CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #10

[Stripehaven]

SBM
And we don't know whether the police looked inside the RV. I don't want to start another protracted discussion about warrants, but this would be routine in the UK. Check the missing person's home (or current environment) to make sure they weren't out of sight somewhere and had been missed. It happens.

Right. I can imagine LE saying, “Mind if we look in the RV for any sign that she stopped in?” and I also imagine most of us would agree in that situation.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

I agree about the beer. It just doesn’t fit. I keep going back to it in my mind and find it off. Can’t explain! IMO.

 

[Cherwell]

Yeah, the thing with the beer has nagged at me for a few reasons. I like my beer but I don’t know that I would pop a cold one at 10:00 am or whenever they supposedly started their walk. And I know if I drank that early, in the heat, I’d get a headache. So I’ve been wondering about their typical drinking habits (assuming RT’s story is accurate) and if he himself had also imbibed and to what level. I wonder if drinking played a big part in their lives and if so, how “fit” were they really to handle challenging outdoor activities.

Yes, that would be useful to know, for context. Although I can't see him drinking alcohol before they'd parked up for the day. That's a big rig to manoeuvre, and it was new, so I doubt he'd want to take any chances of damaging it.

 

[LietKynes]

I've posted everything I can think of.
Repeated some of the same questions in past threads.
Wish I could go out there and have a look around ; starting with areas that haven't been searched.
Maybe it would end up with zilch.
But I want to walk around and maybe look into any mines or rocks/nooks/crannies.

There are no answers forthcoming to most of the questions ... so frustrating.
I'll continue to read for updates.
Hoping for 'new' news ; and that Barbara's family knows that we care.

 

[LietKynes]

I retain an open mind.
I do feel it's probable that there is more behind what Robert said publicly about the circumstances of their walk. I think it's entirely possible that they had an argument - perhaps nothing serious - and Barbara stomped off by herself. Or something like that. We've been told that they are prone to bickering. So I don't put too much store in details of distance, direction, timing etc. He's probably been more candid with the authorities, but initially he might have felt responsible and ashamed, and reluctant to admit that.


For accuracy, I would change all your "No one said"s to "No one told the public".

And we don't know whether the police looked inside the RV. I don't want to start another protracted discussion about warrants, but this would be routine in the UK. Check the missing person's home (or current environment) to make sure they weren't out of sight somewhere and had been missed. It happens.

BBM
I'm agreeing with your post.^^^
Esp. the possible argument ; raises some more questions.
I still find it hard to believe she hasn't been found by now, if that's the case.

But, someone in a past thread for Barbara also said that sometimes a deceased person might be hard to find after a long time, due to the body/bones 'blending' into the background ?
Graphic warning :


There was a sad case of a missing person found on Youtube , I think it was an explorer of derelict buildings, and the people out (deer?) hunting found him -- but nearly missed him as they'd walked right by at first ?
Nearly a year later. Iirc.
There was a portion of video shown that was part of the deceased man's pant leg and bone that blended into the leaves.
No foul play was expected, just that he'd succumbed to the cold and elements.

 

[cazador]

All I have is her husbands own words in some odd and interesting TV interviews, her sons own words on social media that make you consider what RT has been up to and Matthews toned down TV interview. Her nephews own words. Actions on the part of RT and Matthew to find BT are missing from public for whatever reason. LE puts the case to investigations and here we sit..

Matthews accusation and RT abduction theory line up. IF true.. That would mean RT and BT were at the location for a reason. Not a rock hunt. IF it were true I would think LE would have already detained RT and ripped his life down.

 

[PommyMommy]

All I have is her husbands own words in some odd and interesting TV interviews, her sons own words on social media that make you consider what RT has been up to and Matthews toned down TV interview. Her nephews own words. Actions on the part of RT and Matthew to find BT are missing from public for whatever reason. LE puts the case to investigations and here we sit..

...unable to examine all possibilities. MOO

 

[cazador]

I have never understood Matthew.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

I can't think of another recent missing persons case "in the media" (sadly there are thousands of missing people whose cases never get any media coverage) and followed and discussed here on WS, where after a thorough search of the area the person was said to have "gone missing" by their spouse, and 9 weeks of LE investigation, there are:

From LE
No updates, no press conferences, no public outreach/requests for tips, leads, video footage on possible sightings before or after the disappearance (just a standard bulletin with phone number of detective for people to call if they have any information)

From Spouse, Local Family, Friends of the MP
No pleas to the public for information (aside from 2 MSM interviews by the spouse the first week), no enlisting of MP resources/family/friends volunteers to "get the word out" with MP flyers, call centers, vigils, social media websites (e.g., "Find *advertiser censored*") maintained

From Nonlocal Family of the MP
MP Flyers with a statement and requests to the public for information from family living overseas, MSM news item from family member's local TV station in midwest US

What is so different about Barbara's disappearance (other than she supposedly went missing over 100 miles from home in remote terrain across a state border) that none of the usual mechanisms are being used by LE to find her?

There are plenty of people who are willing to assist in doing legwork to find her, and some so frustrated that they're considering doing volunteer searches for her out in the desert on their own.

It would really be helpful for LE to give some kind of update as to why they don't think additional searches (by their SAR or volunteers) are needed at this time.

ETA: Why have no friends or RT family spokesperson stepped up to speak about Barbara?

MQ (my quandry) and MOO

 

[CSIDreamer]

I can't think of another recent missing persons case "in the media" (sadly there are thousands of missing people whose cases never get any media coverage) and followed and discussed here on WS, where after a thorough search of the area the person was said to have "gone missing" by their spouse, and 9 weeks of LE investigation, there are:

From LE
No updates, no press conferences, no public outreach/requests for tips, leads, video footage on possible sightings before or after the disappearance (just a standard bulletin with phone number of detective for people to call if they have any information)

From Spouse, Local Family, Friends of the MP
No pleas to the public for information (aside from 2 MSM interviews by the spouse the first week), no enlisting of MP resources/family/friends volunteers to "get the word out" with MP flyers, call centers, vigils, social media websites (e.g., "Find *advertiser censored*") maintained

From Nonlocal Family of the MP
MP Flyers with a statement and requests to the public for information from family living overseas, MSM news item from family member's local TV station in midwest US

What is so different about Barbara's disappearance (other than she supposedly went missing over 100 miles from home in remote terrain across a state border) that none of the usual mechanisms are being used by LE to find her?

There are plenty of people who are willing to assist in doing legwork to find her, and some so frustrated that they're considering doing volunteer searches for her out in the desert on their own.

It would really be helpful for LE to give some kind of update as to why they don't think additional searches (by their SAR or volunteers) are needed at this time.

ETA: Why have no friends or RT family spokesperson stepped up to speak about Barbara?

MQ (my quandry) and MOO

Excellent post!

 

[kay74]

I have never understood Matthew.

I do! He and RT are at odds. Could be RT looked at him as a rival?

 

[cazador]

I do! He and RT are at odds. Could be RT looked at him as a rival?

Even more reason .. It was a matter of timing. He ain’t no little boy. He is a big strong man. This is his mom. He alone has special God given Rights that even LE might turn their head if it were performed properly..

 

[Handsome Sailor]

Is there a love interest involved?

 

[al66pine]

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, How Many Bottles of Beer? A Single Bottle?

Along the same lines, when was the beer purchased? How many were accounted for? Where were the empties? How many did each person drink?

@PajamaSleuth Thanks for your post.
Like some others here, I've wondered about those Q's and whether we could arrive at valid answers by knowing ---
1. on departing home, how many beers were in 5th wheel (fridge) & pickup (cooler) & 'loose'/not cold.
2. on the road, whether some/more was purchased (gas stn/C-store/truck stop?) and if so, how much.
3. if present, does 6 pack/12 pack/20/24 pack cardboard wrapper/box show how many initially? Or after on-the-road purchases? Or after their walk?
4. whether there were empties in truck, 5th wheel, around parked vehicles.
5. if empties, how many, if any, RT drank. Before walk. During walk. After walk, while 'looking' for BT.
6 if empties, how many, if any, BT drank. Before walk. During walk. After walk, if either (1) she actually carried some beers thru entire walk or she was given some beers by RT before their separation or (2) if she was able to open truck or 5'er (found hidden key & replaced it?) to get (more) beers.

Accurate answers for ^ depend on RT's veracity.* Taking RT's stmts as gospel truth or at least face value, there are many possibilities, many wobbly conjectures.

Let's say, as a fact (hypothetical only, not from RT), a 24 pack/'suitcase' wrapper/box w only 3 beers in the cardboard/plastic, was left in 5'er fridge or galley, what happened to the other 21 beers?
--- did RT and/or BT drink the (now hypo-) 'missing' 21 beers at home & pack only 3 beers for their trip?
--- were the (now hypo-) 'missing' 21 beers in truck or 5'er before departure?
--- were the (now hypo-) 'missing' beers initially in the truck leaving home and then drunk along the way, w the bottles/cans put into trash cans or shoulder or thrown out onto the road? (okay, very unlikely)
--- were the (now hypo-) 'missing' 21 beers drunk at parking spot, before walk? Or during? Or after? Or before, during, and after?
^ Extreme example. Very extreme.

RT said she had a beer in her hand.
What, what if, there was no beer? Maybe no beer at home, not in truck or 5'er, not before, during, or after walk? Does anyone know for sure as a fact that there was so much as a single bottle/can?
Is there a shred, a trace, a scintilla of truth on that point? Is there any evidence other than RT's stmt(s)?
What if there was no beer? Does it make a difference re disappearance. Is it a red herring?

Trying to solve BT's disappearance, we sleuthers, her fam, & LE depend in part on accuracy of RT's stmts. Although LE has faaaaaaar more info from RT than we sleuthers do, we can slice and dice his smts, other info, and the inferences in maaaaaany different ways, and still come up w little or nothing concrete and coherent. Nearly every aspect of the case is like ^ ---waaay more questions than answers.
jmo.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Except for #2, possibly (beer bought on road, if surv cam vid shows) and #4, empties in truck or 5'er (when AFAWK LE did not enter truck or 5'er, so prob'ly still dependent on RT).

 

[k-mac]

Yeah, the thing with the beer has nagged at me for a few reasons. I like my beer but I don’t know that I would pop a cold one at 10:00 am or whenever they supposedly started their walk. And I know if I drank that early, in the heat, I’d get a headache. So I’ve been wondering about their typical drinking habits (assuming RT’s story is accurate) and if he himself had also imbibed and to what level. I wonder if drinking played a big part in their lives and if so, how “fit” were they really to handle challenging outdoor activities.

me too

it is an interesting part of the narrative.
because alcohol is so subjective to our personal bias.

myself not much of a drinker but know plenty there of,
would pass judgement to a person heading out into the heat with a beer in hand. any person doing this imo has a perceived drinking problem.
yet......going for a walk in the heat and returning to your RV for a nice cold beer AFTERWARDS a very regular normal activity.

the necessity to mention it I don't think flattering to barb. and that is a problem with the narrative for me.
moo​

 

[k-mac]

Is there a love interest involved?

thought provoking question but I don't think so.
the trip to hong kong coming up in a few days shows more mind set maybe towards fear of abandonment maybe?

moo

 

[bronbaby]

Follow the money

 

[LietKynes]

me too

it is an interesting part of the narrative.
because alcohol is so subjective to our personal bias.

myself not much of a drinker but know plenty there of,
would pass judgement to a person heading out into the heat with a beer in hand. any person doing this imo has a perceived drinking problem.
yet......going for a walk in the heat and returning to your RV for a nice cold beer AFTERWARDS a very regular normal activity.

the necessity to mention it I don't think flattering to barb. and that is a problem with the narrative for me.
moo​

BBM
Ita.

Less than flattering.
More like victim blaming. Imo.
I do not think Barbara was an uncontrolled "Lush".

thought provoking question but I don't think so.
the trip to hong kong coming up in a few days shows more mind set maybe towards fear of abandonment maybe?

moo

BBM again.... great posts, @k-mac .

Re. the bolded : That sounds very valid.

Why is it that many of us keep posting the same thoughts ?
It's an echo that doesn't go away.
Imo.
Wish some relatives or friends of Barbara's would make a statement.
People want to help.
Tell us how.
Not referring to our VI ; who has made many statements !

 

[RANCH]

me too

it is an interesting part of the narrative.
because alcohol is so subjective to our personal bias.

myself not much of a drinker but know plenty there of,
would pass judgement to a person heading out into the heat with a beer in hand. any person doing this imo has a perceived drinking problem.
yet......going for a walk in the heat and returning to your RV for a nice cold beer AFTERWARDS a very regular normal activity.

the necessity to mention it I don't think flattering to barb. and that is a problem with the narrative for me.
moo​

RT mentioning that BT had a beer with her doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with her drinking beer while going on a hike. JMO

 

[bronbaby]

RT mentioning that BT had a beer with her doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with her drinking beer while going on a hike. JMO

Exactly, same here. I mentioned previously and I’m sure others have, it felt like victim shaming slightly. A woman in a bikini with a beer in hand may seem to some, more likely to be abducted than covered-up clothing minus booze. This deflects responsibility of her disappearance in a weird subconscious way, to her.
MOO