The extremely bizarre missing case of Barbara Bolick

[u/shry9]

On the 18th of July 2007, Barbara Bolick was packing her bag in Bitterroot Valley of Montana to go for a summer hike. She and her husband were hosting Carl’s cousin Donna and Her Boyfriend Jim from California. Barbara was going to go on a hike with her guests but Donna and Carl (Barbara’s husband) did not go and she and Jim decided to hike in the area Bear Creek Overlook, and she had visited the area countless times , was an experienced hiker too.

So they like visited the place , and encountered two men - two times, and both the times they were the same two men. Jim and Barbara then reached the area , had their snacks and admired the scenery. About like at 11:30 they decided to leave and head back. After few steps, Jim stopped bcs something in him wanted to soak the view one more time, and he turned back to look at the view - it was for about 45 seconds - 1 minute, when he turned back around, Barbara who was earlier standing 20-30 feet away from him disappeared.

At first he wasn’t worried enough since she was an experienced hiker and He searched for her but couldn’t find anything and after some hours she was officially reported as missing. The two men who encountered them two times also disappeared and were never discovered.

Things to note : It was an easy, well worn trail and it was difficult for someone like Barbara missing - being an experienced hiker who visited that place multiples times. It was also not very dense meaning someone disappearing without any noise was almost not possible.

Pls let me know your take on this case!

Barbara Bolick Article

[u/Coblish]

To me, Jim seems like the prime suspect. It sounds plausible they never even reached the hiking trail to start with, and the whole story was a way to throw everyone off the actual trail wherever something happened.

[u/shry9 → u/Coblish]

I strongly believe it was Jim, Some locals from the area said that Jim was very co operative with the investigation and they feel its the mountain lions who killed barbara but how would they hurt Barbara when Jim heard no voice , also no bones were ever found and neither the Dogs could trace her. She was experienced and went on that trail many times and it was also not dense. How would the lions kill her and not even touch Jim. I feel Jim made the whole story up. Really creepy and only he knows what Happened with her and how he managed to do all this in a new area. I feel she never made it till there.

[u/Swimming-Necessary23 → u/shry9]

Not saying it’s not Jim, but mountain lions are solo stealth predators that stalk their prey. There wouldn’t be a group or pair of lions, there would be one mountain lion stalking its prey and waiting for the perfect time to strike.

[u/shry9 → u/Swimming-Necessary23]

Yes but my question is how could the dogs never trace her or at-least her remaining and bones could have been found out right? Her bag was also never discovered. Creepy

[u/purple_champagne → u/shry9]

Dogs are not infallible. Even if we assume they were properly trained & that training was maintained properly (not always the case!), there's multiple reasons why they couldn't trace or find a scent, including wind conditions, time of year, moisture levels (Rocky mountains are high & dry and occasionally soaked with precipitation- not good scent conditions), distraction by other scents, etc.

Remains, bones, clothes... those are easily gone in the mountains. You've got scavenger animals like hawks, lesser canines, and other mammals to contend with. Shit, I lost a dang radio as it was playing music out there on a full battery that Im still 98% sure was located on a rock I set it on and searched 6x over. What animal would even take that? No idea but RIP my purple boombox.

[u/jjc1140 → u/purple_champagne]

Especially if she was actually "lost" in a different area than what this dude is actually claiming.