There’s mention of threats made towards R. Were these sent to her phone that’s been recovered by text ? Or her email ? Have you accessed her email? Or were they said in person? Who did R tell this to and what exactly did she say? Did she report it to authorities? Any witnesses ? Would anybody have access to her phone? Does ex? What about spare car key ? Is there onboard device recording locations of vehicle and recent journeys made ? Was the car found immediately? The items found by the car - what time frame from R missing to those items located? Do you know or can you find out from the video if the clothing retrieved on the riverbank was worn by R in the training video earlier ? If LE are not treating as a crime then you need to have ALL these items returned to you so that you can do your own investigation BUT you need urgent legal advice because of the disposal and the ex saying he’s NOK and therefore is entitled to them because he or indeed anyone could ( I’m not accusing) interfere with evidence if it later turns into
A criminal investigation. Incidentally how long ago was the formal separation? What were her current living conditions?( own place or still under same roof as ex ?).
Those items need to be forensically examined for fingerprints and DNA.
To be continued….
@laurawlms

 

[Angleterre]

Apparently R met with a third party for belongings to be transferred at the gas station. Is there CCTV at the location? How remote an area is it - is it likely to have CCTV on the arterial routes to and from
both the gas station and the location she was last ? Or ANPR hits on her vehicle or even ex husband vehicle. ? You don’t need to answer all these questions in the main thread , especially any questions that relate to ex as he’s not a POI. If you want to answer then use the conversation thread to pass information.
Regards the dog - what breed was he? Some dogs are water dogs . What was the approximate temperature outside that day ? Can you find out the approximate temperature of the river water ? Normally cold water is a preservative. How long after R was last seen , was her dog recovered? Was he still wearing his electric collar? Was the collar removed ? ( I’m thinking of any possible data retrieval). Where is the dog now buried/cremated? It will be interesting to have these answers as to how the dog was unable to have further examination due to the passage of time and the state of his body . Strange question but did the dog still have his eyes when recovered? You can tell by small burst blood vessels called petechia which settle in the eyes and are not always visible by the naked eye and this will tell you if strangulation occurred. Was the collar swabbed for forensic retrieval? The dog allegedly travelled 10 miles. Where does this shallow river feed into and is it ever a fast moving current ? Were photographs taken by LE/forensic investigators of the found dog ? And the vet who made the Decision that no further examination of the dog could take place. Request their records made at the time along with descriptions of the dog .

To be totally transparent we need to consider the following:
Some animal lovers do not agree with electric shock collars . Some make their feelings known vocally ( had own experience of this using check chain which is a similar method to stop the dog running after whatever they desire, so you check the chain which tightens around the throat and breaks their train of thought so they become controlled again - this was when training K9 police dogs ). Some people can be aggressive towards the people who use these methods. So with that in mind- were there any witnesses to R presence at the river that day ? Anyone witness any altercation or argument between R and third party ?
Re searches- submit FOI request to ascertain if LE approved search teams to join in. If you are told that they cannot provide this information then you need to question why not if they are not conducting a criminal investigation and say it’s a river drowning.

And lastly. Again I don’t want you to answer this on the thread but you can always make enquiries regarding military vets and service and obtain basic information which can show a persons course of conduct and their provenanced behaviour displayed which may or may not feed into the current feelings and theories that you have about truthfulness or otherwise of the people involved in this situation.
I will continue to read this thread and if I think of further lines of enquiry then I will post . @laurawlms

 

[Angleterre]

How do we enlist more media coverage??? There are several of us that have worked many hours notifying major media outlets, detective shows, etc...we can't get the necessary media coverage. We hope if we can get more coverage we might be able to get more search help. Believe me, I feel bad for the family of another missing person but what causes one to get more coverage than the other? I feel so defeated.

Have you approached the Lucy Blackman trust or John Walsh or the Morgan Nick Foundation

 

[laurawlms]

Much Appreciated!

You mentioned the phone of RB was recovered along with the data on it, was the training video the only video or imagery she had of this location on the device?

Supposing there is other images of the location on the phone is there a chance they could reveal any small details or hints?

Have the social medias and messaging apps all been checked on the phone, assuming this is possible it would reveal the timing of the last physical action she took using the phone, be it taking an image or sending a message, it would give a better timeframe as to when she was last physically active on her device.

I'm sorry, I only know of the training video on the cell phone. The phone is still in LE custody. The only thing shared by LE with RB's mom was the training video (that I am aware of).

I don't believe anything has been shared with RB's mom regarding social medias and messaging apps on the phone

 

[Angleterre]

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I agree with the convenience factor. I believe my sister has called DCI, FBI, a State Representative, and either a Senator or the Governor of MT. Everyone seems to defer her back to Missoula Sheriff's Dept.

Don't get me wrong both Sheriff's departments did and exemplary job searching the river. I'm not sure if they are still searching but I know they searched the river longer than they do where I live when someone goes missing in the water. It's the lack of open mindedness towards any other scenario that frustrates me.

I would write direct to Kamala Harris the VPOTUS as she has previously mentioned that women and violence is a priority if i recall directly

 

[laurawlms]

In addition to this would you be able to provide the rough coordinates as to where Cerb was located please (im creating a google earth kml timeline)

I don't have coordinates. The sheriff initially said Cerb was located approximately 10 river miles west from where RB's personal items were found at Alberton Rock area.

Which would be about here according to my google mapping 10 miles from that area.

46°59'49.7"N 114°42'53.4"W