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

[Leney]

“Black bra and underwear, black tall socks, tan hiking boots, and a white hat”

Barbara Thomas

Clothing
Barbara was last seen wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[Leney]

The truck alone could cost between $45,000 and $83,000 (without negotiation).

A used one would not cost this much.
MOO

 

[Leney]

A Beer and a Walk? Or Just a Beer? Or Just a Walk?

@k-mac Thanks for your post. sbm
Possibilities occurring to me:
1. As ^, BT 'had to have' a beer before their walk and went w RT, as he described.
2. RT wanted to suggest/hint that BT 'had to have a beer' before their walk and she actually went w RT, as he described. But she had no beer that day.
3. BT planned only to sit w a beer outside in RV's shade while RT walked; he did.
4. BT planned on walking ~ 100 yards w beer from RV, while RT walked. He did.
5. BT was not there in that area of Mojave that day.
6. There was no beer.
7. thru 100. Other.
Jmo on possibilities, not convinced of any of them.​

Or they took a break while on their walk and one was requested at that point in time.

 

[nannymo]

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

I see nothing wrong with drinking a beer while going on a hike either. What I find interesting is she had a beer at the end of the hike....supposedly in a cup (or can?). To me that is not the right timing if you know what I mean. Sure, take a beer on the way up........then have another when you get back to the RV. Beer is not good hot. It needs to stay cold for most beer drinkers to enjoy it, so that is why I thought the statement was odd. Only because of the timing of drinking the beer on the way back from the walk. It would have been hot by then I think. It just sits wrong with the timing to me. Not the fact that she is drinking. TIA

 

[Leney]

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

Perhaps one might be interested in the Paul Miller case.

No evidence was found of him.
6 Canine teams were unable to find any scent/tracks.
The wife returned home 6 days later.

The hiker that did see him on the trail did made one post which to this day is still being questioned by some here.

Here is the Paul Miller thread.

CA - CA - Paul Miller, 51, Canadian missing in Joshua Tree Natl Park, San Bernardino Co., 13 Jul 2018 #3

 

[MsBetsy]

I need to dig around for the source but I remember reading a quote that I understood to mean they took water and beer, which sounded to me like a supply of beer (as opposed to saying they took A beer). I’ll see if I can find that.

Yes, I highly doubt they only brought one bottle of beer with them on a camping trip.
We know that the description of Barbara hiking with a "bikini and a beer" is a normal thing for her.
I doubt it means that she normally only drank a "single" beer. Imo

 

[Leney]

No, I haven't changed my opinion. The whole premise of taking a brand new rv out into the Mojave in mid-summer to camp at a roadside pull off, and not an established campground - that just doesn't pass the smell test to me.

BBM

Has this been confirmed? I don't believe it has.

 

[NervousNellie]

BBM

Has this been confirmed? I don't believe it has.

It has not. I would say the opposite has been confirmed. They pulled over for a walk. It has never been stated they planned to camp on the side of the road.

 

[Leney]

Yes, money talks!

How about following the money that was recently used to buy the new truck and RV (within the last few months or so before BT went missing according to her family in HK per the VI)?

Going back aways to very early threads, the new rig that was recently purchased by RT and BT (? haven't seen the title, but 'they' both as a married couple presumably owned it, and were possibly testing it out in the desert on a camping trip when they pulled over to the side of the road and.... she vanished) was probably worth upwards of $100,000. That's 'money' that talks and says something, MOOdy MOO

One can have all the money in the world, but misadventure does happen.
SAR teams don't always find missing individuals right away and NOT from a lack of trying for the most part.
SAR teams take these personal

 

[MsBetsy]

I see nothing wrong with drinking a beer while going on a hike either. What I find interesting is she had a beer at the end of the hike....supposedly in a cup (or can?). To me that is not the right timing if you know what I mean. Sure, take a beer on the way up........then have another when you get back to the RV. Beer is not good hot. It needs to stay cold for most beer drinkers to enjoy it, so that is why I thought the statement was odd. Only because of the timing of drinking the beer on the way back from the walk. It would have been hot by then I think. It just sits wrong with the timing to me. Not the fact that she is drinking. TIA

Well, if it was in one of those drinking travelling cups, like I think he described, it would probably stay cool for an hour or so. Those cups are usually insulated.
Even if it was not really cold, there are plenty of people who will drink beer at that temperature. Imo

 

[cazador]

Clothing
Barbara was last seen wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

The one I listed is the California Dept of Justice Listing for BT ... Conflicting Listings of info.

 

[MsBetsy]

No, I haven't changed my opinion. The whole premise of taking a brand new rv out into the Mojave in mid-summer to camp at a roadside pull off, and not an established campground - that just doesn't pass the smell test to me.

I don't think they had ever planned to camp there. They just stopped to take a walk to see the rock formations on the way to their final destination. Imo

 

[Leney]

^^sbm

RT (spouse) did claim BT was clutching a beer [presumably in her hands].

Beer is over 90% water.

Craft Brewers Explained to Us Why Water Is Actually Beer’s Most Important Ingredient

https://vinepair.com/articles/craft...-is-actually-beers-most-important-ingredient/

Exactley... Taking A Lot of time ... Investage and develop a case to make sure it is airtight Only happens when something Bigger then one person is involved. Until that time, it is total silence.

Or they believe she is missing from misadventure, and have nothing to state to the public at large until such time as she is located.

 

[Leney]

The one I listed is the California Dept of Justice Listing for BT ... Conflicting Listings of info.

They are contradictory and NamUs is a valid source.

 

[Leney]

The alcohol was presented as part of his reasoning as to why Barbara could have been abducted..

Was it the beer or the fact she had to cross the road ?

I guess it really depends on how one interprets things.

 

[Leney]

Since LE has told the VI that Barb was in that location that day (at some point), I accept that she was. But from the beginning I’ve always said that in order for Barb to “get lost” on that walk, the timeline had to be longer than RT stated in order for her to walk far enough to be out of range of his calling and waving AND to be undiscovered in the subsequent nine day search by SAR. I still have that opinion because I don’t have facts to support another and I prefer to think of Barb’s disappearance as a tragic accident. But that isn’t to say I haven’t entertained other theories along the way.

JMO

Or the timeline given by the VI sister is incorrect.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Was it the beer or the fact she had to cross the road ?

I guess it really depends on how one interprets things.

"Because she was wearing a bikini (and knee socks) and a beer (unidentifiable in a travel mug)".

Items in parenthesis are mine just to illustrate my point.

 

[PommyMommy]

RT's statements transcribed from both videos.

RT Interview #1
KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas
July 15, 2019

:38 "By the time I took the picture, she was continuing on because she wanted to use [get to?] the RV, and she rounded the corner, and I lost sight of her."

:51 "They had the, the, uh fire trucks out there, the ambulance, paramedics; they had the, the, they actually brought a dog team out later, they had the helicopter that was comin' in."

1:13 "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."

1:28 "I just want my wife back. And, if somebody out there has her, which I feel somebody does, please, uh, drop her off in a safe place where uh, she can contact us. And, that's it."

1:52 "And, we always tell each other before we go to bed at night how much we love each other. So whoever has her, please release her. No questions asked."

RT Interview #2
July 17, 2019
Inside Edition

:20 "I would just beg that they would, uh, release her no questions asked. I just want her..." (doesn't finish his sentence)

:51 "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. then I got very panicky.”

1:12 "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."

1:32 "The police consider me the prime suspect because it was just the two of us."

1:38 "Yes, I took a polygraph test. They told me that I was being deceptive. Now, I know that polygraphs aren't 100 percent, and I had not had any sleep."

1:53 "Absolutely not." (In response to being asked if he had anything to do with his wife's disappearance.)

2:00 "She is the love of my life. Come home, we're missing her."

 

[Lilibet]

Or the timeline given by the VI sister is incorrect.

The VI’s sister’s timeline may or may not be accurate, but I’m not sure if I understand how it has anything to do with what I posted about my original opinion, which was formed before we heard from the VI.

I’m just referring to the timeline RT gave for Barbara disappearing right after he looked up from taking a photo. I have always believed that it would be impossible for Barbara to disappear in that brief amount of time it supposedly took for RT to get back to the RV. In order for her to get out of range of his voice and SAR searchers, the gap between when he last saw her disappear around a bend and when he arrived at the RV would have been much longer. So I have always believed he underestimated the time, either accidentally or otherwise. I hope it was accidental. As I said, until I have facts indicating foul play or another scenario, I believe she disappeared in that area, undiscovered by SAR so far.

 

[Handsome Sailor]

RT is not to be touched, per mods. He is not a suspect.