Two Small Mud Handprints and a Man Who Shouldn't Have Survived

Two Small Mud Handprints and a Man Who Shouldn't Have Survived

Two child-sized handprints pressed into gray silt beside Talus Creek, each 4.5 inches from palm to fingertip with fingers curled inward - and no missing child was ever reported in Garfield County. A 48-year-old man, Clifford Norris, had been in the water for three days in December and should not have survived that cold; what connects those small prints to a hiker who knew the forest like his own neighborhood?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from Clifford's last visit to his brother on Wednesday to the discovery of his truck at Hollowtop Trailhead and the search that followed, presenting the scene details and uncovered anomalies that keep the case unresolved. How did Clifford, who named the beaver dam as his destination, end up moving away from it and leaving a day pack placed upright by a root ball?

Person: Clifford Norris
Date last seen: Friday, December 6, 2019
Location: Talus Creek / Halcomb National Forest
Finder of day pack: Scott Halverson
Search coordinator: Monica Petersen

- Truck located at Hollowtop Trailhead with windows fogged from the inside, observed the morning of December 6.
- Scent trail picked up by dogs ran northeast toward Spur Bench about 1.5 miles up the plateau, then went cold.
- Day pack found on December 7 under a root ball a quarter mile above the beaver dam, upright with zipper closed and emergency whistle still clipped.
- Water bottle in the pack contained about one-third of its water; phone was found dead in the side pocket.
- Handprints at Talus Creek measured 4.5 inches from palm to fingertip with fingers curved inward, and no child footprints appeared on the bank.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.