A 69-year-old woman has gone missing after leaving for a hike during a heatwave in the Mojave Desert.
Barbara Thomas of Bullhead City, Arizona vanished on July 12 around 2:30 p.m., according to the Colorado River Sheriff’s Department.
She and her husband were hiking in the desert approximately 20 miles north of the I-40 freeway and east of Kelbaker Road. They got separated and she hasn’t been seen since.
Thomas was last seen wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks and she didn’t have any supplies or a cell phone with her when she disappeared. She was described as a white female with blonde hair and green eyes, standing 5 foot 9 inches and weighing around 130 pounds.
Search teams began scouring the area on foot with assistance from a helicopter. The temperature in the area was above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the department said.
In an update on July 15, the department said the search was moving into the third day.
“Barbara was last seen in the area of Kelbaker / Hidden Hills near the I-40. The search involves numerous Search & Rescue members, deputies, K9’s, Sheriff’s Aviation(helicopter) and Park Rangers,” the department stated.
“There have been no sightings of her at this time. The temperatures today hovered around 104 degrees.”
MISSING PERSON : Authorities are searching for a missing 69-year-old woman who was last seen in the Mojave Desert on Friday.
Her husband says if anyone picked her up, he won’t press charges.
He just wants her home safe.@leahpezzetti reports >> https://t.co/rWuhhAhBCb pic.twitter.com/TXTBq1yhcf
— KTNV Action News (@KTNV) July 16, 2019
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? Barbara and her husband were hiking in the Mojave Desert Friday when she disappeared. Search parties are looking for her and her husband thinks someone might have taken her when she crossed a freeway. Full story tonight at 6. pic.twitter.com/5zeDLgcfNJ
— Leah Pezzetti (@leahpezzetti) July 15, 2019
Thomas’ husband told KTNV that they took their trailer to the desert for the weekend. They were close to the RV when Robert stopped to take a picture.
“By the time I took the picture she was continuing on because she wanted to get to the RV,” he said. “And she rounded the corner and I lost sight of her.”
He suspects something happened when she crossed a highway. “My feeling is that she was picked up because she had to cross a highway. She was wearing a bikini and she had a beer in her hand.”
He said she may be in the Las Vegas area.
“If somebody out there has her, which I feel somebody does, please drop her off at a safe place where she can contact us,” he said.
Anyone with information was urged to contact the Colorado River Station at (760) 326-9200 or the department’s dispatch at (760) 956-5001.
Woman Found
Another woman who went missing while hiking in California was found.
Farrah Powell announced that her mother was found safe after a search.
“SHES ALIVE!!! This is the happiest day of our lives. We can’t thank everyone enough!!!!!!!” she wrote in a post on Facebook on July 15.
Powell’s mother Sheryl Powell, 60, went missing from a campground east of Bishop four days before she was found.
The campsite was described as remote, reported KTLA. Family members had said they suspected she was abducted.
