CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #7

[Stripehaven]

OK thank you, I did not know that important point. I hope it doesn't sound like I am victim blaming, I'm not. I'm questioning BT going into the desert in clothing not well-protecting for the desert which indicates to me that she didn't intend to be there long. 2 miles is a long way in the blazing sun. I'm questioning this disconnect. If she were from Minnesota, for example, I'd think well maybe she just didn't know. But she's from Bullhead City, she presumably knows that the desert is like. So in my head, BT didn't intend to walk very far at all. Certainly not 2 miles.

And not off trail among the flesh-poking vegetation. This is why I don’t think she’s concealed by shrubbery; it would have been an ordeal to get there, IMO, based on @sroad’s comprehensive description of the trail being well-marked and wide enough for a vehicle. She wasn’t bushwhacking. IMO.

 

[artsy1]

I can't see that any of this is significant. I don't doubt that they drank some of the water if they were thirsty. Maybe he offered her a bottle (if that's what he was carrying) and she declined.

My actual point was, how many people carry around a big gallon of water on a walk. (My mind just kind of wandered from there before my morning coffee.)

 

[CrimeDawg123]

My actual point was, how many people carry around a big gallon of water on a walk. (My mind just kind of wandered from there before my morning coffee.)

People who aren't regular hikers do that all the time.

 

[Cherwell]

My actual point was, how many people carry around a big gallon of water on a walk. (My mind just kind of wandered from there before my morning coffee.)

Perhaps it wasn't exactly a gallon. Perhaps he just meant plenty of water. People don't always use words literally. Why does it matter?

 

[K9Enzo]

One thing that's been nagging me. RT said he was carrying a gallon of water with him.

Was this a single gallon bottle of water, which seems like an odd choice? They are hard to drink from.

If it was a few individual bottles of water, why not say so?

Why say a gallon? And if they were single bottles, why not hand her one (she has 2 hands, only 1 allegedly held beer) to drink, instead of worrying more about taking a photo than his wife?

Did either of them drink any of the water during their walk? You'd think they'd both be thirsty walking in the sun and heat.

IMO, RT would have been asked a set of routine questions. SAR would want to know how prepared she was to be alone in that environment. They would especially want to know about her water access and how much she had on her.

In general, when I'm preparing for a hike, it's common for me to reference water in terms of gallons or quarts. It would be weird for me to say how many bottles or bladders I have.

A gallon of water between two people in that heat is not really much. IMO.

 

[Curiousobserver]

My actual point was, how many people carry around a big gallon of water on a walk. (My mind just kind of wandered from there before my morning coffee.)

Spring water is sold in those milk-jug style gallon sized containers. Again- not really that weird to have one or to carry one in your backpack.

Water : Publix.com

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

yes I get what your saying but it still is making an assumption on a unconfirmed by LE statement.
I ask anyone to prove barb was indeed drinking beer that day.
you weren't there, I wasn't there.
to make the statement " we don't know how much she drank that day is making an assumption /fact that she she did.....off a statement MADE TO MEDIA not confirmed by LE.

moo

What's that matter? It was reported in MSM links provided on the site, even though it was attributed to RT. Don't see the issue. It's also not making an assumption that she did. "We don't know how much she drank that day". One potential answer is "she did not drink any". How is it an assumption that she did drink?

 

[MsBetsy]

yes according to RT he was very prepared for the desert 'walk'.
BARB WASN'T.

They went on the hike "together". Wasn't RT carrying the water and camera in a backpack or something? Imo

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

They went on the hike together. Wasn't RT carrying the water and camera in a backpack or something? Imo

I thought that's what I had seen. Are people implying that he was hiding a gallon of water from her or witholding it?

 

[rosesfromangels]

What's that matter? It was reported in MSM links provided on the site, even though it was attributed to RT. Don't see the issue. It's also not making an assumption that she did. "We don't know how much she drank that day". One potential answer is "she did not drink any". How is it an assumption that she did drink?

Didn’t her nephew confirm hiking in a bikini with beer in hand sounded just like his Aunt? (Fun loving). I thought I read that here?

ETA that if it were super hot that day, we can speculate she probably consumed more than one, although we certainly don’t know. Did drinking beer contribute to her disappearance? Not a far fetched speculation. Again, we just don’t know.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

Didn’t her nephew confirm hiking in a bikini with beer in hand sounded just like his Aunt? (Fun loving). I thought I read that here?

ETA that if it were super hot that day, we can speculate she probably consumed more than one, although we certainly don’t know. Did drinking beer contribute to her disappearance? Not a far fetched speculation. Again, we just don’t know.

Amateur opinion and speculation

I believe he said so as well. Has he been around lately?

 

[Leney]

And not off trail among the flesh-poking vegetation. This is why I don’t think she’s concealed by shrubbery; it would have been an ordeal to get there, IMO, based on @sroad’s comprehensive description of the trail being well-marked and wide enough for a vehicle. She wasn’t bushwhacking. IMO.

If an individual was on a trail, realized that they were in distress or in need of shade, would they stay on the trail without the shade ?

 

[MsBetsy]

One thing that's been nagging me. RT said he was carrying a gallon of water with him.

Was this a single gallon bottle of water, which seems like an odd choice? They are hard to drink from.

If it was a few individual bottles of water, why not say so?

Why say a gallon? And if they were single bottles, why not hand her one (she has 2 hands, only 1 allegedly held beer) to drink, instead of worrying more about taking a photo than his wife?

Did either of them drink any of the water during their walk? You'd think they'd both be thirsty walking in the sun and heat.

They may have had some of the water before they even went on the hike.
It's better to drink before you get dehydrated. (They were experienced hikers)

They had two chairs set out so maybe they sat down for awhile before they started walking.
We don't know that either one was carrying a small bottle of water, just that Barbara was carrying a beer, and he had brought a gallon of water with them. Not sure if that means on the hike or that they took it with them on the trip, but I would think they would need it while on the walk.
Maybe she did not carry the water because she didnt want to carry something in each hand. I know I would't.

I'm not sure why he would be more worried about taking a picture than his wife, as he could not know she was going to disappear after she went around the corner. He may have thought he would catch up to her after taking the picture. Imo

 

[artsy1]

Perhaps it wasn't exactly a gallon. Perhaps he just meant plenty of water. People don't always use words literally. Why does it matter?

BBM
The REAL point of my post - I wondered who would say this first.

If you look at the threads on Barbara, how may posts pick apart RT's words to make him sound guilty of something? "She WAS", "NEVER ever", "USE the RV/(turned away - ?) the RV", "parking lot (or parking area)" etc.

At what point do we say "people don't always use words literally; why does it matter" to some of RT's words but not others? At what point do we say that people are reading too much into small discrepancies?

I think sometimes we lose focus of the big picture of finding Barbara, and too much time trying RT for a crime that LE hasn't said he committed from one word here or there. <modsnip>

MOO

WHERE'S Barbara?
#TEAMBARBARA

 

[Nikynoo]

They may have had some of the water before they even went on the hike.
It's better to drink before you get dehydrated. (They were experienced hikers)

They had two chairs set out so maybe they sat down for awhile before they started walking.
We don't know that either one was carrying a small bottle of water, just that Barbara was carrying a beer, and he had brought a gallon of water with them. Not sure if that means on the hike or that they took it with them on the trip, but I would think they would need it while on the walk.
Maybe she carried the water because she didnt want to carry something in each hand. I know I would't.

I'm not sure why he would be more worried about taking a picture than his wife, as he could not know she was going to disappear after she went around the corner. He may have thought he would catch up to her after taking the picture. Imo

I wonder if they had lunch at the RV before setting off for the walk?

 

[Stripehaven]

If an individual was on a trail, realized that they were in distress or in need of shade, would they stay on the trail without the shade ?

I am not sure (maybe locals could chime in). I can’t tell if it really casts much shade or if a person could get under it for protection. My impression is that it would be very difficult. IMO of course

 

[Leney]

This map represents the search area covered over the years for Bill Ewasko who is still missing.

The black represents the original search area.
Red subsequent searches.
The blue a radius of one cell phone tower ping days later.

The searches have been well documented at the link below.

JT91, November 7, 2018

 

[lolafaith]

BBM
The REAL point of my post - I wondered who would say this first.

If you look at the threads on Barbara, how may posts pick apart RT's words to make him sound guilty of something? "She WAS", "NEVER ever", "USE the RV/(turned away - ?) the RV", "parking lot (or parking area)" etc.

At what point do we say "people don't always use words literally; why does it matter" to some of RT's words but not others? At what point do we say that people are reading too much into small discrepancies?

I think sometimes we lose focus of the big picture of finding Barbara, and too much time trying RT for a crime that LE hasn't said he committed from one word here or there. <modsnip>

MOO

WHERE'S Barbara?
#TEAMBARBARA

Yes, yes, yes!

Pages and pages and threads and threads discussing water bottles and bikinis, just cannot see how this is of any help to anyone - not being rude, just my opinion!

The fact is that we do not know what is going on right now in terms of any investigations. It sounds like that LE do not suspect RT (obviously based on what he told them). No doubt they have looked into lots of things in his background, and the radio silence does imply that
he's been told not to say anymore, give any further interviews etc.

Perhaps he was in trouble with someone, all the scenarios mentioned in all these threads are hypothetical. On that basis, who is to say he hadn't agreed a rendezvous with someone near the RV and Barbara didn't know about it, or there was a struggle or something happened blah blah the possibilities for making up stories are endless, so you can speculate until the cows come home!

But I do believe, like many on here, there is foul play involved, by who, and for what reason I doubt we are going to find out, unless LE are forthcoming with information soon, but the longer this plays out I think the less likely we are to find out what happened to this poor lovely lady.

 

[dbdb11]

I think those may have been @sroad's posts, such as this one:

CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #2

It was around this thread that I personally concluded Barbara did not get lost in the desert.

The clues aren't even in the desert. They're in televised interviews, statements of relevant law enforcement, and in decades past.

If playing through scenarios of Barb getting lost keeps this thread alive I can't be opposed to it.

<modsnip> Where is Barbara?

 

[Jade]

If an individual was on a trail, realized that they were in distress or in need of shade, would they stay on the trail without the shade ?

Yes, imo, since the rig would be in sight from its elevated position one might press on.

Ants under the bushes in the shade is another reason not to seek shelter in the brush.

They will swarm feet looking for relief from inadequate sunscreen coating DH can testify.


IMO