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

[deugirtni]

Maybe she avoided the cactus.

So you think maybe she got disoriented but was still lucid enough to avoid the cactus?

 

[RANCH]

So you think maybe she got disoriented but was still lucid enough to avoid the cactus?

That's possible to me.

Losing your sense of direction is different than seeing obstacles that are right in front of you. JMO.

 

[deugirtni]

That's possible to me.

Losing your sense of direction is different than seeing obstacles that are right in front of you. JMO.

To me, if one is lucid enough to recognize danger in the form of cactus in front of you, then one should also be lucid enough to know those are not on the path and one's bearings are lost and it's time to call out to your significant other who is just around the corner. moo.

 

[cazador]

Do not forget she has a telephone pole road running right through the middle of this area between where RT is located and their 5th wheel camper.. Hard to get lost ... Anyway you go you hit something that gives a person Bering on where you are ..

 

[RANCH]

Do not forget she has a telephone pole road running right through the middle of this area between where RT is located and their 5th wheel camper.. Hard to get lost ... Anyway you go you hit something that gives a person Bering on where you are ..

As long as you are not disoriented and use the telephone lines to go in the wrong direction.

Being disorientated could cause you to lose your bearings. JMO

 

[Moonracer]

Has a search been done in both directions along the telephone poles, does anyone know?

 

[Kittybunny]

Imho, one cannot compare the case of Paul Miller to that of BT.

PM set out deliberately for the purpose of a deliberate desert hike, all on his own. There was nobody with him who could say for sure where he was at any given point in time. It is only known for sure where his vehicle was parked. He was there for specific reasons of his own, and we have no idea what might have prompted him to venture off to wherever he did before he succumbed for whatever reasons he did.

On the other hand, it was an impromptu short stop to see rock formations which prompted BT to be out in the desert. BT was not going for a hike, nor was she prepared for hiking, based on her reported attire and her stated supplies (none, other than beer in hand). She had someone right there with her who knew exactly where she was at the moment she disappeared, and what time it was, and where she was headed to, and the location of her destination, how close it was and how evident its path was, from where she disappeared. Because her travel-mate was aware of all of this, he also contacted police much sooner than likely would have been the case with someone in a position such as Paul Miller's.

There also seems to have been people who believe they saw PM on the trails on the day he went missing, but meanwhile, there have been no sightings of BT reported since she left her own home that morning.

So while it is wonderful news that PM's body was located, even though there was nobody with him to say where exactly he was on that day, BT's body remains hidden even though we know exactly where she was. To me, these are completely different circumstances.

Thank you for writing all this so eloquently and saving me the trouble of doing it, haha.

Because Paul Miller's case kept being cited here as an example of someone who hadn't been found, and then he was, I made a point of reading all the posts in his thread. I looked at the pictures and maps of the terrain that were involved, and will also add to your excellent summary above of why these cases aren't really comparable - IMO the landscape seems very different. Much more elevation, etc. While yes, it's possible that she wandered off from her intended giant shining metal target pretty much right in front of her and into a totally obscured area not searched, it still seems highly unlikely.

And I'm never one who doesn't think bodies can be missed because I know the challenges of it. I just find the circumstances in THIS case rather unbelievable, sorry.

 

[Seattle1]

I was alone.. One man searching..
For all the area I did walk over 2 days, she is not where I was. I am positive of that. My visual was good and I searched every crevasse I could find and flat land too. But it is a "Big Area" and if she walked beyond my search area then there she is. Waiting to be found.

Thank you for your valiant efforts to search for this lovely woman that never made it to safe shelter on July 12, 2019 after completing a short, 2 mile afternoon hike with her husband. Sharing your efforts with us is much appreciated.

I'm saddened and perplexed that BT did not arrive at her trailer given the albeit limited eye witness account from her husband.

Respectfully, I don't know what more we can learn from RT during an interview here so many months later.

When his mind was fresh, he told authorities/us that he believed BT walked ahead of him while he stopped and took a photo. He said he saw her round a corner on the trail heading towards their trailer and believes that somebody probably picked her up when she crossed the road to the camper trailer because she was wearing a bikini.

RT also told Inside Edition that he was deemed deceptive after taking a polygraph test. Under these circumstances, any worthy attorney would advise him to remain silent and I'm not interested in small talk about BT's favorite beer or love notes he's holding on to.

MOO

 

[cazador]

Has a search been done in both directions along the telephone poles, does anyone know?

I walked it one direction to the vehicle pull out viewing area and approx 1/4 mile the other direction.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Thank you for your valiant efforts to search for this lovely woman that never made it to safe shelter on July 12, 2019 after completing a short, 2 mile afternoon hike with her husband. Sharing your efforts with us is much appreciated.

I'm saddened and perplexed that BT did not arrive at her trailer given the albeit limited eye witness account from her husband.

Respectfully, I don't know what more we can learn from RT during an interview here so many months later.

When his mind was fresh, he told authorities/us that he believed BT walked ahead of him while he stopped and took a photo. He said he saw her round a corner on the trail heading towards their trailer and believes that somebody probably picked her up when she crossed the road to the camper trailer because she was wearing a bikini.

RT also told Inside Edition that he was deemed deceptive after taking a polygraph test. Under these circumstances, any worthy attorney would advise him to remain silent and I'm not interested in small talk about BT's favorite beer or love notes he's holding on to.

MOO

At this point, I'm interested in anyone getting him to talk again. JMO. Sometimes chit chat leads to deeper things.

 

[Kapua]

bbm
Agreed.
And we don't know if she had a beer.
There have been discussions about dehydration and possible disorientation but if she was there and hiking for 2+ hours --she'd have water and maybe not wearing that bikini at all.
As a person who enjoyed the outdoors based on photos of her; she'd have known how to hike safely and be adequately attired.
None of this makes any sense.
MOO

We also don't know if she actually took a walk of any length at the location we have been discussing. MOO

 

[rosesfromangels]

I still think searches have missed Barb; it's easy to do outdoors. So very difficult to "see" remains. I speculate Barb was walking and feeling just fine until suddenly...she wasn't. I'm guessing she tucked herself up under something for relief from the sun, but it was too late. Thank you to Cazador and our other searchers. I know she will eventually be found out there.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[10ofRods]

So you think maybe she got disoriented but was still lucid enough to avoid the cactus?

Oh yes, I do think this is quite possible. I have personal experience in which I reached the fainting point due to heat, but was relatively cogent (I thought so anyway) and was actually driving a car on the interstate. I did not pass out while driving, thankfully, but I could have. And people do. Death Valley has issues with this every year (and some of the single vehicle crashes in DV have this as their best explanation - especially when it's a motorcycle because no A/C). I've told the story before, but my daughter passed out from heat in Bullhead City about 2 months before Barbara disappeared. She's 30, healthy, and positively wasn't listening to my advice about the difference between hydration and heat. Fortunately, her husband figured out she needed cooling.

The man who died in Zuma Canyon a few months ago was still hiking downhill, managing to avoid hazards, when he collapsed on the trail. I have also had the experience of collapsing on a trail and was lucky not to have it happen where there was exposure. So it happens. The man in Zuma (near the Pacific Ocean, but during a 9o° heat wave) had no prior health problems, and aside from being part of a group that knew they had all over-exerted themselves (3 people collapsed within minutes of each other), they had no warning they were about to keel over.

 

[Tripod]

I hope dbdb and family are doing ok. I worry about them. I continue to worry about Barbara, but mostly about her disappearance being solved because she's most likely not with us anymore Try as I might, I honestly can't come up with anything new or any new angle to discuss here- not without an update from LE or family.
That's my long-winded "bump for Barb" for today. Like y'all, I pray this new year will bring direction and answers.

 

[bradfordsleuth]

I hope that 2020 brings answers as to what happened to Barb.

I do think that if she got disoriented and wandered off trail dressed in a bikini, she didn't make it too far.

I remember I could barely walk 15 minutes while in Las Vegas in that heat without a having a cold drink! (My closest personal comparison in terms of climate - not terrain.)

They need to get a drone and search between rocks. If one gets lost....standing on an elevated platform (or rock) to look at the landscape helps with a visual perspective on where you are. Barb possibly being dehydrated and perhaps a wee bit buzzed (drinking beer in the sun) may have caused her to get dizzy and slip even after a short climb.

I sure wish that Texas EquuSearch would have a go at this.

JMO and thoughts

ETA a thought

 

[cazador]

I hope that 2020 brings answers as to what happened to Barb.

I do think that if she got disoriented and wandered off trail dressed in a bikini, she didn't make it too far.

I remember I could barely walk 15 minutes while in Las Vegas in that heat without a having a cold drink! (My closest personal comparison in terms of climate - not terrain.)

They need to get a drone and search between rocks. If one gets lost....standing on an elevated platform (or rock) to look at the landscape helps with a visual perspective on where you are. Barb possibly being dehydrated and perhaps a wee bit buzzed (drinking beer in the sun) may have caused her to get dizzy and slip even after a short climb.

I sure wish that Texas EquuSearch would have a go at this.

JMO and thoughts

ETA a thought

I like Tim ..
He is a good man with the right attitude.. His own horrific experience gives him a driving force to find the missing. To bring an answer to families .. Now they know.
It still haunts him..

 

[Roselvr]

I question if she was even there.... She would have been found IMO

 

[Seajay]

It just keeps looking like it’s impossible for things to have gone down with Barbara the way her husband said it did or she would have been found by now. And anyone who believes she got into a car or was abducted and whisked away to Vegas, raise your hand. IMO

 

[MimosaMornings]

I like Tim ..
He is a good man with the right attitude.. His own horrific experience gives him a driving force to find the missing. To bring an answer to families .. Now they know.
It still haunts him..

I’ve met him. Thanked him for all that he has done for the missing and their families. He shook my hand, smiled and introduced his wife. I went away thinking his smile never reached his eyes. The depth of sadness was still there. I don’t know if I could be that strong after everything he has been through.

 

[Knox]

Thank you for your valiant efforts to search for this lovely woman that never made it to safe shelter on July 12, 2019 after completing a short, 2 mile afternoon hike with her husband. Sharing your efforts with us is much appreciated.

I'm saddened and perplexed that BT did not arrive at her trailer given the albeit limited eye witness account from her husband.

Respectfully, I don't know what more we can learn from RT during an interview here so many months later.

When his mind was fresh, he told authorities/us that he believed BT walked ahead of him while he stopped and took a photo. He said he saw her round a corner on the trail heading towards their trailer and believes that somebody probably picked her up when she crossed the road to the camper trailer because she was wearing a bikini.

RT also told Inside Edition that he was deemed deceptive after taking a polygraph test. Under these circumstances, any worthy attorney would advise him to remain silent and I'm not interested in small talk about BT's favorite beer or love notes he's holding on to.

MOO

You forgot to mention RT said "he believes she may have been taken to Las Vegas" ... maybe we should accept what he told us?
Family suspects foul play in disappearance of Bullhead City woman