MsBetsy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2018
- Messages
- 19,706
- Reaction score
- 171,455
Apparently not. They said they found no evidence at all. ImoNot even footprints?
Apparently not. They said they found no evidence at all. ImoNot even footprints?
Exact same situation on another thread I participate on. A hiker vanishes in Joshua Tree on a scalding day. Dogs have not picked up his scent. He has been missing for a year. I am 100% convinced he is in there, yet to be found.BBM
That is what is making me think Barbara may not have been out there. Dogs are not infallible, but it's odd they didn't hit on anything. MOO
According to the VI, Robert said that people were walking all throughout the area, ruining the crime scene, or something like that. I don't remember if he was talking about LE or the searchers or who he was referring to. ImoI really want to know that also. There should be 2 sets of footprints coming from their vehicle, right? Do footprints stay very long? Or does the wind blow the sand away?
For the sake of clarity: Barbara Bullen/Thomas is my father's sister. Her son Matt is my cousin. She was on her way to visit us, specifically to visit my father, who has been battling cancer.VI has said she had no phone. That when she visited Hong Kong in May, his mother (Barbara's SiL) loaned Barbara a phone and taught her to use it. He said she ultimately "jived with" the phone but did not have one.
Dogs can track out there, but we never heard from the SAR team that they were onto anything. They were posting videos of the dogs, but none of them seemed to catch a scent. If the dogs had caught a scent, I think that would be mentioned in the daily bulletins from SBCS instead of saying "no signs of Barbara."
Really appreciate you being here, and I'm so sorry your Aunt is the subject of a thread. Prayers for your family, and prayers for answers soon.For the sake of clarity: Barbara Bullen/Thomas is my father's sister. Her son Matt is my cousin. She was on her way to visit us, specifically to visit my father, who has been battling cancer.
My father is Barbara's baby bro. They've always been close.
Did Barbara give any reason why Robert was not going with her or had not travelled with her the last time?For the sake of clarity: Barbara Bullen/Thomas is my father's sister. Her son Matt is my cousin. She was on her way to visit us, specifically to visit my father, who has been battling cancer.
My father is Barbara's baby bro. They've always been close.
Words fail me now.
You’re doing a great job of keeping Barbara’s case to the fore, you have personalised it for me with the snippets you are able to give us.For the sake of clarity: Barbara Bullen/Thomas is my father's sister. Her son Matt is my cousin. She was on her way to visit us, specifically to visit my father, who has been battling cancer.
My father is Barbara's baby bro. They've always been close.
Did Barbara say why she did not have a cell phone?? Was it because she didn't want one or because RT didn't want her to have one?! Everyone nowadays has one. I'm older than Barbara and would never be without my cell phone. Haven't had a landline in many years. I don't understand this at all.For the sake of clarity: Barbara Bullen/Thomas is my father's sister. Her son Matt is my cousin. She was on her way to visit us, specifically to visit my father, who has been battling cancer.
My father is Barbara's baby bro. They've always been close.
I'm a really big fan of search dogs as well, but if anyone here is not, I will add that the SAR team used helicopters and off-road vehicles as well. According to RT's account, she was less than 1/2 mile from the RV when he last saw her. If you look at post #23 in the Media Thread, you will see actual pictures of the place that RT alleged they were hiking; one of our Websleuthers went out there, found the actual location, and posted pictures and a map. It was his belief that she could not have gotten lost there. She would have had a clear sight line to the road and their vehicle. Take a look at the pics in sroad's post. He also notes that there are no rock formations for her to hide under between the road and where they were hiking. Further, he states that due to the many cholla cacti there, a hiker wearing shorts (or a bikini) would not want to wander off-trail. After examining these pics once again this morning, I still find it extremely difficult to believe that BT could get lost walking on a trail within clear sight of the vehicle, or that she would have wandered off-trail. Further, I find it extremely difficult to believe that neither trained searchers, trained search dogs, searchers using helicopters, and searchers in off-road vehicles would have been able to locate BT if she had become lost or experienced a medical event in that particular location. And that forces me to conclude that BT was never there. MOOExact same situation on another thread I participate on. A hiker vanishes in Joshua Tree on a scalding day. Dogs have not picked up his scent. He has been missing for a year. I am 100% convinced he is in there, yet to be found.
As I posted upthread, I am no big SAR expert, but have participated in searches and know of searches where remains were overlooked during thorough searches, and eventually spotted. It's hard to "see" remains outdoors.
*If* BT is within the proximity of where she was last allegedly seen (and I'm going with that), then she knew RT was waiting on her. She couldn't have gone that far and has to be lodged somewhere. Gruesome, but realistic.
Anyone know of any searches this weekend? If she were wearing any jewelry (ring or watch), even metal detectors might be useful, and certainly "cave cameras" to drop between boulders, etc.
Amateur opinion and speculation
sigh... chinese whispers.I’ll have to go back and check, but I thought the VI said she had given up the dog after she and RT married? I may have totally misread that though! MOO
I am so very sad that you, your father, and your family have to go through this during your father's battle with cancer. This makes a bad situation far worse. I hope we will find out where your beloved aunt is soon, and I send you my prayers for strength and my best wishes.For the sake of clarity: Barbara Bullen/Thomas is my father's sister. Her son Matt is my cousin. She was on her way to visit us, specifically to visit my father, who has been battling cancer.
My father is Barbara's baby bro. They've always been close.
Not only is LE not releasing any evidence, they aren't reaching out to the public for help. At this point in their investigation, IMO they don't need the public's help. I think they know a lot that we don't know.
I had to look up the idiom. In the US we call that "telephone."sigh... chinese whispers.
I forgot about a neighbor saying they seen BT that morning BUT did they actually see BT or someone they automatically assumed was BT?
BBM
That is what is making me think Barbara may not have been out there. Dogs are not infallible, but it's odd they didn't hit on anything. MOO
Apparently the departure was seen on camera, but no details have been given. It's not first-hand information as far as I can make out, i.e. nobody here has seen it.
Thanks so much for referring me to the media & timeline thread Kapua; extremely useful. In looking at the images, reading the thoughts from the boots on the ground, and the video, I do see some areas that could be withholding her remains.I'm a really big fan of search dogs as well, but if anyone here is not, I will add that the SAR team used helicopters and off-road vehicles as well. According to RT's account, she was less than 1/2 mile from the RV when he last saw her. If you look at the post #23 in the Media Thread you will see actual pictures of the place that RT alleged they were hiking; one of our Websleuthers went out there, found the actual location, and posted pictures and a map. It was his belief that she could not have gotten lost there. She would have had a clear sight line to the road and their vehicle. Take a look at the pics in sroad's post. He also notes that there are no rock formations for her to hide under between the road and where they were hiking. Further, he states that due to the many cholla cacti there, a hiker wearing shorts (or a bikini) would not want to wander off-trail. After examining these pics once again this morning, I still find it extremely difficult to believe that BT could get lost walking on a trail within clear sight of the vehicle, or that she would have wandered off-trail. Further, I find it extremely difficult to believe that neither trained searchers, trained search dogs, searchers using helicopters, and searchers in off-road vehicles would have been able to locate BT if she had become lost or experienced a medical event in that particular location. And that forces me to conclude that BT was never there. MOO
AZ - AZ - Barbara Thomas, 69, Timeline, Media, Maps, *NO DISCUSSION*