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

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I am totally on board w/ LE at this point if like
msm says RT says, "He's the prime suspect."
Possibly she had a pre-nup done up prior to marrying RT that if she died first, their shared
assets were his, but if they divorced and because her money paid for the assets, they
go back to her.
So from RT's perspective he couldn't allow her
to divorce him because he knew she had paid for everything they owned during their marriage.

I'm sure LE is looking into all the finances
between this couple, they've seen this scenario
dozens of times, as have I.
 
I am totally on board w/ LE at this point if like
msm says RT says, "He's the prime suspect."
Possibly she had a pre-nup done up prior to marrying RT that if she died first, their shared
assets were his, but if they divorced and because her money paid for the assets, they
go back to her.
So from RT's perspective he couldn't allow her
to divorce him because he knew she had paid for everything they owned during their marriage.

I'm sure LE is looking into all the finances
between this couple, they've seen this scenario
dozens of times, as have I.
We have a case right now in the UK, there is a thread here too. 86 yo man arrested this week - remains of his wife missing 37 years just turned up in a cesspit. Only found as he moved out of the property. Most likely scenario etc...
 
That is indeed the problem with spending a lot of time reading about and watching crime. We start to believe that ‘many men his age esp. with multiple ex wives are lounge lizards who prowl on rich attractive women’. We’re actually getting an unrealistic view of society when our interests aren’t as balanced with reading about and watching shows about normal relationships (ups and downs, nothing murderous). I guess there isn’t so much glamorized about all those people out there living normal lives because it’s just not as exciting to talk about the odd argument here and there that was worked through with love and acceptance or a bit of therapy when things got rough.

The language is pretty inflammatory. Lounge Lizards etc. It’s always awful when women (although they exist, too) are called gold diggers and men use it as an excuse to say there’s lots of women like that prowling for defenseless men.

We don’t know if RT lost a wife (or two) to illness, or if he married young and that first marriage failed. We don’t get the pertinent details unfortunately, although they’ve been asked multiple times.

Then we have the body language reading, again. There is so much now to disprove that even those that are trained to be able to tell when someone is lying barely fair better than chance (52% average) when assessing demeanor and body language. Too many variables, especially on a short viewing such as this. You’d have to have an intimate knowledge of someone’s typical behavior and mannerisms, and even then it’s very poor method (the eyes darting etc).

It’s nice to imagine we can tell when people are fooling us. But it really does not come down to such simple things as YouTube videos would have us believe.
Excellent post. I’ve been following all the thread comments as best as time permits, and it seems as if everyone really wants to believe the husband.

But it’s hard.

We all want to learn BT was angry and took off for China, and will return hearty and hale.

But it’s hard.

We all want to believe love lasts forever, and 69 year old women in bikini’s with a beer hiking about come to no harm.

But it’s hard.

Will BT be found?
Anyone who has spent any amount of time on these threads know that while statistically we know probable outcomes, anything is possible.

As long as no earthly remains have been recovered, I will hold on to that shred of hope that the hubby is truthful, and this will all be a made for TV movie someday.

Amateur opinion and speculation
 
He said when he seen she wasn’t at the camper he looked around the area and yelled for her. Then he walked back to a cave that they found to see if she had walked back there. He also said after he called 911 it took LE two hours to arrive or maybe that’s how long it felt to him. All of that would take around three hours.

He said when he seen she wasn’t at the camper he looked around the area and yelled for her. Then he walked back to a cave that they found to see if she had walked back there. He also said after he called 911 it took LE two hours to arrive or maybe that’s how long it felt to him. All of that would take around three hours.
According to the VI he did all that before he called 911 around noon.
If they were dispatched around 3:30 and it took 2 hours then they would have gotten there around 5:30. Imo
 
Something just hit me about dbdb11's explanation
of what robbie told her or someone else about
their last walk.
right before she went missing he says he told
her to wait for him instead of going ahead of him.
They had a disagreement over this. Stop right there.
Did she defy his instruction or order or wish?
did she dare disregard what he told her?
Wait for me.
Was this a straw that broke the camel's back.
One last time, she defied him?
Would love to be a fly on the wall when LE
asked him to go over this scenario again.
New questions: Does he have a temper?
How would his ex's answer that?
My speculation only, but I'd want to re-visit
those moments when he said she went ahead
of him on the trail even though he wanted her
to wait for him.
Red Flag, Red Flag. JMO.

Per our VI, asked Barbara to stay with him, not ordered her.

It makes no sense that if he got so mad that she did not stay that he murdered her because of it (the idea alone...) that he would ever mention this incident of Barbara not "obeying" to anyone ever.
 
I don't recall seeing anything in MSM or from VI that said RT asked BT to wait for him. Not sure where this came from. In one of the two MSM videos of RT speaking to media about her disappearance below, he simply said "she pulled ahead of me", and in the other he mumbled somewhat and turned his head when saying "she wanted to go back to the RV". JMO from watching these videos and reading all the posts here and MSM articles, unless I missed it. TIA if someone can direct me to that statement.

Husband of Woman Who Vanished During Mojave Desert Hike: 'I Just Want Her Back'

Man says police think he is a suspect in wife's disappearance
dbdb11 said RT said he "asked Barb to stay with me," but she went on ahead anyway. See BBM in the post below. MOO
FIND ATTACHED and definitely take a look on your own if you'd like.

They parked the camper on the pull off, just speculating here of course, hid truck/RV key under a rock they both would be able to find quite easily, they crossed over Kelbaker road (with a camera?, a gallon of water, at least one beer in a travel mug or coozie?, Barb in either bikini top or possibly bra? Robbie carrying a pack of some kind?), once on the other side of the road they proceeded to walk (NOT HIKE) approx 2 miles (exactly 2.2 miles according to Robbie's correspondence with us) towards a hill that could be seen from the parking area just ahead of where they pulled off the road.

Once on this hill Barb decided to take a panorama photo of their surroundings (which I assume includes Robbie in the panorama. If it is a 360 photo as Rob initially suggested they likely brought a 360 camera, and Barb and Robbie should both be in this image). Robbie claims the 360/panorama photo Barb took from this hill includes cars in the parking lot below, potentially even license plate numbers? and was very upset police were not looking into the owners of these cars as potential suspects (and were instead suspecting him, and seemingly ignoring his statements on the day she went missing). I assume if the cars were clearly visible in the picture, surely Rob and Barb would have been plainly visible to anyone in a car in the parking lot below the hill as well.

As they were on the way back from the hill, towards their RV, there was a rock formation Robbie implies they were both interested in. He stopped to take a photo of this rock formation and "asked Barb to stay with me," but she went on ahead anyway. Sounds quite stubborn of her. Perhaps they had some kind of disagreement? In any case, he says she wanted to get back to the RV.

This is where Barb rounds a corner, we can assume she rounds a boulder outcrop that puts her out of Robbie's sight. Robbie has never specified how long he spent taking photos of this rock formation, but he claimed to us that police have photos of Barb on the walk, that day, and that police have photos of the rock formation as well. Robbie and Barb have no known social media accounts where they share photos of their adventures with friends/family.

As Robbie made his way back to the RV he did not have any concerns. The RV was less than 1/4 mile (1000 ft) away from where he last saw her, he has claimed, and was never concerned about how far ahead she could have gotten, between him and the RV. He made his way back to the RV and was not immediately concerned that he didn't see her there. He was hot, he has told us, and poured some water on a towel and put it on his head. After a few minutes of her not turning up he began to grow concerned. He did not immediately look for any signs of tire tracks, or signs of abduction/kidnapping. He proceeded to shout and wave his arms, as well as backtrack to a cave they both knew was in the area. His thinking was, perhaps she went there to get out of the sun (between when she left him and the few minutes it took him to get back to the RV from the rock formation).

According to public records he called the police around 3pm?, and according to Robbie they arrived two hours after he called? On arrival the search and rescue crews destroyed any evidence of a potential crime scene, according to Robbie. If this account is accurate, what did Robbie do in those two hours?

Robbie served in Vietnam, and also has years of experience visiting the Mojave desert, including familiarity with Kelbaker's immediate geological features, and, I would assume, a keen sense for his surroundings. He didn't think to look for signs of abduction, or a struggle? He didn't follow up with the cars parked in the parking lot just down the road (but did check in a cave???)? He didn't look for signs of a struggle around the RV but concludes she must have been abducted? That abduction is the ONLY logical conclusion?

I think we are missing some vital information here and would like to hear a much more detailed account of what Robbie did between taking photos of the rock formation, returning to the RV, searching the area for Barb, calling police, and search and rescue finally arriving. I think our timeline of events could do with clarification.

FOR REFERENCE:

Walking speed 1000 meters or 1 kilometer per 10 minutes ( m/min – km/min ), converted to foot per 10 minutes equals 3280.84 feet per 10 minutes ( ft/min ).

According to the above generalisation Robbie was approx 3 plus MINUTES away from the RV.

DB MAP 1.PNG DB MAP 2.PNG DB MAP 3.PNG

I would like to include some further speculation for everyone to consider. Robbie drove across state lines to the only S on a quiet road, the first stage of an otherwise undefined camping trip. He hasn't told any of us anymore about what this trip entailed, or what they were initially planning. They pulled off the road in a place with enough room for other cars to pull off as well. They began their walk in the Mojave around/ or not long after HIGH NOON, in RECORD HEAT. This all happened on a Friday, a weekday, when many others who might otherwise be hiking and exploring the desert area, would have more likely been at work. Regular hikers familiar with the area, and other locals have expressed it would be foolish and naive to wander into the Mojave for a casual walk at this time of day (unless of course your plans required not being seen by anyone else).
 
Thanks all for clarifying RE: the VI sharing that RT asked BT to wait for him.

I should have been specific I suppose in my post where the information was coming from - instead of assuming that it would be common knowledge

Which leads me to say: the VI had a lengthy post - I think earlier in this thread (I think??) that really goes into details.

Maybe that can be posted at the front of new threads - ? (apologies if it already is!!!)
 
Well...as for her just leaving when asked to stay - two theories here of mine:

1.) he's telling the truth...yeah: shocker! lol (we jaded people, we)

2.) he is sticking close to the truth - they DID quarrel & something happened back at the RV

JMO
 
please everyone reading, please like and share this article, share with all your friends on social media please. I am hopeful HLN will be interested in a follow up report if they can see peoples interest in the story.

thank you all!

Bikini-clad hiker missing in the Mojave Desert

Also -- you may want to contact NBC's Dateline FB; as they're pretty good about airing new cases.

NBC is an approved msm source.
 
Genuine question: is there any factual reason why the majority of us sleuthers seem to be assuming if (being frank) RT is responsible for her disappearance, it happened in the nearby vicinity where he called it in?

What I'm thinking, hypothetically this could have been planned well in advance. Possibly linked to forthcoming trip to HK, was there a risk of something being confided for instance. So if it was well planned, her demise could have happened anywhere along that route, or another route even. I dont know if you have ANPR cameras or dashcams widely used in the US? What would the risk of being seen in a different location be? He could know the area very well, from past trips. He would know somewhere secluded, with good hiding places.

Just MO.
I'm not assuming that BT disappeared in the vicinity of where the call was placed. As another poster mentioned, I don't personally find that area so photo-worthy that I'd even get out of the car on a *very* hot day. There are so many really, really beautiful and unique places in the Golden State (Sequoia National Park, for example) that I'd rather visit. But to your point, with one sketchy (IMHO) story and zero evidence, I am not drawing any conclusions. MOO
 
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He asked her to stay with him and she said she wanted to go back. What's the big deal?! She most likely wondered off looking for rocks. Collecting can be an addiction. Everyone that is a collector knows that.
 
He asked her to stay with him and she said she wanted to go back. What's the big deal?! She most likely wondered off looking for rocks. Collecting can be an addiction. Everyone that is a collector knows that.

Is it stated that she said that she wanted to go back when he asked her to wait? It is known she wanted to go back to the RV - that is what BOTH of them were doing when he stopped for pics.

He asked her to stay, ie, wait for him. She didn't. I want to know why she didn't. I'd like to know if it was because she was feeling ill or overheated. If she were: good chance she got disoriented, had some type of major medical/health event, etc. & maybe out there right now.

If it's just her personality - which perhaps is your point - okay

If they quarreled: whole 'nother ball game

JMO
that's why
 
please everyone reading, please like and share this article, share with all your friends on social media please. I am hopeful HLN will be interested in a follow up report if they can see peoples interest in the story.

thank you all!

Bikini-clad hiker missing in the Mojave Desert

Thanks for linking that video piece by HLN. So great to see Barb's case getting some national attention!

I found that interview with the retired LE officer really interesting.

I found the fact that he echoed many of the thoughts posters have been expressing here most especially interesting.

Who knows, maybe he's a lurker on the thread...

JMO.
 
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