CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #5

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dbdb11 said:
agree the camping trip seemed like odd timing in retrospect. at the time it was nothing unusual at all.

we tried to read some plea or hidden message into Barb's last call to us... my fathers wife was the one who spoke to her.

that was quite a tense time for my family, in the hospital especially.

basically the doc had pulled us aside and said its either semi recovery in four days or we have to make some seriously difficult choices about how my fathers treatment would proceed... it was the first time doc had asked to speak to us outside of my father's presence... so talk of pushing barbs flights forward and of my family cancelling our anniversary trip to stay in hk were all in discussion and on the table.

my dad is stubborn on stubborn, and insisted no need to rush barb out to hk, and insisted no need for us to cancel our travel plans.

the reason i bring this up, even if barb wanted to reach out and tell us something, i feel she would have been the same kind of stubborn as my dad; the same way he didnt want barb to worry about him, or scare her with proposal to shift her to an earlier flight, i would think in those moments, barb would not have wanted my dad or his wife to have to worry about her.

even if she wanted to say something, i think she would have held her tongue out of fear she might add worry to our equation... just my opinion.
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Also, if there WAS something on her mind that she wanted to share - she could do so in person, within a couple of weeks or so. But she never arrived to do so...
 
gsleuth said:
the detail of beer in that insulated cup..?
an opportunist abducter notices a woman in a bikini with an insulated cup..that had no idea of it's contents.
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Oh, you mean an "opportunist abducter" [sic] who just happens across a 'black bikini and red cap'-wearing and 'mug'-toting woman as she approaches in to the specific turnout area and artfully engages in conversation, such as, "Hi, hot as h### today, huh? Whatcha' drinkin'?"... and goes from there.

The "beer" aspect is important because RT made point of it during interviews. Exactly why it mattered to him to make note of it is not clear except that he seemed to imply it was part of the reason why she was 'abducted'. Taking that one step further via speculation is quite easy... one of a few identifiable elements in an abduction target. Drinking beer over water in >100° desert temperatures? Odd.
 
Reasonable & Just said:
It's an intriguing scenario that does seem rare and counterproductive this many weeks out - what's the point? Why would anyone (but RT) care if she left the country to visit a sick relative?

ETA - if it's about ransom, just take him. You'd still get paid, and missing men get way less attention than attractive missing women. If it's about revenge, well it's been quite a while for whoever it is to make their point. But she's still missing.
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IMHO, RT loosened his grip and allowed her to visit her family in HK in May, 2018. Now she had another solo trip planned. Maybe this time, she'd change her plans and stay for an indefinite length of time. He wasn't happy. Why wasn't he happy? Because he likes to be in control (for example, he's the one with the cell phone and water). RT kept BT on a short leash, IMHO. So he told BT, "if you want to take a trip to see your family, you need to take a trip with me" or maybe something less ominous like, "I really want to take the new RV out; let's go now before your trip." I am staying open as to whether or not what happened to BT was accidental or pre-meditated, although I am leaning toward the latter. I'm not ruling out kidnapping, either, but remember, he was not far behind her and they didn't take him, too. If they wanted money, wouldn't they have taken him to an ATM? She allegedly had nothing but a beer in her possession, if you believe his story. JMHO
 
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rosesfromangels said:
China, in particular, (and especially right now), requires a great deal of back and forth to get your Visa approved. It’s not a smooth process.

Amateur opinion and speculation
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She had visited HongKong in May, 2018. Perhaps there’s less paperwork the second time, or maybe you understand the process better—or maybe she’d just gotten everything done already, and this was a mini-vacation to celebrate having everything done.
 
SPECULATION

I do not believe the VI's POI was speaking to a 'someone' during his interviews when they described BT's attire and what she was carrying. It wouldn't have mattered to the 'abductor' at that point because they had already abducted her.

Now... what is said or agreed upon between individuals previous to embarking on a day trip might be a whole, another story. Wearing this, drinking that. Identified. Taken.

Anything said after-the-fact is simply a story for LE and public consumption. The attire and accessories aspect was true... but also for additional reason previous to LE and public consumption.
 
Officer Dibble said:
Do you mind me asking what Loser's Lounge is? Is it a venue or a euphamism for 'going somewhere'. ie in the UK if we don't want to talk to someone we 'send them to Coventry' (which is a large city).
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It's a venue in Laughlin, Nevada, so named because gambling is legal in Nevada, so when you lose your gambling money, you go drink in the bar (Loser's Lounge) instead of continuing to gamble. ETA: Love "send them to Coventry" - adding it to my vocabulary!
 
Wondering why RT believes a woman carrying a "beer" makes her a (more?-) likely target for abduction? Are abductors particularly thirsty individuals who are easily enticed to kill two birds with one stone... to satisfy both their evil intent while also acquiring a beverage to quench their dramatic thirst at the same time?

RT seems to know things beyond the average individual....
 
oceanstarryeyes said:
I think someone didn’t want BT to leave the country.

I think that RT received instructions for both of them to be at that pull off location and the rock formation in the desert at noon on July 12 the day BT went missing.

That is why BT seemed “not herself” while dropping off the dog.

I think that “Black Bikini, Red Hat and a Beer” wasn’t what BT was wearing but were code words meant for someone that means RT arrived at the location as he was requested to do.

I think then BT went missing and the reason was so she couldn’t leave the country.

I don’t think that RT knew that BT was going to come up missing that morning.

RT had nothing to do with BT missing and he did not know that was why they were to be at that location in the desert that morning. After BT went missing RT got mad and called 911 and later stated “ he would not press charges” which was a message to the kidnappers in the attempt that BT would be returned home safely.

The reason RT could be staying in his RV is that might be a location where RT believes BT might be dropped off.
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If RT didn’t know she would be kidnapped, then what’s the motive for them taking BT? Why would someone other than RT not want her to leave the country? If you know the person that kidnapped your wife, wouldn’t you tell LE?
 
Did Barbara go to a hair salon or hairdresser to have her hair cut/styled? That’s one of the things on my to do list before a trip.

I saw her nails were painted in one picture also. Wondering if she had a regular appointment at the nail salon.
 
ChuckMaureen said:
Wondering why RT believes a woman carrying a "beer" makes her a (more?-) likely target for abduction? Are abductors particularly thirsty individuals who are easily enticed to kill two birds with one stone... to satisfy both their evil intent while also acquiring a beverage to quench their dramatic thirst at the same time?

RT seems to know things beyond the average individual....
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Reading waaay too much into the mention of beer, IMO.
She was carrying a drink and he knew it was beer so he said beer, that's all. I don't think there's any more to it than that.
 
Cherwell said:
Reading waaay too much into the mention of beer, IMO.
She was carrying a drink and he knew it was beer so he said beer, that's all. I don't think there's any more to it than that.
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She was carrying a beer, according to RT. And walking two miles in a particular location, according to RT. She was wearing a bikini, according to RT. She walked ahead while he took a picture, according to RT. She was going toward the RV, less than 1/2 mile from the road, according to RT. And then she vanished into thin air, according to RT. And RT claims that his polygraph indicated "deception". And there is zero corroboration from witnesses that any of this is true. MOO
 
Cherwell said:
Reading waaay too much into the mention of beer, IMO.
She was carrying a drink and he knew it was beer so he said beer, that's all. I don't think there's any more to it than that.
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The only thing that gives me pause is most people describe their loved ones gone missing in terms of appearance. "Light brown hair, 5'10", 300 lb, wearing a green tee shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers." I wouldn't necessarily add "carrying a bag of Chertos".
 
CSIDreamer said:
The only thing that gives me pause is most people describe their loved ones gone missing in terms of appearance. "Light brown hair, 5'10", 300 lb, wearing a green tee shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers." I wouldn't necessarily add "carrying a bag of Chertos".
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Especially if the Cheetos, or in this case the beer, is not readily identifiable because it is in a traveler's cup.
 
CSIDreamer said:
The only thing that gives me pause is most people describe their loved ones gone missing in terms of appearance. "Light brown hair, 5'10", 300 lb, wearing a green tee shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers." I wouldn't necessarily add "carrying a bag of Chertos".
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I'm wondering if he used the bikini and beer description because he had a photo of exactly that. When that photo was taken, we really dont know for sure.
And wouldn't LE be obligated to search the area (desert) even if he showed "deception" on the polygraph? I would think so.
According to those who saw her in the morning of the day they left, what was she wearing? Were those particular clothes found in the RV? I suspect she may still be wearing those clothes. Where? We don't know but it makes me ill thinking about it.
There is no way I would leave my beloved dog in the kennel for 5 days only to turn around and leave her for another long stint. Unless RT was going to keep the dog with him during her trip to Hong Kong.
 
MimosaMornings said:
Do Barbara and Robbie have a landline or is Robbie’s cell phone the only way to reach them via phone?
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Yes, dbdb11 has said this:
“information i now have suggests barbara has never had a cellphone. so suggestions it was in robbies bag are probably wrong.”
and then,
“We have two numbers. one cell and one landline. If she had another number her brother, who she has always been close with, has never known about it.”

So, by those statements I infer that the cell number must have been one shared between Barb and RT, and yes, they have a landline. In fact, one of our eagle-eyed posters pointed out that in the RT interview where he is showing the “love notes” spread out on the coffee table, the landline is visible on a nearby table.
 
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