CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #6

[LAhiker]

Yes. And it's possible it's the Desert Studies Center (I think it's run by one of the CSU's, but can't remember right now). Not a well-populated place, but it is there.

Hm. I thought the California State University Desert Studies Center was in Zzyzx, which appears to be miles away.
Google Maps

I think one of the photospheres in the location found by @slowpoke was called something like "boulder viewing point." JMO

 

[deugirtni]

I thought RT said that Barbara took the picture (thereby explaining her absence in it - but I am not sure). Let's just keep that one in the pile of "we don't know for sure."

Based on the photos I've shared, they regularly brought a camera (an old school film camera) on their trips. My dad irregularly received pictures from Barb and Rob's travels. Real old school 'kodak developed' pictures. Unless they were snapping digitals and getting them printed the same way. In either case, they have and use cameras on their excursions.

Robbie claims to have photos on his phone of Barb on July 12th, he claims Barb took a 360 photo from a hill, and he claims police have all photos from that day in their possession. Maybe they didn't bring their 'camera' with them this particular trip. Maybe they did.

dbdb11, Saturday at 2:38 PM
#1178

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

 

[LAhiker]

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

Thanks. I've edited my post to acknowledge that RT said BT took the 360.

 

[deugirtni]

Also this from our VI, I believe this is from the text he received from his sister, describing the phonecall from RT.

RSBM
also apparently she took a 360 picture that morning from on top of a hill and the photo included a parking lot with some vehicles in it so the police are looking into their license plates/info.

dbdb11, Jul 18, 2019
#544
CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, Bullhead City, hiking wearing bikini in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019

 

[Tillicum]

I thought RT said that Barbara took the picture (thereby explaining her absence in it - but I am not sure). Let's just keep that one in the pile of "we don't know for sure."

That pile is so tall it's gonna tip over.

 

[deugirtni]

In a case discussed in the last couple of pages, it took 11 months to find a woman who died, apparently of heat, about 15 miles from where Barb disappeared (area is hotter, but still...the woman was younger).

Yes, and even though her husband, whom she had been hiking with that day (presumably together), had been found within days of his death, some 11 months earlier.

 

[MsBetsy]

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

Maybe they used both a camera and a phone to take pictures.
Didn't Robert say he was putting his camera away when she went around the corner? Imo

 

[MsBetsy]

Yes, and even though her husband, whom she had been hiking with that day (presumably together), had been found within days of his death, some 11 months earlier.

Wow. Were they found in the same area? They just missed the woman the first time they searched there?

 

[Steelslady]

^^^ I believe you are correct.

Hoping there will be good news soon.
This has been dragging out far too long .
It feels like we've been going around in circles, just trying to just get the few facts we have ... straight.
Because this missing person case is all over the place and not clear cut ... if that makes any sense.

No 'last photo of'.
No description of clothing that has remained constant.
No positive location that has been verified with security cams -- or the aforementioned photo.
No photos of her captured at a convenience store or restaurant they may have stopped at.
No consistent timeline of where they drove that day.
A lot of nothing.

This is what I don't understand- LE has an alleged photo of her from that day, correct? At least according to the VI and what he was told by LE.

So why hasn't LE posted her last photo, their camper and truck all over the media to see if anyone saw her walking that day? RT as well? Just to maybe confirm they were both there together as well as the camper and truck. Tighten up the time line, so to speak.

 

[slowpoke]

Do you mean this one? (I'm using Google maps rather than Google Earth because I find it simpler.)
Google Maps

That does look like it's around half a mile north of the turnout where SAR set up their command post and where RT said BT disappeared. Assuming RT (BT??) took the 360 photo on their walk (as opposed to earlier somewhere else), that does seem like a possible candidate for the parking lot he says was there. Good find!
JMO

ETA: it has been pointed out that RT said BT took the picture.

I don’t know, LAhiker, for some reason your link doesn’t open up for me. I don’t know why. Do you see the asphalt parking lot complete with striping for cars to park?

 

[LAhiker]

I don’t know, LAhiker, for some reason your link doesn’t open up for me. I don’t know why. Do you see the asphalt parking lot complete with striping for cars to park?

Yes, when I went back to the link it didn't work for me either. I replaced it with another try, which I'll put here for what it's worth. But yes, I see a smallish paved lot with striping, one car, and a woman standing near the car.

Google Maps

 

[slowpoke]

Yes, when I went back to the link it didn't work for me either. I replaced it with another try, which I'll put here for what it's worth. But yes, I see a smallish paved lot with striping, one car, and a woman standing near the car.

Google Maps

That one worked! Yes, it looks similar to what I saw on a Google Earth. Thank you!

 

[RANCH]

Yes, when I went back to the link it didn't work for me either. I replaced it with another try, which I'll put here for what it's worth. But yes, I see a smallish paved lot with striping, one car, and a woman standing near the car.

Google Maps

When I first looked at the image in the link I didn't see any striping.

I zoomed in and could see the faded stripes denoting the parking spots that you mentioned. Thanks for the link.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

dbdb11 has said that RT said that the 360 photo BT took while up on the hill that day in their walk included “cars in the parking lot below” and RT was very upset police were not looking into the owners of those cars as “potential suspects”.

So, based on RT’s words, others were there in the general area where RT and BT were. They weren’t alone alone.
I do wonder if LE was able to find and interview these vehicle owners. I hope so. And where is this parking lot? Did we ever have a probable guess on which lot this would be?

Dbdb11’s post where he mentions this:
CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #4

dbdb's sister said:

also apparently she took a 360 picture that morning from on top of a hill and the photo included a parking lot with some vehicles in it so the police are looking into their license plates/info.

BBM twice above. Conflicting info here? Did RT speak sloppily? Change his story? Or perhaps first thought the police were looking into it and then later was upset upon learning they weren't?

Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center is 3 miles from the intersection of Hidden Hills and Kelbaker Rd. according to my Google maps app on my iPhone. IIRC, did someone believe he could’ve been referring to a hill near there? MOO It seems too far away. Perhaps another turnout location near an intersecting trail? Slowpoke, I hope LE was able to find some witnesses too

I had the impression that some WS'ers thought (how's that for vague?) that the photo was taken, not from a hill NEAR the Desert Research Center, but rather from a hill 2 miles out from the RV (the turnaround point for their walk?) from which there was a vista (3 or however many miles away) of the Desert Research Center parking area. MOO

 

[MsBetsy]

This is what I don't understand- LE has an alleged photo of her from that day, correct? At least according to the VI and what he was told by LE.

So why hasn't LE posted her last photo, their camper and truck all over the media to see if anyone saw her walking that day? RT as well? Just to maybe confirm they were both there together as well as the camper and truck. Tighten up the time line, so to speak.

Didn't RT tell his nephew LE had checked the picture for cars or plates or something?
Maybe LE did use the picture to confirm the truck and RV was there.
I have also questioned why LE has not asked for help from the public, as they have done in so many other cases.
I guess they just don't need it.
I wish we at least knew what time they arrived there and what time they started their walk. Imo

 

[Knox]

Yes, when I went back to the link it didn't work for me either. I replaced it with another try, which I'll put here for what it's worth. But yes, I see a smallish paved lot with striping, one car, and a woman standing near the car.

Google Maps

Could you please mark where you believe BT was when she took that picture? Also where the trailer was parked. TIA

 

[PaulaDC]

I went back to early posts, since we sadly are lacking new info.
dbdb11 has said that RT said that the 360 photo BT took while up on the hill that day in their walk included “cars in the parking lot below” and RT was very upset police were not looking into the owners of those cars as “potential suspects”.

So, based on RT’s words, others were there in the general area where RT and BT were. They weren’t alone alone.
I do wonder if LE was able to find and interview these vehicle owners. I hope so. And where is this parking lot? Did we ever have a probable guess on which lot this would be?

Dbdb11’s post where he mentions this:
CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #4

If Barbara took a photo where is the camera? Can they prove she took the photo and if it was earlier is that even considered proof she was still at that location later when she went missing as there seems to be unaccounted for hours.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

And one more thought. If RT said they walked "2.2 miles" before taking the picture and then heading back, that is a curious degree of precision which prompts me to ask:

Does RT wear a fitbit or other fitness tracker that would have told him with some precision how far he had walked?

Or was he carrying a cell phone with a tracker app and/or GPS enabled?

For that matter did BT have a fitness tracker? I suppose not, if she wasn't a technophile... But on the other hand many fitness-oriented people have them even though they might not be into all the techie aspects of it.

I certainly hope LE has looked at any GPS-enabled device RT may have been carrying or wearing that day. And the previous days and weeks. MOO IMO

 

[MsBetsy]

dbdb's sister said:

BBM twice above. Conflicting info here? Did RT speak sloppily? Change his story? Or perhaps first thought the police were looking into it and then later was upset upon learning they weren't?



I had the impression that some WS'ers thought (how's that for vague?) that the photo was taken, not from a hill NEAR the Desert Research Center, but rather from a hill 2 miles out from the RV (the turnaround point for their walk?) from which there was a vista (3 or however many miles away) of the Desert Research Center parking area. MOO

Or maybe he made the comment about being upset because LE had not looked into it yet and by the time his niece made her comment they were in the process of looking into it.

Either way, it sounds like LE did, but maybe they could not identify all the plates so they couldn't contact them.
If they really wanted to question them, I would think they would have publicly asked anyone who was there between those hours to come forward. Imo

 

[RANCH]

Yes, when I went back to the link it didn't work for me either. I replaced it with another try, which I'll put here for what it's worth. But yes, I see a smallish paved lot with striping, one car, and a woman standing near the car.

Google Maps

There sure are a lot of hills and large rock formations in this location.

I thought that the area BT disappeared from was totally flat with nothing to block a view for a great distance. JMO