CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #11

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10ofRods said:
VI's sister starts out her entire statement by saying her memory is poor. Just saying.

Not defending any particular view of the timeline.

For me, the fact that LE was out there for 8 solid days (plus some) means they had some evidence that she was there (just as they told our VI).
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The sister's account actually has a lot of good stuff in it-

I copied the original post below:

"hmmm i don’t have the sharpest memory but i’ll try to recount as best as i can - robbie and said he needs to talk to daddy and that barbara’s missing. it was a long story that started at the beginning on friday morning and progressed chronologically throughout the day. the impression robbie gave me was that she was wearing a red cap, a bikini and carrying a travel cup with beer in it. they lost sight of each other for 5-10 minutes before she “vanished” and he went back to their rv to see if she had returned but it was still locked so that meant she hadn’t come back yet (they had put the key under a rock which they both knew the location of). so he went back to check a shaded cave that they had found together earlier thinking she may have been taking a break from the heat but she wasn’t there either. he still wasn’t worried at this point because.. i don’t remember why he said he wasn’t yet worried. maybe because they both knew the area? or this was a regular thing? idk not sure but he continued searching for her on his own. by around noon time it was getting terribly hot so he started getting worried and called 911. police arrived like 2 hours later and searched for her. robbie said throughout the day they had sniff dogs, horses, hundreds of people and even a helicopter (which unfortunately couldn’t use its infrared function because it was too hot out to get any useful readings) and nobody could find any trace of her. searched throughout the night too. nothing. she had just disappeared. robbie admits “it doesn’t make any sense” that she just wandered off and got lost and there’s no evidence.. which is why he suspects she may have been picked up in a car. also because from the spot where she went missing she had to cross a highway in order to get back to where their rv was parked. also apparently she took a 360 picture that morning from on top of a hill and the photo included a parking lot with some vehicles in it so the police are looking into their license plates/info.

robbie said that he just wants barbara back and will press no charges against the person who abducted her so long as they return her. the call was delivered in a measured tone but he broke down a bit at this point, was tough to hear:( ..abc reached out? idk if it was abc but some mainstream news outlet and i definitely heard nancy grace mentioned. robbie’s done some interviews as he wants to get the word out. but he hasn’t seen or read any of the released news and comments. it’s too much

he said he keeps returning to the spot where he lost her and overturning rocks and searching and searching hoping to find something. he was there the day he called us although i think he said he shouldn’t really go back there as protocol says he’s the first suspect. he was even held for 5hrs in a cop car on the first day. it’s been nonstop and nobody is sleeping. robbie said he had held off on calling daddy to tell him the bad news because it was such devastating news and he was hoping she would turn up.. but he couldn’t wait any longer. he also said it’s difficult to call into china and said his calls rarely go through so if we want to ask any questions or talk more we should call him."

I am re-posting my interpretation of it below:

CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #6
 
Seajay said:
Exactly! Her being in that bikini, hiking, in the day, in the desert makes zero sense to me. Most hikers cover up.
Click to expand...

That's not true at all. Summer around here, many (even most) people hike in shorts, t-shirts. I've seen male hikers (obviously casual hikers) without shirts.

Here's an article about a fundraising hike in Montana, note what the first woman in the photo is wearing: Hikers come to Snowbowl to support Montana Brain Injury Alliance
 
Curiousobserver said:
The sister's account actually has a lot of good stuff in it-

I copied the original post below:

"hmmm i don’t have the sharpest memory but i’ll try to recount as best as i can - robbie and said he needs to talk to daddy and that barbara’s missing. it was a long story that started at the beginning on friday morning and progressed chronologically throughout the day. the impression robbie gave me was that she was wearing a red cap, a bikini and carrying a travel cup with beer in it. they lost sight of each other for 5-10 minutes before she “vanished” and he went back to their rv to see if she had returned but it was still locked so that meant she hadn’t come back yet (they had put the key under a rock which they both knew the location of). so he went back to check a shaded cave that they had found together earlier thinking she may have been taking a break from the heat but she wasn’t there either. he still wasn’t worried at this point because.. i don’t remember why he said he wasn’t yet worried. maybe because they both knew the area? or this was a regular thing? idk not sure but he continued searching for her on his own. by around noon time it was getting terribly hot so he started getting worried and called 911. police arrived like 2 hours later and searched for her. robbie said throughout the day they had sniff dogs, horses, hundreds of people and even a helicopter (which unfortunately couldn’t use its infrared function because it was too hot out to get any useful readings) and nobody could find any trace of her. searched throughout the night too. nothing. she had just disappeared. robbie admits “it doesn’t make any sense” that she just wandered off and got lost and there’s no evidence.. which is why he suspects she may have been picked up in a car. also because from the spot where she went missing she had to cross a highway in order to get back to where their rv was parked. also apparently she took a 360 picture that morning from on top of a hill and the photo included a parking lot with some vehicles in it so the police are looking into their license plates/info.

robbie said that he just wants barbara back and will press no charges against the person who abducted her so long as they return her. the call was delivered in a measured tone but he broke down a bit at this point, was tough to hear:( ..abc reached out? idk if it was abc but some mainstream news outlet and i definitely heard nancy grace mentioned. robbie’s done some interviews as he wants to get the word out. but he hasn’t seen or read any of the released news and comments. it’s too much

he said he keeps returning to the spot where he lost her and overturning rocks and searching and searching hoping to find something. he was there the day he called us although i think he said he shouldn’t really go back there as protocol says he’s the first suspect. he was even held for 5hrs in a cop car on the first day. it’s been nonstop and nobody is sleeping. robbie said he had held off on calling daddy to tell him the bad news because it was such devastating news and he was hoping she would turn up.. but he couldn’t wait any longer. he also said it’s difficult to call into china and said his calls rarely go through so if we want to ask any questions or talk more we should call him."

I am re-posting my interpretation of it below:

CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #6
Click to expand...

Couple of things that stick out to me now.

"He was there the day he called us". Was he calling from there literally or had been there and returned home?

He is really stuck on the red hat, black bikini, beer in hand description. I'm not sure I'd worry about a description calling halfway around the globe to inform about a missing family member. But whatever.
 
CSIDreamer said:
The Snowbowl hike obviously wasnt in the middle of the desert.
Click to expand...
True! But I’ve got to agree with PaulR that it’s common to hike/walk in the desert in less clothes not more. I’m sure there are plenty of people who cover up but I hike in NM desert all the time & I wear tanks and shorts. Very light clothes b/c it’s HOT! Especially if it was supposed to be a shortish time out there. I don’t understand so many people not understanding why she would wear so little clothes.
 
PaulR said:
The claim was made that hikers cover up. I produced evidence that the assertion is false. Hikers do routinely walk with bare skin exposed (hopefully with sunscreen.)

But this photo was taken in the (Arizona) desert:
medium.jpg


And this one:
Desert-hike-packing-guide-e1551739058180.jpg


Or this one:
6000_4000_s_4_2-21.jpg


The photo of her that was circulated, even if it wasn't taken the day of the hike, was pretty obviously taken on a hike, and she was wearing the black top (bikini? sports bra?). That is how BT hiked.

Sometimes I get the impression that there is some kind of shaming going on because of the focus on what she was wearing. I don't think that is very victim friendly. MOO.
Click to expand...

My initial point was you can't compare Montana to the Mojave.

Past that, I agree with you. There are actual photos of Barbara wearing a bikini in the desert on other occasions. I am so fair skinned I look like a lab rat. And would never do that. She's obviously tanned and it's obviously her business. She's a big girl. I dunno why other people freak out about it.
 
CSIDreamer said:
My initial point was you can't compare Montana to the Mojave.

Past that, I agree with you. There are actual photos of Barbara wearing a bikini in the desert on other occasions. I am so fair skinned I look like a lab rat. And would never do that. She's obviously tanned and it's obviously her business. She's a big girl. I dunno why other people freak out about it.
Click to expand...
Here are the actual photos-

CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #5
 
JMO
I know the storing of the key near the RV was already discussed and was just thinking about that some more in relation to this case.

I have to say IMO that I would only do that if I knew in advance that one of us would want to come back to the RV before the other person.

If I was hiking with a partner and no matter who owned the RV I can almost guarantee one of us would take the key with us because we were hiking together. If one decided to go back earlier than the other person would just give that person the key to go back.

So I have to assume that there was some kind of planning or forewarning that they would probably separate at some point. I am almost leaning towards them hiking in different directions right from the get go. Like you go check out the place you want to check out and Ill check out my place and we will just meet back here in about an hour or so. Whoever gets back first can get in the RV because key is stashed.

Or maybe some sort of argument happened before they even went on a hike and someone could have said something like "Im going to check it out and leave the key here in case you want to take a small hike yourself".

I have no idea of course but to me it would be strange to leave a key like that unless I already knew we were going to be separated. Why leave it there when you can just give it to the other person if one person decides to go back early.

I know everyone is different but this doesnt make much sense to me. I would be worried about someone finding the key and stealing the RV. The person is with me already so no need to hide any keys if both hike together at the beginning. Its just strange to me and I have to wonder if we are not hearing the whole story from that day.
 
Seajay said:
Exactly! Her being in that bikini, hiking, in the day, in the desert makes zero sense to me. Most hikers cover up. Even if she was headed towards water to cool down, she would have needed to cover up for her hike to get to the water source. The bikini thing bothers me, it’s just not practical on so many levels. IMO
Click to expand...

RT had a gallon of water in his backpack, so she'd have been headed toward him "for water." There was water in the trailer, which is where she was in fact headed. There are no other water sources out there. This wasn't her first time in the desert. She has lived out there for more than 15 years.

Practical is in the eye of the beholder. I don't find it useful to continue to declare Barbara "less than" in terms of her choices.

I totally agree with @PaulR that the constant reiteration of what someone else would do in Barbara's situation and the implication that Barbara is wrong, ill-advised or even the subtle implication that she's unintelligent or reckless is victim shaming or even blaming.

PaulaDC said:
Did the neighbor actually see her or just see the vehicle leave on their video? And I've read confusing comments about who said she was acting normal, I also read that person was the other kennel employee? And the photos are hearsay as no one has seen them? Just looking for clarity on these things.
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It's my understanding that the neighbor's video shows both of them getting into the truck.

But more than that, LE says it has photographic evidence that she was where RT says she was, on the day she went missing.

No county in California is going to conduct an 8+ day search with aerial support unless they have reason to believe the person is out there. Plus, they had RT's phone (and last we heard, he was waiting to get it back). LE knows exactly where RT's phone was that day (and apparently, they stopped in along the route to pick up video).

Photos are never hearsay. We, the public, don't have to see them. Photos are physical evidence, whether they are printed on photo paper or displayed on a screen.
 
CSIDreamer said:
Couple of things that stick out to me now.....
.... He is really stuck on the red hat, black bikini, beer in hand description. I'm not sure I'd worry about a description calling halfway around the globe to inform about a missing family member. But whatever.
Click to expand...
That may have come out in response to questions or responses. It wouldn't have been a monologue.
 
happyday said:
True! But I’ve got to agree with PaulR that it’s common to hike/walk in the desert in less clothes not more. I’m sure there are plenty of people who cover up but I hike in NM desert all the time & I wear tanks and shorts. Very light clothes b/c it’s HOT! Especially if it was supposed to be a shortish time out there. I don’t understand so many people not understanding why she would wear so little clothes.
Click to expand...
Certainly to me as a Brit, "hike" gives a very different impression. It implies a long walk, probably all day. They were not hiking in that sense, just going for a fairly short walk.
 
scadagirl28 said:
Whichever way this goes , I agree the bikini has been a distraction. The alcohol only matters of she drank enough to become dehydrated or intoxicated. I have been wondering why we haven't heard how much alcohol he consumed .
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We haven't heard how much she consumed either, so I don't see the relevance.
He may not have drunk any alcohol. He was driving a large rig which would be tricky to manoeuvre, and the RV was new. I don't see him wanting to risk damaging it. Time enough to enjoy a few beers when safely parked at the day's destination.
 
scadagirl28 said:
Whichever way this goes , I agree the bikini has been a distraction. The alcohol only matters of she drank enough to become dehydrated or intoxicated. I have been wondering why we haven't heard how much alcohol he consumed .
Click to expand...

That would be because LE isn't telling us about their investigation and RT isn't speaking to anyone.

I am in the "key under a rock" is a bad idea camp. So easy for someone to see them do it. Also, very easy to forget which rock. Tons and tons of rocks out there. Presumably they either put the rock near the RV (which would be really obvious, since the dirt lot is cleared of any sizable rock), probably under the trailer (otherwise another car would smash their keys if it pulled into the lot). I can't imagine leaving a $50,000 object so vulnerable out there. But the worst part is exactly what may have happened (Barbara returned and couldn't immediately locate the key, maybe under a rock at the margin of the lot? We just don't know).

If she couldn't find the key and had to use the restroom, IMO, she could have walked up HH road and found a place just off the road (much sparser vegetation on that side, no cholla, but also no trails, possibly out of sight of trailer). We don't know her mental state (I sense that she was over the hike and just wanted to cool off, but RT decided to lag). Perhaps she was a little irritated at that point (and therefore distracted about her new, unplanned route). They did search along HH road, but they didn't have enough time or volunteers (IMO) to do another square mile grid search beyond the parking area. It would be natural to look along the roadside area, but it's also possible that Barbara was disoriented or in the early throes of hyperthermia, and might have decided to look around a little (early heat exhaustion causes euphoria and a bump up in energy).
 
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