Husband makes tearful plea to ‘his wife’s captor’ to release her after they got separated in the 100-degree Mojave Desert and bikini-clad 69-year-old vanished with no cell phone and only a can of beer
- Barbara Thomas and husband Robert drove their camper to the area Friday
- Husband says they were hiking in the Mojave Desert 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of the I-40 freeway when they got separated around 2.30pm
- Robert says he took a photo but when he turned around she was gone
- He believes she was picked up while crossing a road to get back to the camper
- She was last seen Friday wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks while holding a beer in her hand
- Thomas, of Bullhead City, Arizona, didn’t have a cell phone or supplies with her
- Temperatures in California area climbed to more than 100 degrees this weekend
- ‘I just want my wife back and if somebody out there has her, which I feel somebody does, please drop her off at a safe place’ Robert said
Authorities in California are searching for a bikini-clad Arizona woman who went missing after being separated from her husband while hiking in the Mojave Desert.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office says 69-year-old Barbara Thomas, of Bullhead City, was last seen Friday wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks.
Thomas had no cell phone or supplies when she vanished around 2.30pm but her husband Robert say she was holding a can of beer when she vanished.
Barbara Thomas, 69, went missing while hiking in the Mojave Desert on Friday around 2.30pm
Temperatures in the area climbed to more than 100 degrees (38 Celsius) over the weekend and are forecast to remain triple-digit throughout the week
Thomas and her husband were hiking approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of the I-40 freeway and east of Kelbaker Rd when they got separated.
Robert says he stopped during their two-mile hike to take a picture when when he turned around his spouse had disappeared around a corner after continuing her trek.
Thomas was last seen Friday wearing a black bikini, a red baseball cap and tan hiking boots with black socks
Their trailer was parked beside the road and Robert believes she may have been picked up while trying to cross it.
But the missing woman’s family doesn’t believe she left by choice.
Robert said he won’t press charges if Barbara is dropped off to safety.
‘My feeling is she was picked up. She was wearing a bikini and she had a beer in her hand,’ Robert shared with KTNV. He added about his companion: ‘We always tell each other before we go to bed at night how much we love each other.’
On Monday it was 104 in the area where she disappeared. However her spouse thinks she may have been taken to the Las Vegas area and asked people in the area to remain vigilant.
An active search is underway with the assistance from Search & Rescue members, fire personnel, Park Rangers, K9s, deputies and Sheriff’s Aviation.
‘I just want my wife back and if somebody out there has her, which I feel somebody does, please drop her off at a safe place where she can contact us and that’s it,’ Robert cried during an interview with KTNV.
‘Whoever has her, please release her,’ Temperatures in the area climbed to more than 100 degrees (38 Celsius) over the weekend and are forecast to remain triple-digit throughout the week.
Thomas is described as being 5’9, 130 lbs, with blonde hair and green eyes.
Anyone with information regarding Barbara’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Colorado River Station at (760)326-9200 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at (760)956-5001.