CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #3

[Tillicum]

Question:

Does Barb have her own vehicle, or do she and RT share one?

I've been wondering the same. If foul play was involved, another vehicle could've been used to transport. I can't see them using the truck for every day errands so they probably have something else they drive.

I'm still on the fence about RT but the longer this goes on I'm leaning toward foul play.

 

[BlkMtnGirl]

So how about this answer:

“I don’t know what happened to her.” Or “I’ve thought about every possibility that I can come up with, but just don’t know.”

As for him DEFIANTLY saying right into the camera, “absolutely not!” How about “oh no, I’m scared for her.”
Or “I’m so worried about her.” Or “I just want to find her.”
Something is off.

Yes, his best answer would have been simply "I don't know." The interview appears to be done via Skype or something similar. It was edited so that we don't know what questions he was asked. He may have been asked something like: "since she hasn't been found anywhere in the area, what do you think happened?" We don't know because of the way it was edited.

Respectfully, I can't imagine myself saying anything else but "absolutely not" in a commanding voice directly into the camera if somebody off-camera asked me if I had anything to do with her disappearance.

For the record, I'm still on the fence whether he had anything to do with Barbara's disappearance. I'm just like most people here in thinking that the husband and the last person to see someone is the usual suspect. I also think it's possible that an accident with a coverup happened, and that may be the "something's amiss" feeling most of us are getting.

I agree that there are a lot of little oddities about this case, but I'm not willing to turn that into a condemnation of Robert just because circumstances are odd.

 

[AliceInPain]

nm...

 

[LAhiker]

So, they loaded up the camper from home in Henderson, right? There must be neighborhood cctv, traffic cams, store, home security, that would catch them or neighbors noticing them leaving.
They had one cell phone which would be pinging and leaving cloud data along the route. Unless, the phone went dark for a long period of time between leaving home and springing back to life again when he took photographs called 911. I don't know that this is what happened, but it would be suspicious if it did. Imo.

While I agree that security cameras and cell phones probably tracked their trip that day, news reports such as this one confirm that though they previously lived in Henderson, NV, Barbara and Robert currently live in Bullhead City, Az.

Man says police think he is a suspect in wife's disappearance

 

[debbiegarcia36]

Does anyone else get a strange feeling when RT is asked by Inside Edition if he did anything to his wife and he looked straight at the camera with cold, angry eyes (IMO) and said “Absolutely not.”? For some reason, it gave me the creeps. That kind of denial never seems truthful to me. Again, just my own feelings and I DON’T want to think he did anything to Barbara.

There is something about his body language that bothers me. Bizarre to go missing in a matter of minutes.

 

[Liwthe]

BBM:

Sure, there's a reason.

RT's told us why he thinks "somebody took her."

Because she was wearing a bikini, and she had a beer in her hand.

And also because there was no sight of her in a short space of time with the nearby RV and it was the explanation that seemed to make sense to him.

So much has been written on how people can’t be judged accurately on their demeanor when grieving. It can be taken into account with other things, but it isn’t in and of itself (besides the extremely obvious cases where behavior and activities are supportive of guilt) proof of anything.

ETA: We all think we are good at seeing when someone is being dishonest. But all studies have proven that regular people and law enforcement alike have a 52 percent chance of being correct, little better than chance.

I’m not saying anything about this odd case, but more information is needed than how he appears or behaves.

 

[artsy1]

Also, how could a person even enjoy a recreational camping trip knowing a family member was very ill?

Again, this is just a very strange case. Doesn’t add up.

MOO maybe it was her way of distressing prior to what apparently would be a very emotional trip.

ETA
De-stressing.

 

[debbiegarcia36]

Maybe anyone who misses loved ones says it but his words remind me a lot of CW's statement: "If someone has them" and "I want them back". JMO

Yes, sounds rehearsed. Cookie cutter style.

 

[MuddyTires]

A general thought not at all specific to this case or intended to mean anything with respect to my thoughts as to whether RT is, is not, might be or might not be involved in Ms. Thomas's disappearance, but it sometimes seems like a spouse or really close relative of a missing person would have to thread an impossibly narrow needle with respect to speaking about the case to avoid having people run with whatever they said or didn't say as showing involvement in the disappearance.

Speaking out - trying to convince people he/she innocent or to throw people off.
Not speaking out - doesn't care, has something to hide.

Eloquent - the person rehearsed a story to try to avoid arrest/conviction.
Lacking eloquence - the person is nervous and hiding something because he/she is guilty.

Emotional - faking it to hide guilt.
Limited emotion - the person doesn't care about the missing person so must have done something to her/him.

Certainly no sympathy for those who actually did something to the person who is missing. But for those that didn't, to have to deal with that on top of the suffering they're already going for--has to be absolutely awful.

 

[artsy1]

MOO

Personally, I think too much energy is spent picking on his saying EVER seen her again. Some people really do talk that way.

When I talk about friends from high school, I have a tendency to say I never ever saw them again. Doesn't mean I'm a serial killer who bumped off her old classmates.

Just saying....

ETA.

 

[kkdj]

dbm

 

[debbiegarcia36]

From scanning through this case it appears the only person saying she went ahead of him and then disappeared was her husband. Therefore anything really could have happened to her. Not accusing him but the story doesn’t seem plausible.

Im beginning to think she disappeared elsewhere. I wonder if there are any witnesses that saw the couple together that day.

 

[xoxogossipgirl]

OK.

Dumb question, the San Bernardino call logs say "dispatch call logs" not "911 call logs." Does this mean that these are only logs of times when officers are dispatched?

Not a dumb question, but the person on the other side is a dispatch operator, so I would think it is the log of the time the dispatch received the phone call.

 

[debbiegarcia36]

And also because there was no sight of her in a short space of time with the nearby RV and it was the explanation that seemed to make sense to him.

So much has been written on how people can’t be judged accurately on their demeanor when grieving. It can be taken into account with other things, but it isn’t in and of itself (besides the extremely obvious cases where behavior and activities are supportive of guilt) proof of anything.

ETA: We all think we are good at seeing when someone is being dishonest. But all studies have proven that regular people and law enforcement alike have a 52 percent chance of being correct, little better than chance.

I’m not saying anything about this odd case, but more information is needed than how he appears or behaves.

Yes of course, but many of us are playing arm chair detectives, looking for clues. Thats how an investigation begins, with small clues or oddities. We may change direction as more information becomes available.

Statistics show that a husband is usually the first "person of interest". As that person is eliminated the circle of possible persons widens. I dont think web-sleuthers are passing judgment but are picking up on oddities .

 

[TCDaddy1]

Can we 100% confirm she was in the desert with him? I assume that photo is from a phone, which would have an accurate time stamp? Just getting Deorr Kunz vibes here. I hope and pray she is brought home safely.

 

[MassGuy]

Can we 100% confirm she was in the desert with him? I assume that photo is from a phone, which would have an accurate time stamp? Just getting Deorr Kunz vibes here. I hope and pray she is brought home safely.

We can’t, although law enforcement might have a clear picture.

We haven’t heard about any independent sightings, or received any confirmation from law enforcement that she was actually there.

 

[PommyMommy]

Can we 100% confirm she was in the desert with him? I assume that photo is from a phone, which would have an accurate time stamp? Just getting Deorr Kunz vibes here. I hope and pray she is brought home safely.

No. I'm assuming by "that photo," you mean the one of her in the bikini top, sunglasses, and red hat? If so, dbdb11, our VI shared his opinion about it in the post below.

SAR teams found no evidence of Barbara in the desert. MOO

EDIT: answers in bold in quote

-Did Barbara in fact take a 360 photo? With what, her phone? His phone? A camera? iPad?
Don't know conclusively. My information says Barb has no phone.

-Did they stop anywhere before the spot where she went missing?
I was informed they'd been here many times by Rob's family, then I was told it was their first time here, by Robbie. All accounts from Robbie, first and second hand, cite a nearby cave which Robbie 'returned' to, to look for Barb after not finding her at camper.

-Was the photo of her in news stories taken the same day she went missing?
MOO The photo of her in bikini with hat and glasses was not taken the day of her disappearance, but is the closest photo Rob could get hold of that looked how she looked the day she went missing. As I mentioned this fits with what I know of her 'stroll through desert' style as well. Photos from the day are likely still in law enforcements hands, assuming he had an actual camera on him, and was not just snapping photos with his cellphone.

-Did they always get along?
In my experience no one always gets along. They're both very human, had arguments and were able to get through them. My father and his wife refer to their arguments as comical and a notable part of their relationship. ie. It was entertaining watching them stubbornly bicker over something.

-Any financial struggles or recent life changes?
I also would like to know this.

 

[Bellecent]

Im beginning to think she disappeared elsewhere. I wonder if there are any witnesses that saw the couple together that day.

Agree she went missing somewhere else.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I speculate this disappearance will be solved by street/biz cam footage that will be reviewed after the last known contact with BT. I believe this will lead LE to her.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[kkdj]

Yes of course, but many of us are playing arm chair detectives, looking for clues. Thats how an investigation begins, with small clues or oddities. We may change direction as more information becomes available.

Statistics show that a husband is usually the first "person of interest". As that person is eliminated the circle of possible persons widens. I dont think web-sleuthers are passing judgment but are picking up on oddities .

BBM
And there is that "deceptive" reading of that lie detector test in the beginning.