Found Deceased CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #13

[rosesfromangels]

True. But he did speak with his sister about RT's call with her brother's family, and at his request, she texted him a summary of what she could recall about what RT said. And he posted that here.

Thank you for sharing this to refresh our memories. Time has passed. It's hard to believe it's almost a year and a half that's gone by. : (

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[LietKynes]

Luckily the dog was not with them. It could have been a possible second heat casualty. I’m very passionate about dogs doing physical activities in heat after seeing two dogs on a trail drop and die. Not my dogs. Working dogs are conditioned and even then, those handlers are very mindful of working their dogs in high heat. IMO

Yes, Ita.

But as far as Barbara's dog, the fifth wheel was top of the line and would've had A/C.
Lexie could have been allowed to venture out while they were in the vicinity of the camper.

I'm assuming that they wouldn't have hiked from the time they arrived to the 911 call.
And as the VI and the other WS-er who went there, the rock formation was in sight of the fifth wheel.
The photos uploaded by sroad show a level, clear path from the rocks to the camper.
I'm assuming they'd taken the dog before, so why not that specific day ?
We might never know unless there's a break in this case.

LE have never stated that it's not a criminal case; so it's important to consider what they're leaving out.
Imo.

 

[LietKynes]

Should this case follow historical precedent, the San Bernardino County Sheriff will deny any request to release the audio or transcripts of the 911 call. This department’s long-standing blanket use of exclusionary clauses in the CA Public Records Act is regularly a thorn in the side of journalists and historians.

A good example of this denial can be seen in this recent records request filed via MuckRock. There are other issues with this request that reduced the probability of its success, but the language used to deny the request in the ultimate e-mail exchange (from Nov. 11) demonstrates the SBCS’s stance on 911 calls.

This is not to say SBCS is exceptional in creating obstacles for records requesters; the LAPD will return the following text for any request for a 911 transcript made in connection with a criminal complaint:

In accordance with Section 6254(f) of the California Government Code, records of investigations conducted by, or investigatory files compiled by, any local police agency for law enforcement purposes, are exempt from disclosure. Should any records be located, 911 telephone calls, recordings, transcripts, witness statements and logs are either investigatory records themselves or properly part of an investigative file and therefore exempt from disclosure. The records may be produced in response to a subpoena or court order.​

bbm
Thanks for this helpful info., @canteloupe !

Re. the bolded : It's interesting that LE consider Barbara's case to be not just 'missing' but criminal as well !
Obviously we don't have an insiders' view of what LE think about the day Barbara vanished; but the fact that they're refusing to release the 911 call is ominous.
Imo.

 

[rosesfromangels]

bbm
Thanks for this helpful info., @canteloupe !

Re. the bolded : It's interesting that LE consider Barbara's case to be not just 'missing' but criminal as well !
Obviously we don't have an insiders' view of what LE think about the day Barbara vanished; but the fact that they're refusing to release the 911 call is ominous.
Imo.

Correct. The husband stated he believed she had been abducted, likely while crossing the road; thus, constituting a criminal act. However, as we know, no suspects or POI have been named by Law Enforcement.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[trujac]

bbm
Thanks for this helpful info., @canteloupe !

Re. the bolded : It's interesting that LE consider Barbara's case to be not just 'missing' but criminal as well !
Obviously we don't have an insiders' view of what LE think about the day Barbara vanished; but the fact that they're refusing to release the 911 call is ominous.
Imo.

I guess in this day and age LE has to deal with a lot of false confessions...so what did you say in the 911 call? A quick simple test to see if the person volunteering their guilt is legitimate without LE having to resort to extra investigation work?

 

[Cherwell]

True. But he did speak with his sister about RT's call with her brother's family, and at his request, she texted him a summary of what she could recall about what RT said. And he posted that here.

I know, but it's still just hearsay, and it was only an approximation anyway. The lady had no idea she would be asked to repeat the conversation at a later date, so she didn't record it or take notes.

Re. the bolded : It's interesting that LE consider Barbara's case to be not just 'missing' but criminal as well !

How did you deduce that? The quote you refer to doesn't mention the case.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Yes, Ita.

But as far as Barbara's dog, the fifth wheel was top of the line and would've had A/C.
Lexie could have been allowed to venture out while they were in the vicinity of the camper.

I'm assuming that they wouldn't have hiked from the time they arrived to the 911 call.
And as the VI and the other WS-er who went there, the rock formation was in sight of the fifth wheel.
The photos uploaded by sroad show a level, clear path from the rocks to the camper.
I'm assuming they'd taken the dog before, so why not that specific day ?
We might never know unless there's a break in this case.

LE have never stated that it's not a criminal case; so it's important to consider what they're leaving out.
Imo.

The air conditioning unit on the fifth wheel would either need engine power or a generator? Or power hookup if at a camp site?

 

[LietKynes]

The air conditioning unit on the fifth wheel would either need engine power or a generator? Or power hookup if at a camp site?

I think this was discussed at length before on a past thread... I'll check back.
Afaik, someone posted that the fifth wheel comes equipped with it's own generator that would've kept the dog and the couple cool whilst they had a break in the camper.
I think we can all assume they didn't hike the entire time they arrived at the rock site until the 911 call.
So, did they go anywhere else ?
That has niggled at my mind.
The timeline feels very 'off'.
Imo.

 

[rosesfromangels]

The dog wasn't with them

 

[al66pine]

The air conditioning unit on the fifth wheel would either need engine power or a generator? Or power hookup if at a camp site?

@MimosaMornings
In a word. yes.
Or in more words
Yes, running air-con in an RV requires power, either from a generator (can be automotive gasoline, diesel, or propane) which will create elec'y to run AC, or as you said, hookup of a special cord from RV to plug into pole w elec'y supplied from utility company. Could do this at a campground, RV park, even your own driveway.

In a newer, larger 5th wheel like RT's , a generator is very common/virtually always standard manufacturer-installed equipment and is built in, inside the 'innards' of the RV.

So, if RT & BT had brought The Dog on trip (ETA: which they did not), they could have left dog in 5th wheel, w gen'r. running to keep it cool for several hours+. But always a possibility of gen'r or AC mechanical malfunction, so the rig would heat up quickly.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Wasn't the dog still a puppy? Why would anyone leave a dog, let alone a puppish dog in a brand new RV? Sounds like a recipe for trouble...chewing, piddling, and so forth. I would have put the cutie in doggie day care as well.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[10ofRods]

The air conditioning unit on the fifth wheel would either need engine power or a generator? Or power hookup if at a camp site?

Comes with a generator. That model likely would have a propane fueled generator. People leave them on for days and nights at a time without hook-ups, especially in the desert. Some models have two generators. Freezer/refrigerator has to run all the time.

The model (seen in the video from the Las Vegas news station) purchased by the Thomases came standard with a generator (higher amps, IIRC) and good A/C. My understanding is that the A/C comes on at the push of a button.

We do not know if the Thomases left the A/C on while they hiked (I sure would). The campground mentioned as the one they were headed to (per our VI's understanding) was north of where Barbara went missing and did not have hook-ups.

Wasn't the dog still a puppy? Why would anyone leave a dog, let alone a puppish dog in a brand new RV? Sounds like a recipe for trouble...chewing, piddling, and so forth. I would have put the cutie in doggie day care as well.

Amateur opinion and speculation

When we traveled with our then-puppies we had a cozy crate. Easy and the dogs still love their crate. Our puppies never piddled in their crates, either. Of course, we wouldn't leave them very long - we used them at night so that puppy did not squirrel around and chew things at 3 am and so that we could make a run to the restrooms and not worry about them. In a 5th wheel, no restroom run needed.

At any rate, we never go camping without our dogs, we've never had a dog chew up or piddle on anything inside our truck or tent.

@cazador (the WSer who went out to search for Barbara) noted that the ground near where they parked was filled with thorny plants and that it would be a very difficult environment in which to walk a dog, especially if Doggo wouldn't wear doggie hiking boots (that's one thing we can't get our dogs to do).

I'm not sure we know how old the dog was at the time.

 

[Curiousobserver]

I know, but it's still just hearsay, and it was only an approximation anyway. The lady had no idea she would be asked to repeat the conversation at a later date, so she didn't record it or take notes.


How did you deduce that? The quote you refer to doesn't mention the case.

LE hasn't outwardly treated this as a criminal case in any way. They searched for 3-4X longer than she could have survived in that location, then just dotted I's and crossed T's. They questioned her husband but never arrested him. They didn't seize the truck or the RV, they didn't get a warrant to search the house or anything else we are aware of. They checked out her husband's story and then sort of dropped it. To me they have really telegraphed what they think happened.

 

[slowpoke]

Probably has already been stated, but just wanted to remind us all that the dog Lexie was a Shetland Sheepdog. From what I understand, they have very thick fur consisting of an outer coat and an undercoat. I think this can make them prone to overheating. So, leaving Lexie behind may have been the prudent, responsible, and loving decision knowing the Mojave Preserve temps can get dangerously high.

(But, just my two cents, if me, I would not have been happy having to leave my dog behind. I’d only want to go somewhere where dog can come along, too! I have no dog now, but—love dogs!)

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Yes, Ita.

LE have never stated that it's not a criminal case; so it's important to consider what they're leaving out.
Imo.

That is a very good point.

(RSBM)

 

[LietKynes]

Probably has already been stated, but just wanted to remind us all that the dog Lexie was a Shetland Sheepdog. From what I understand, they have very thick fur consisting of an outer coat and an undercoat. I think this can make them prone to overheating. So, leaving Lexie behind may have been the prudent, responsible, and loving decision knowing the Mojave Preserve temps can get dangerously high.

(But, just my two cents, if me, I would not have been happy having to leave my dog behind. I’d only want to go somewhere where dog can come along, too! I have no dog now, but—love dogs!)

bbm
Ita.
And according to the kennel employee, neither was Barbara.
Whether leaving the dog behind was planned or last minute, we don't know.
Imo.

 

[Kemug]

I think this was discussed at length before on a past thread... I'll check back.
Afaik, someone posted that the fifth wheel comes equipped with it's own generator that would've kept the dog and the couple cool whilst they had a break in the camper.
I think we can all assume they didn't hike the entire time they arrived at the rock site until the 911 call.
So, did they go anywhere else ?
That has niggled at my mind.
The timeline feels very 'off'.
Imo.

Yes, the timing has always really bothered me too. So many hours to walk such a short distance! RT could easily have offered an explanation - eg they had a lengthy morning tea in the RV before they set off, or that was their second walk of the day, etc, etc. But afaik he didn't.

 

[Cherwell]

Yes, the timing has always really bothered me too. So many hours to walk such a short distance! RT could easily have offered an explanation - eg they had a lengthy morning tea in the RV before they set off, or that was their second walk of the day, etc, etc. But afaik he didn't.

Any of this is possible, and he almost certainly gave a fuller account to the police. We have absolutely no knowledge of what he told them.

 

[Kemug]

But wouldn't the nephew have known, and told us, if an explanation had been given?

 

[NervousNellie]

But wouldn't the nephew have known, and told us, if an explanation had been given?

I believe the VI was very forthcoming with us with information he received and knew and/or believed to be true.