CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #3

[Liwthe]

I live in the area, what's sad is everyone I asked has never heard of Barbara Thomas, missing. I tell them about what happen to her, according to RT and they can't believe it. No one that has lived in this area for anytime would go hiking in the hottest part of the day any where. This is a tristate, Calif., Az. and Nv.
Needles Ca. has a population of 5000, Laughlin Nv. has a population of 7000 and Bullhead City Az. 40,000. Most of the population live in Bullhead City and work in Laughlin Nv. Laughlin has 10 Casinos along the Colorado River. People that live in Laughlin, Nv. shop in Bullhead City Az., Laughlin has only one grocery store (Aldapes) and one Family Dollar. The best gas prices are in Fort Mohave Az. Laughlin gas prices is 1 dollar more then Bullhead City and Needles Calif. is 2 dollars more then Bullhead City. They had to go throw Fort Mohave to get to the I 40. From Bullhead City to Needles Ca. is less then 30 miles. They lived about 5 minutes from Laughlin Nv. If they left home at 8:30, they would have been in Needles in less then a hour. There would have been nothing, no gas station, no restaurants all the way to Kelbaker Road from Needles Calif. My red Flag is, if she hiked all the time, in the desert, where is her suntan? I get a suntan just from working to my car into a business. Today it was 122.

What kinds of people were you asking? People like yourself that get a suntan walking from your car into your workplace, or avid sun lovers and desert campers? It would make a difference in replies.

The temps have gone up considerably. It was 104-105 on the day in question, and this again was not unusual for BT or RT, nor was the attire that keeps coming up simply because to paraphrase ‘I would never...’.

There are photographs showing her very tanned indeed along with confirmation that this is what they liked to do. Apparently this weather was not too hot for some acclimated to desert camping and hiking and this was considered more of a leisurely walk for them.

 

[Jax49]

I just can't get his Vegas comment out of my mind.It just seemed so out of the blue to bring it up and I just feel like it's a major clue.

Did he bring up Vegas, or did the reporter? TIA for anyone who can clarify for me. I've skipped some posts, so if this has been verified, I apologize.

 

[topockaz]

122!How can you take that? I was in that area when it was 117 and could not get out of the car, it was a furnace out there. I would take the bitter cold over this, at least you can bundle up. Were the Thomas's at a higher elevation maybe cooler??

Construction workers start before 5:00 am, the trash is picked up around 7:00 am, I do my yard work early and you do not see any one out walking after 10:00 am.

 

[PaulR]

So, this is an important wording question about RT and the flight - did he say he cancelled the flight, or that her flight had been cancelled? These sound very similar, and I think most of us would assume that "her flight had been cancelled" would mean that someone called to make the cancellation.

But airlines do cancel tickets if you don't show up: No-show (airlines) - Wikipedia

I don't remember when BT was supposed to travel, but the airline may have already cancelled the ticket once she didn't show at the airport.


Also, I saw this old post when trying to find her flight date; it looks like the police may have kept RT's cell phone for a while. If that's the case, he might not have any phone numbers to call (Android phones make the contacts available from any computer, but you have to know how to access it):

CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, Bullhead City, hiking wearing bikini in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019

When I called Barb's cell Robbie wasn't available as he was going through the photos etc with case detectives. They should've been through all that days ago IMO. I really hope they have someone competent who can pull the meta data etc. off of whatever devices they had with them.

Is keeping the phone for four days normal?

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Why is that odd?

Maybe he felt if Barbara was found, for example after two days, she would be stubborn, still wanting to travel while that being no good idea, maybe he was just acting responsibly.

Why is everything this man says or does a red flag?
His arm around his wife's shoulders->a red flag!!! Very possessive.
The love notes Barbara wrote him, a red flag!!!

Well, to answer this. I think MOST would expect to be called by family in this situation rather quickly. Not only did RT NOT do this, he waited 4 ENTIRE days before he even notified MULTIPLE family members about her disappearance.

Wouldn’t you want to find out if family had heard anything, knew anything, and also to commiserate or worry with someone as loyal as family? What did he have to do for 4 days? I’m sure he had time to call her family. He just chose not to. Why? Did he want them to hear from a stranger? Or news? Or maybe he was worried about how he would be perceived by them?

I’m not questioning everything about him, but I do totally question this. Even if he didn’t feel like calling, he could have asked his daughter to call? That’s what sometimes happens with deaths. Someone calls the whole family. But he didn’t. He called the airlines instead, apparently.

 

[Liwthe]

His canceling her plane tickets and telling family to cancel her hotel reservation long before her trip was to take place just doesn’t sit right for me. It reminds me a bit of Chris Watts (Colorado) unenrolling his daughters from school the morning he killed them, before they were reported missing.

How is that the same? She was reported missing. It was four days later! She is either dead, extremely sick, or kidnapped and will be suffering severe ptsd. If the husband is innocent, there is nothing wrong.

And as far as not contacting the son which keeps coming up as alluding to RT being a total dirtbag in the least or a murderer (which is the true implication), we don’t know if it’s true, what the relationship of any is. Plus, it’s been reported he had a hard time contacting anyone from BT’s side as he had no phones, no computers as they were handed in.

Gee, I hope I never end up close to someone who goes missing. That’s what being on WS is showing me. The jumping straight to guilty with every little thing is awful for me to read. People get convicted to death on circumstantial evidence that is extremely poor - and many were innocent.

And again, polygraphs. A great article and a reputable place to read about them : The Truth About Lie Detectors (aka Polygraph Tests)

 

[PaulR]

Well, to answer this. I think MOST would expect to be called by family in this situation rather quickly. Not only did RT NOT do this, he waited 4 ENTIRE days before he even notified MULTIPLE family members about her disappearance.

<modsnip - incorrect info about what our VI posted>
Considering most people keep contact numbers on their cell phone, not written down, maybe he didn't call for four days because he didn't have any numbers to call, and didn't have access to his phone to use the contact list/call history on it.

 

[GordianKnot]

we wondered this before as well.

if there was no photo of barb there that day, would they spend all the resources searching? my own question. i am assuming there is photographic evidence offering time and date to LE.

BBM:

I'm not sure that's an assumption that can safely be made.

I think LE would undertake a thorough search of the area Barb was reported missing from irrespective of their being photographic proof of her having been there or not.

I'm dubious that there are photos of her that are timestamped for the time she and RT were purportedly on their walk.

I've said this before, but I'm convinced that if there were images of BT from that date/location, LE would have quickly released at least one of those images to the public, along w/a "Have you seen this woman?" type appeal asking anyone who was traveling on that road or in the area that day to contact them if they saw a woman matching that description.

The simplest explanation for LE not releasing any photos showing how she looked and exactly what she was wearing at the time she went missing is that they don't have any photos showing how she looked and exactly what she was wearing at the time she went missing.

JMO.

 

[Liwthe]

Well, to answer this. I think MOST would expect to be called by family in this situation rather quickly. Not only did RT NOT do this, he waited 4 ENTIRE days before he even notified MULTIPLE family members about her disappearance.

Wouldn’t you want to find out if family had heard anything, knew anything, and also to commiserate or worry with someone as loyal as family? What did he have to do for 4 days? I’m sure he had time to call her family. He just chose not to. Why? Did he want them to hear from a stranger? Or news? Or maybe he was worried about how he would be perceived by them?

I’m not questioning everything about him, but I do totally question this. Even if he didn’t feel like calling, he could have asked his daughter to call? That’s what sometimes happens with deaths. Someone calls the whole family. But he didn’t. He called the airlines instead, apparently.

He’s clearly in contact with family. They hear about the flights. Just some disgruntled they didn’t get a personal call. But we have no idea of the relationship. BT may not have spoken to the son for 20 yrs for all we know. Others could have helped. It seems so easy to judge.

 

[PaulR]

I've said this before, but I'm convinced that if there were images of BT from that date/location, LE would have quickly released at least one of those images to the public, along w/a "Have you seen this woman?" type appeal asking anyone who was traveling on that road or in the area that day to contact them if they saw a woman matching that description.

We have a photo of BT wearing a red cap and wearing what looks like a black bikini. That was in the original article that started thread 1, page 1: Search underway for lost hiker in Mojave Desert

 

[EmilyVan]

But some folks: and I'll admit, older folks I know: they just bare their skin & take it. It actually does NOT keep you cooler, but again: it's a different generation without paranoia about skin cancer, etc. I know very many over 65 folks - they just bask in 7,000 feet above sea level sun all the time!

RSBM
BBM

Can confirm. -Rad/Onc nurse in CO.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

The police had the phone for days. When our VI tried calling, he got the police, and was surprised that they kept the phone as long as they did: CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, Bullhead City, hiking wearing bikini in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019

Considering most people keep contact numbers on their cell phone, not written down, maybe he didn't call for four days because he didn't have any numbers to call, and didn't have access to his phone to use the contact list/call history on it.

Well, a different perspective maybe.

He does have a daughter. Likely his daughter is on social media. Likely RT knew BT’s family overseas. He could have said “hey daughter, do you think you could find so and so on Facebook and message them and ask for phone number”?

Tons of ways to get in contact with people without phone numbers. No excuse.

 

[kay74]

How is that the same? She was reported missing. It was four days later! She is either dead, extremely sick, or kidnapped and will be suffering severe ptsd. If the husband is innocent, there is nothing wrong.

And as far as not contacting the son which keeps coming up as alluding to RT being a total dirtbag in the least or a murderer (which is the true implication), we don’t know if it’s true, what the relationship of any is. Plus, it’s been reported he had a hard time contacting anyone from BT’s side as he had no phones, no computers as they were handed in.

Gee, I hope I never end up close to someone who goes missing. That’s what being on WS is showing me. The jumping straight to guilty with every little thing is awful for me to read. People get convicted to death on circumstantial evidence that is extremely poor - and many were innocent.

And again, polygraphs. A great article and a reputable place to read about them : The Truth About Lie Detectors (aka Polygraph Tests)

Great post!

 

[Nerissa]

It's not the flight/hotel cancellations in themselves: for many: just another straw in the haystack tipping it over

As far as him not having numbers for family, I can believe that: but I cannot believe LE wouldn't give him the numbers...I mean, geez: most of us nowadays don't know by heart important numbers & they aren't written down.
So: not sure how much this 'excuse' goes with me....LE would want him to be able to contact family & I would think, they'd understand they were in his phone & give him the numbers...right?

 

[diggndeeperstill]

He’s clearly in contact with family. They hear about the flights. Just some disgruntled they didn’t get a personal call. But we have no idea of the relationship. BT may not have spoken to the son for 20 yrs for all we know. Others could have helped. It seems so easy to judge.

I’m not talking about the son. Our verified Insider who BT was going to visit says that his family did not get notified about her being missing until 4 days later and at same time were told he had cancelled her flights.

Honestly this point has probably been hashed out too long. Moving on.

 

[PaulR]

Well, a different perspective maybe.

He does have a daughter. Likely his daughter is on social media. Likely RT knew BT’s family overseas. He could have said “hey daughter, do you think you could find so and so on Facebook and message them and ask for phone number”?

Tons of ways to get in contact with people without phone numbers. No excuse.

Again, assuming you have the phone number memorized. The only phone numbers I know by heart are my phone numbers, and the phone number for my parents' landline which has been the same since I was a kid. Everything else, nope.

And social media, you need a way to connect to it - which for an increasing number of people, is their phone and only their phone. Sure they can get a password reset - but then they need to check their email, which also means you need your phone because that is how many people check email.

In Less Than Two Years, a Smartphone Could Be Your Only Computer

 

[sumzero]

How is that the same? She was reported missing. It was four days later! She is either dead, extremely sick, or kidnapped and will be suffering severe ptsd. If the husband is innocent, there is nothing wrong.

And as far as not contacting the son which keeps coming up as alluding to RT being a total dirtbag in the least or a murderer (which is the true implication), we don’t know if it’s true, what the relationship of any is. Plus, it’s been reported he had a hard time contacting anyone from BT’s side as he had no phones, no computers as they were handed in.

Gee, I hope I never end up close to someone who goes missing. That’s what being on WS is showing me. The jumping straight to guilty with every little thing is awful for me to read. People get convicted to death on circumstantial evidence that is extremely poor - and many were innocent.

And again, polygraphs. A great article and a reputable place to read about them : The Truth About Lie Detectors (aka Polygraph Tests)

BBM

So true. The fewer the details, the more reckless the imagination in filling in the blanks. Just flash the "amateur speculation" card or tack on the ol' "MOO" and it's okay to pass judgment on complete strangers, despite knowing little about them. The depth of cruelty at times is astonishing.

 

[Cherwell]

if there was no photo of barb there that day, would they spend all the resources searching? my own question. i am assuming there is photographic evidence offering time and date to LE.

@dbdb11
Does Robbie routinely include people in his photos, do you know? Would you expect to see photos of Barbara on a trip like this, or is he more of a purist, just photographing the landscape?

 

[Reasonable & Just]

We have a photo of BT wearing a red cap and wearing what looks like a black bikini. That was in the original article that started thread 1, page 1: Search underway for lost hiker in Mojave Desert

In comparison to other, clearer, photos, this seems to be an older picture.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Again, assuming you have the phone number memorized. The only phone numbers I know by heart are my phone numbers, and the phone number for my parents' landline which has been the same since I was a kid. Everything else, nope.

And social media, you need a way to connect to it - which for an increasing number of people, is their phone and only their phone. Sure they can get a password reset - but then they need to check their email, which also means you need your phone because that is how many people check email.

In Less Than Two Years, a Smartphone Could Be Your Only Computer

I meant RT’s daughter. SHE had her phone! Rob wasn’t alone on an island with no one around him to HELP him contact family...