AZ - Barbara Thomas, 69, Timeline, Media, Maps, *NO DISCUSSION*

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Search underway for lost hiker in Mojave Desert
2:30pm reported time - black bikini, red hat, boots/socks. No supplies or cellphones - she walked ahead when he stopped to take a picture.
69-year-old Arizona woman missing after hiking in Mojave Desert
They were about 20 miles north of Interstate 40, east of Kelbaker Road.

Thomas was last seen wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap, and tan hiking boots.
The search for 69-year-old Barbara Thomas is continuing In the area of Kelbaker/ Hidden Hills near ... from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle

Barbara Thomas, 69 years old, resident of Bullhead City, Az.
5'9, 130 lbs., Blonde hair, Green eyes
Last seen wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks

UPDATE #2:
The search is moving into the third day for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave desert. Barbara was last seen in the area of Kelbaker / Hidden Hills near the I-40. The search involves numerous Search & Rescue members, deputies, K9’s, Sheriff’s Aviation(helicopter) and Park Rangers.

There have been no sightings of her at this time. The temperatures today hovered around 104 degrees.

Hiker Wearing Bikini Disappears in Southern California's Sweltering Mojave Desert


Bikini-Clad 69-Year-Old Woman Missing After Hiking in Mojave Desert Amid Heatwave

Arizona woman missing in California's Mojave Desert

Woman, 69, missing in Mojave with no supplies or cellphone and wearing only a bikini
Cat L. Smith
First report of shorts

upload_2019-7-16_1-26-9-png.193628



Woman missing from Mojave Desert

Husband thinks she was taken (first report of this that I have found)

Search for woman, 69, missing in Mojave Desert after separated from husband while hiking in bikini | Daily Mail Online
Bikini-clad woman, 69, reported missing after hiking in Mojave Desert in California amid heatwave
Still searching Tuesday


69-year-old bikini-clad woman missing in Mojave Desert – San Bernardino Sun
Woman Goes Missing Without Supplies in Mojave Desert Amid High Temperatures
Thomas’ husband told KTNV that they took their trailer to the desert for the weekend. They were close to the RV when Robert stopped to take a picture.

“By the time I took the picture she was continuing on because she wanted to get to the RV,” he said. “And she rounded the corner and I lost sight of her.”

He suspects something happened when she crossed a highway. “My feeling is that she was picked up because she had to cross a highway. She was wearing a bikini and she had a beer in her hand.”

He said she may be in the Las Vegas area.

Search continues for missing Bullhead City woman
Search for bikini-clad woman in Mojave Desert expands with off-road vehicles

Desert Mines & Mills
July 16
July 16th - The search for Barbara Thomas, age 69, is continuing in the area of Kelbaker/ Hidden ... from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle

Husband of Woman Who Vanished During Mojave Desert Hike: 'I Just Want Her Back'
Husband takes a lie detector test

San Bernardino County Sheriff on Twitter
Volunteers and off-road vehicles join hunt for bikini-clad 69-year-old 'abducted' in Mojave Desert | Daily Mail Online

July 17th - The search for Barbara Thomas, age 69, is continuing in the area of Kelbaker/ Hidden ... from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle

Arizona Woman, 69, Missing for 5 Days in the Mojave Desert After Going Hiking with Husband
Roadside Camping - Mojave National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

Map:
https://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/upload/MOJAmap1.pdf

Cops insist they're examining 'all possibilities' after missing hiker's husband claimed he's suspect | Daily Mail Online


SBCSD Colorado River Station on Twitter
The search for Barbara Thomas, age 69, is continuing in the area of Kelbaker/ Hidden Hills near the I-40 https://local.nixle.com/alert/7417152/
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1:38 PM - 19 Jul 2019

July 18th - The search for Barbara Thomas, age 69, is continuing in the area of Kelbaker/ Hidden ... from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle
UPDATE #7
Friday, July 19th, the search continues this morning for Barbara Thomas. Search and Rescue members are utilizing off road vehicles, K9 units and hikers. The search resumed just after sunrise this morning. The search will include aerial support throughout the day.

There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located on previous days. Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees.

KTLA 2 hours ago.

Search Continues for 69-Year-Old Woman Who Disappeared on Mojave Desert Hike 1 Week Ago

The search continues for 69-year-old hiker Barbara Thomas

Today Saturday
July 20th - The search for Barbara Thomas, age 69, is continuing in the area of Kelbaker/ Hidden ... from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle

News Update!!: Essex, CA: Search for hiker Barbara Thomas continues Saturday as a week goes by since becoming missing.
 
JUL 15, 2019
Woman missing from Mojave Desert
[...]

Barbara and Robert Thomas drove their camper to the area on Friday and then went on a short, two-mile hike

Robert said they were almost back to the trailer when he stopped to take a picture while Barbara continued on. He said that’s the last time he saw her.

He got to the trailer and saw that it was still locked and Barbara was nowhere to be found.

After searching the area and calling for her, he called 911.

[...]

Robert believes she might have been picked up. Their trailer was parked near a road and he thinks someone might have take Barbara while she was crossing the road.

He’s asking people in surrounding areas, including Las Vegas, to be on high alert.

[...]

The couple used to live in Henderson but currently live in Bullhead City, Arizona.
 
JUL 16, 2019
69-year-old bikini-clad woman missing in Mojave Desert – San Bernardino Sun
[...]

The office says Thomas and her husband were hiking in the Hidden Hill area of the Mojave Desert, north of Interstate 40 and east of Kelbaker Road. The husband reportedly said he stopped to take a photo as they were returning to their parked trailer, and she went on ahead. When he got back to the vehicle, she wasn’t there, he said.

[...]

Woman Goes Missing Without Supplies in Mojave Desert Amid High Temperatures
[...]

Thomas’ husband told KTNV that they took their trailer to the desert for the weekend. They were close to the RV when Robert stopped to take a picture.

[...]

“Barbara was last seen in the area of Kelbaker / Hidden Hills near the I-40. The search involves numerous Search & Rescue members, deputies, K9’s, Sheriff’s Aviation(helicopter) and Park Rangers,” the department stated.

[...]

He said she may be in the Las Vegas area.

“If somebody out there has her, which I feel somebody does, please drop her off at a safe place where she can contact us,” he said.
 
JUL 17, 2019
Husband of Woman Who Vanished During Mojave Desert Hike: 'I Just Want Her Back'
[...]

Robert says they had taken a short trip in their camper when they decided to pull up and go for a 2-mile walk to explore rock formations. They took a pack, beer and a gallon of water...

They were on their way back to the camper when Bob said his wife started pulling ahead. He told her he wanted to take a picture of a rock formation and as he put his camera away, he saw her rounding a corner.

"That’s the last I ever saw of her," he said.

When he reached the corner and didn’t see her, he assumed he’d find her sitting outside their camper, he said. But when he got to the vehicle, the door was locked.

"I hollered her name and I waved my arms, and I looked around the area and I saw that she wasn’t anywhere around. She didn't respond. I got really panicky," he said.

[...]

"I feel like someone did pick her up because she was wearing a bikini, she had a beer in her hand and she was ahead of me and she had to cross that road," he said.

Thomas said the police consider him the prime suspect "because it was just the two of us." He went for a polygraph test and authorities told him he was being deceptive, but Thomas said he had not had any sleep when he took the test.

[...]

JUL 18, 2019
Husband of missing bikini-clad hiker says cops view him as prime suspect
[...]

'Yes, I took a polygraph test, they told me I was being deceptive," he said. "I know that polygraphs aren't 100 percent and I hadn't had any sleep."

[...]
 
Last edited:
Video of search dogs

San Bernardino County Sheriff on Twitter
The search for Barbara Thomas, age 69, is continuing in the area of Kelbaker/ Hidden Hills near the I-40
1:12 PM - 17 Jul 2019

JUL 19, 2019
Video: The search continues for 69-year-old hiker Barbara Thomas
At the end of this video, the reporter says, "Investigators say the questions they asked RT are standard for missing person investigations stressing they do not suspect foul play in this case."

JUL 19, 2019
Video: Husband of missing 69-year-old hiker says police consider him a suspect
  • SBCSO says they are not releasing any information about the missing person investigation and interviews with family members.
  • Authorities also say they have no evidence the woman was abducted nor have they found any trace of her.
  • Rescuers resumed the search at daybreak using off-road vehicles, K9 units, hikers, and aerial support.
  • Authorities are unaware of how long RT and BT were separated before she disappeared nor do they know how far she was from the RV at the time.
  • Officials also say that they are unaware of any medical conditions that may have caused BT to become disoriented or lost.
 
Last edited:
JUL 19, 2019
Cops insist they're examining 'all possibilities' after missing hiker's husband claimed he's suspect | Daily Mail Online
Law enforcement in California have insisted they are exploring 'all possibilities' after the husband of the 69-year-old woman who went missing in the Mojave Desert a week ago claimed he was being treated like a 'prime suspect' following a 'deceptive' result in a polygraph test.

[...]

Despite the 72-year-old failing a lie detector test, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department tells DailyMail.com they're focused on finding her using the details he provided about the grandmother's disappearance.

'At this time, our search efforts are directed on locating Mrs. Thomas in the area last witnessed by Mr. Thomas,' San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Public Information Officer, Jodi Miller told DailyMail.com Thursday when asked about his claim he was a 'prime suspect'.

[...]

Miller added to DailyMail.com: 'As with all of missing person cases we examine all possibilities with the desired outcome of locating the missing person.'

[...]

'The personnel searching for Mrs. Thomas reassess their past search efforts each and every day, throughout the day, and plan their target areas to deploy available resources,' Miller added to DailyMail.com.

[...]

Her stepdaughter Tracy, agreed 'it's the only thing that makes sense' after searchers have found no sign of her.

[...]
 
JUL 20, 2019
News Update!!: Essex, CA: Search for hiker Barbara Thomas continues Saturday as a week goes by since becoming missing.
[...]

Eighty (80) Search and Rescue members from throughout the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department were deployed into the field this morning just after sunrise. Off-road vehicles, K9 units, certified in cave searches, rope climbing and desert terrain ground hikers are being utilized today. Aviation will be assisting throughout the search operation.

There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located on previous days.

[...]
 
RT's Interviews

At the 1:13 mark - 1st interview
"My feeling is that she was picked up. Because she had to cross the highway. She was wearing a bikini and she had a beer in her hand."


At the 1:12 mark - 2nd interview
"I feel that, uh, somebody picked her up, uh, because she was wearing a bikini, she had a beer in her hand, and she was ahead of me and she had to cross that road."

 
July 21st - The search for Barbara Thomas, age 69, is continuing in the area of Kelbaker/ Hidden ... from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle

UPDATE #9
Sunday, July 21st, the search continued today for Barbara Thomas.
Search and Rescue members from throughout the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department were deployed into the field this morning just after sunrise. K9 units, members certified in cave searches, rope climbing and desert terrain ground searchers were utilized today.

The search has been suspended for the day due to extreme temperatures. No evidence of Barbara was located today.
 
Day 8 search for missing 69 year old Barbara Thomas, Saturday, July 20. Dozens of Search & Rescue volunteers from San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department continued the search today. Search K9s, Helicopter, side-by-side OHV and ground teams scoured the desert in the Mojave
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12:15 AM - 21 Jul 2019
 
We don’t know exactly where they parked when Barbara disappeared, but it appears to be within this one mile stretch of Kelbaker Rd: Google Maps

Coordinates:
Kelbaker and Hidden Hill Rd 34.7935010, -115.6097090
Granite Pass marker 34.8121536, -115.6096388
 
JUL 22, 2019
California police say missing hiker who vanished 'in her bikini' was NOT abducted | Daily Mail Online
[...]

'We don't think she was abducted. It's a very remote area. There's no evidence to suggest she was abducted,' spokeswoman Jodi Miller told DailyMail.com.

The notion that Barbara may have been abducted became public after a different hiker, Shirley Powell, who was missing for days in a different national park 300 miles away, was rescued. After being found, she described being chased by a knife-wielding man.

But sheriffs say it is unlikely the same man she described has gone after Barbara.

'When that information started coming out about [the other woman], that's what created the speculation [that Barbara had been abducted] but our investigation does not indicate any signs that she was abducted,' Miller said.

[...]
 
SBCSD Colorado River Station on Twitter
July 22nd - The investigation continues into the whereabouts of missing person Barbara Thomas http://nixle.us/B74XA
8:41 PM - 22 Jul 2019

July 22nd - The investigation continues into the whereabouts of missing person Barbara Thomas from SBSD - Colorado River Sheriffs Department : Nixle
UPDATE - Monday, July 22, 2019

The ongoing daily searches for Barbara Thomas in the Mohave National Preserve have been suspended. Additional searches will be conducted as any additional information is developed in the investigation.

Detectives from the Specialized Investigations Division have assumed the investigation as is standard department policy when a missing person has not been located.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Nicholas Clark, Specialized Investigations Division (909) 387-3589. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to contact the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or www.wetip.com.
 
JUL 22, 2019
Crews Suspend Daily Searches for 69-Year-Old Woman Who Vanished on Mojave Desert Hike
[...]

Although rescue crews have ceased daily searches, additional operations will be conducted when new information is learned in the investigation, authorities said.

On Sunday, rescuers ended their daily search early because of “extreme temperatures,” the Sheriff’s Department said.

No evidence of Barbara was located Sunday.

Rescuers have been using off-road vehicles, K-9 and aerial units and hikers to comb through the desert area, with temperatures routinely in the triple digits.

[...]

The investigation into her whereabouts is ongoing.

[...]
 
JUL 23, 2019
Daily searches suspended for bikini-clad woman who vanished in Mojave Desert | Fox News
  • On Monday, the sheriff's office said the ongoing daily searches in the Mohave National Preserve have been suspended.
  • "Additional searches will be conducted as any additional information is developed in the investigation," the sheriff's office said.
  • "Detectives from the Specialized Investigations Division have assumed the investigation as is standard department policy when a missing person has not been located."
  • "There has been no evidence of Barbara Thomas located on previous days," the sheriff's office said.
 
JUL 23, 2019
Desert hiker still missing
[...]

Additional searches for Thomas will be conducted as additional information develops in the investigation, the Sheriff’s office said.

[...]

The search has included the Sheriff’s search and rescue team, deputies, K9′s, the Sheriff’s Aviation helicopter, fire personnel and park rangers from the Mojave National Preserve, the Sheriff’s Department said.

[...]
 
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