CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #8

[charminglane]

dbdb -
How about contacting Texas Equasearch?

 

[dbdb11]

Have been in touch Texas Equasearch

 

[kkdj]

Have been in touch Texas Equasearch

Great! Did they seem responsive about searching for Barb?

 

[K9Enzo]

Have been in touch Texas Equasearch

Good! I hope LE approves them to search.

 

[LAhiker]

Just a note that it is still quite hot in the Mojave National Preserve:

Mojave National Preserve, CA 10-Day Weather Forecast - The Weather Channel | Weather.com

It's even hotter in lower areas, such as the very low Death Valley, where a tourist died on Tuesday:

"A woman died in Death Valley National Park this week as temperatures soared to nearly 120 degrees.
<snip>
Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, emergency responders received calls about a nonresponsive visitor south of Badwater, according to a news release from the National Park Service."

Woman dies in Death Valley National Park as temperatures approach 120 degrees

So it may be best to hold off on additional searching for a bit. JMO

 

[katydid23]

From the beginning I thought it was very strange that RT would tell the media that he he was considered the "prime suspect," and that his polygraph had indicated deception.
It's very unusual that anyone would reveal this information, especially if they were somehow involved.

I've never heard of a case where a potential suspect deliberately led the media to believe they may have been involved. Why deliberately point the finger at oneself? Very strange. Imo

Good question.
I am wondering if he maybe wanted a good excuse to 'shut down', stop making statements, stop being involved searches, and step away. He can say his attorney advised him to do so because he was being treated as a suspect.

 

[RANCH]

Good question.
I am wondering if he maybe wanted a good excuse to 'shut down', stop making statements, stop being involved searches, and step away. He can say his attorney advised him to do so because he was being treated as a suspect.

I was wondering what motive RT would have to make up the polygraph deception statement by LE.

Maybe he doesn't care if the public thinks he's being deceptive. He could be using a false narrative to back away from any involvement in finding his wife.

If this is true I wonder what LE thinks of it? They would know that he is making things up. That would definitely draw their attention to him right? JMO.

 

[al66pine]

Was BT on Right Trail, Then Wrong Trail?

Do we know where RT parked truck & RV in turnout/on shoulder - that is, how close to wide trail running perpendicular to, or T'ing into, to hwy. Was it right at the T? Or 100 ft away? 100 yds away? Which direction?

If truck & RV was parked 100+ yds away from the T, then after parking they had to walk to right or left/'make a turn' to get to trail. After separating from RT, if BT was on approp/same trail and saw hwy as she got closer, but could not see truck at very same moment, she might have gotten confused. Could have concluded she was on wrong trail, decided to backtrack to last fork in trail and then walked in other direction. If she kept going, she might have wandered outside the (future) SAR search perimeter.
jmo, a possibility.

 

[sroad]

(Robert, if you end up reading this and Barbara was lost in this area and you've changed mind about the abduction scenario, I would urge you to provide more details, a detailed timeline, and photos from your hike with the public. As a volunteer, I would have gone out there again IF I had something else to work with like a photo showing she was there in that environment, or a map of your hike (the mornings and evenings are quite doable for hiking in the desert as the temps drop nicely up there at close to 4000 feet elevation for those of us who are used to the desert. If LE or your lawyer won't let you share information, then share that info with the VI @dbdb11, so they can share it here).

Chiming in to clarify a few more things. The inaccurate description of, "dry lake bed" that someone mentioned is really a dry wash that runs north around the main rock formation that they allegedly walked up to, see attached photo. I walked the wash several times east (downhill) towards the location where the 5th wheel was parked and even double checked the culverts under the road that come out of the wash and then parallel HH dirt road. SAR also extensively walked that wash east and west of Kelbaker rd with the dogs as I observed those last two days before they suspended their search. Also, as I mentioned before, I chatted with the sheriff on site at their incident command 5th wheel, and he confirmed that that was the exact location that Robert allegedly was parked. So that is where they conducted their search operations from.

Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center is not visible from the hike, as there is a ridge that comes from the Granite mountains that blocks that view. If one were to hike to the rock formations, and then skirt around the Granite Mountains towards the research center, it would take about 3.7 miles to get there one way and uphill, so quite a ways from the turnout.

The parking lot many folks have mentioned is just a little ways up the road, near the pass, and is like a scenic view parking area. This is the most plausible parking area for cars making a brief stop. Google Maps You can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in towards the rock formations and see the pole line. I noted this in my observation from having been there not just driving through, but on my hikes. I was able to see the cars with the naked eye from most of the locations in the attached Google Earth snapshot. So again that 360 degree shot that is mentioned as showing cars would be very helpful to see, so we can see where it was taken from. You'd occasionally see a car or two stopped there for a small break and then they'd be off again.

There have also been many weather numbers thrown around over all these pages. If you want the most accurate temps, the weather station at the UC reserve and research center is the most accurate, as it is a scientifically calibrated weather station. Attached are the daily highs for the day they went hiking. It didn't quite reach the triple digits but still hot. Due to it's elevation, it is not so hot as the surrounding valleys. Sweeney Granite Mountains California

And also regarding vegetation and "corners", Robert was not clear about this corner, but from walking there, while the trail looks straight on Google Earth, it actually is meandering enough to loose someone out of sight every 100-150 feet or so. And while the cholla vegetation is only 3-4 feet tall, the creosote and other vegetation can be as high as 6 feet or a bit more at times. So she would have gone out of sight pretty fast after "rounding a corner" so to speak. The 5th wheel would have been visible at most times however, due to it being bright and about 12-14 feet tall would be my guess.

 

[Blue Ridge]

Thank you for this awesome and informative post, @sroad .

 

[Yvettea]

Thank you for all the new information. I’ve been trying to imagine why Robert would make no effort to establish that BT was with him when he stopped for ice. I’m stumped. ETA: any ideas anyone?

 

[RANCH]

Thank you for all the new information. I’ve been trying to imagine why Robert would make no effort to establish that BT was with him when he stopped for ice. I’m stumped. ETA: any ideas anyone?

How would he be able to do that after the fact?

 

[LAhiker]

Thank you for all the new information. I’ve been trying to imagine why Robert would make no effort to establish that BT was with him when he stopped for ice. I’m stumped. ETA: any ideas anyone?

Given what he was reported to have said to the clerk, it sounds like he was trying to establish that she was with him. As indeed she may have been, if the photos establish that both of them went on that walk in the Mojave a bit later (as the case detective said they do). JMO

 

[Yvettea]

How would he be able to do that after the fact?

Are you asking how he could do that if BT were already missing?

 

[Yvettea]

Given what he was reported to have said to the clerk, it sounds like he was trying to establish that she was with him -- as indeed she may have been. JMO

Thanks. I’ll look back at what he was reported to say.

 

[MsBetsy]

Thank you for all the new information. I’ve been trying to imagine why Robert would make no effort to establish that BT was with him when he stopped for ice. I’m stumped. ETA: any ideas anyone?

Why would he?
I would think it would have been unusual for him to mention it to anyone in the store.
It may have even seemed suspicious if he made a point to mention her being in the truck. Imo

 

[MsBetsy]

Given what he was reported to have said to the clerk, it sounds like he was trying to establish that she was with him. As indeed she may have been, if the photos establish that both of them went on that walk in the Mojave a bit later (as the case detective said they do). JMO

She must have been if there are pictures of her. How else would she have gotten there?
Imo

 

[RANCH]

(Robert, if you end up reading this and Barbara was lost in this area and you've changed mind about the abduction scenario, I would urge you to provide more details, a detailed timeline, and photos from your hike with the public. As a volunteer, I would have gone out there again IF I had something else to work with like a photo showing she was there in that environment, or a map of your hike (the mornings and evenings are quite doable for hiking in the desert as the temps drop nicely up there at close to 4000 feet elevation for those of us who are used to the desert. If LE or your lawyer won't let you share information, then share that info with the VI @dbdb11, so they can share it here).

Chiming in to clarify a few more things. The inaccurate description of, "dry lake bed" that someone mentioned is really a dry wash that runs north around the main rock formation that they allegedly walked up to, see attached photo. I walked the wash several times east (downhill) towards the location where the 5th wheel was parked and even double checked the culverts under the road that come out of the wash and then parallel HH dirt road. SAR also extensively walked that wash east and west of Kelbaker rd with the dogs as I observed those last two days before they suspended their search. Also, as I mentioned before, I chatted with the sheriff on site at their incident command 5th wheel, and he confirmed that that was the exact location that Robert allegedly was parked. So that is where they conducted their search operations from.

Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center is not visible from the hike, as there is a ridge that comes from the Granite mountains that blocks that view. If one were to hike to the rock formations, and then skirt around the Granite Mountains towards the research center, it would take about 3.7 miles to get there one way and uphill, so quite a ways from the turnout.

The parking lot many folks have mentioned is just a little ways up the road, near the pass, and is like a scenic view parking area. This is the most plausible parking area for cars making a brief stop. Google Maps You can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in towards the rock formations and see the pole line. I noted this in my observation from having been there not just driving through, but on my hikes. I was able to see the cars with the naked eye from most of the locations in the attached Google Earth snapshot. So again that 360 degree shot that is mentioned as showing cars would be very helpful to see, so we can see where it was taken from. You'd occasionally see a car or two stopped there for a small break and then they'd be off again.

There have also been many weather numbers thrown around over all these pages. If you want the most accurate temps, the weather station at the UC reserve and research center is the most accurate, as it is a scientifically calibrated weather station. Attached are the daily highs for the day they went hiking. It didn't quite reach the triple digits but still hot. Due to it's elevation, it is not so hot as the surrounding valleys. Sweeney Granite Mountains California

And also regarding vegetation and "corners", Robert was not clear about this corner, but from walking there, while the trail looks straight on Google Earth, it actually is meandering enough to loose someone out of sight every 100-150 feet or so. And while the cholla vegetation is only 3-4 feet tall, the creosote and other vegetation can be as high as 6 feet or a bit more at times. So she would have gone out of sight pretty fast after "rounding a corner" so to speak. The 5th wheel would have been visible at most times however, due to it being bright and about 12-14 feet tall would be my guess.

Excellent post that helps us to better understand the environment that BT disappeared from. Thank you very much.

One thing I found interesting was the weather information you posted.

Upper temps in the mid to high 90's coupled with the low humidity that I'm accustomed to in California is not what I call extreme.

Someone could hike quite a ways in that kind of weather. JMO.

 

[RANCH]

Are you asking how he could do that if BT were already missing?

I'm asking how could he do that today.

If you mean at the time he was at the store I don't see why he would do that. JMO

 

[Yvettea]

She must have been if there are pictures of her. How else would she have gotten there?
Imo

This makes perfect sense if the pictures are authentic.