https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/creepy-stories-for-sleep--7207229
We create a place where you can settle into eerie storytelling without losing the tension that keeps you listening. As you stay with us, familiar settings begin to feel less predictable and each unexplained detail gives the darkness a little more weight.

We publish new episodes daily so you can return whenever you want another disturbing story before sleep. That steady rhythm keeps fresh fear close by and gives you something new to uncover each time the lights go out.

Some stories end when the final sentence is spoken. Others leave one thought behind that becomes harder to ignore once everything is quiet, and with us you may discover which kind stays with you after you close your eyes.]]>enScience Fiction© 2026 OBOMEDIA Creatorshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/5cd76d4a513e707e764d49c412111821.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/creepy-stories-for-sleep--7207229Tue, 29 Sep 2026 05:10:25 +0000Creator at ObomediaCreator at Obomediacreators@obomedia.comWhat if the last story you hear before sleep follows you into the dark? Creepy Stories for Sleep brings unsettling horror into the quietest part of your night. Each story is built to hold your attention while the world around you grows still. We...
We create a place where you can settle into eerie storytelling without losing the tension that keeps you listening. As you stay with us, familiar settings begin to feel less predictable and each unexplained detail gives the darkness a little more weight.

We publish new episodes daily so you can return whenever you want another disturbing story before sleep. That steady rhythm keeps fresh fear close by and gives you something new to uncover each time the lights go out.

Some stories end when the final sentence is spoken. Others leave one thought behind that becomes harder to ignore once everything is quiet, and with us you may discover which kind stays with you after you close your eyes.]]>false16de3efd-2e30-5c0b-b54c-3c0191d5bfb0episodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-two-child-sized-handprints-found-downstream-of-her-car--73162522
Cold, moving water, and two child-sized handprints pressed deep into a muddy bank: a county snowplow driver found them one mile and 200 yards downstream from where a 62-year-old woman had last been seen alive. The creek was running at 340 cubic feet per second and her boot was recovered with its lace still double-knotted - so how did a body and this inexplicable evidence end up where they did?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the last confirmed sighting of Gina Hunt to the discovery of physical evidence along Culver Creek, laying out the search operations, the scene descriptions, and the stubborn details that baffled rescuers and investigators. What does the pattern of prints, a tied boot, and a vanished scent trail tell us about where a person goes when a creek takes them?

Person: Gina Hunt
Age: 62
Location: Culver Creek, near Harkin Bridge, Millvale, western Montana
Date last seen: Saturday in December (three days before search activation)
Water flow: 340 cubic feet per second

- Two child-sized handprints found pressed deep into the bank one mile and 200 yards downstream from Gina's last seen location.
- Gina's left foot Merrell boot, women's size 7, found a quarter mile below Harkin Bridge, waterlogged with lace double-knotted and intact.
- Dogs following scent stopped at the edge of a seasonal drainage where scent trail ended at the water's edge after about a quarter mile.
- Gina had been missing for more than three days before search and rescue were contacted at 7:40 PM on Tuesday.
- Temperatures dropped to single digits overnight and Gina had been in the water for four days before being found.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162522Mon, 28 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Two Child-Sized Handprints Found Downstream of Her Car Cold, moving water, and two child-sized handprints pressed deep into a muddy bank: a county snowplow driver found them one mile and 200 yards downstream from where a 62-year-old woman had...
Cold, moving water, and two child-sized handprints pressed deep into a muddy bank: a county snowplow driver found them one mile and 200 yards downstream from where a 62-year-old woman had last been seen alive. The creek was running at 340 cubic feet per second and her boot was recovered with its lace still double-knotted - so how did a body and this inexplicable evidence end up where they did?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the last confirmed sighting of Gina Hunt to the discovery of physical evidence along Culver Creek, laying out the search operations, the scene descriptions, and the stubborn details that baffled rescuers and investigators. What does the pattern of prints, a tied boot, and a vanished scent trail tell us about where a person goes when a creek takes them?

Person: Gina Hunt
Age: 62
Location: Culver Creek, near Harkin Bridge, Millvale, western Montana
Date last seen: Saturday in December (three days before search activation)
Water flow: 340 cubic feet per second

- Two child-sized handprints found pressed deep into the bank one mile and 200 yards downstream from Gina's last seen location.
- Gina's left foot Merrell boot, women's size 7, found a quarter mile below Harkin Bridge, waterlogged with lace double-knotted and intact.
- Dogs following scent stopped at the edge of a seasonal drainage where scent trail ended at the water's edge after about a quarter mile.
- Gina had been missing for more than three days before search and rescue were contacted at 7:40 PM on Tuesday.
- Temperatures dropped to single digits overnight and Gina had been in the water for four days before being found.

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.]]>1273falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-walked-west-into-the-wild-found-alive-not-where-he-belonged--73162519
A man walked west through frozen scrub at 6:22 a.m. on November 14th, captured by a wildlife camera two miles from the nearest marked trail - alive, moving with purpose, and missing a piece of gear that should have made him visible. What led a well-prepared doctoral student into an exposed wildlife corridor at six thousand one hundred feet where no searcher expected to find him?

In this episode, we follow the recorded movements, the search timeline, and the field evidence that turned a routine disappearance into a baffling recovery. What did the camera, the terrain, and the search reports reveal about the three critical anomalies Robert Lane noted?

Person: Eric Bishop
Date: November 14
Location: Boundary Cut, Ochre Hills district
Status: Found alive on camera after search suspension
Topic: wilderness movement and search anomalies

- Eric Bishop was captured on camera at 6:22 a.m, after five days in sub-freezing terrain.
- The Boundary Cut sits at roughly 6,100 feet and is more than two miles from the nearest marked trail.
- Eric had food for two extra days, a sleeping bag rated for conditions, and planned a two-night trip to Sable Bench about seven miles in.
- The search for Eric had been suspended two days before the camera recorded him; a power-line technician later handed the memory card to rangers.
- Search-and-rescue coordinator Robert Lane flagged three anomalies: the location, the westward direction of travel, and an item Eric was not wearing that would have made him visible.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162519Sun, 27 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Walked West Into the Wild - Found Alive, Not Where He Belonged A man walked west through frozen scrub at 6:22 a.m. on November 14th, captured by a wildlife camera two miles from the nearest marked trail - alive, moving with purpose, and missing...
A man walked west through frozen scrub at 6:22 a.m. on November 14th, captured by a wildlife camera two miles from the nearest marked trail - alive, moving with purpose, and missing a piece of gear that should have made him visible. What led a well-prepared doctoral student into an exposed wildlife corridor at six thousand one hundred feet where no searcher expected to find him?

In this episode, we follow the recorded movements, the search timeline, and the field evidence that turned a routine disappearance into a baffling recovery. What did the camera, the terrain, and the search reports reveal about the three critical anomalies Robert Lane noted?

Person: Eric Bishop
Date: November 14
Location: Boundary Cut, Ochre Hills district
Status: Found alive on camera after search suspension
Topic: wilderness movement and search anomalies

- Eric Bishop was captured on camera at 6:22 a.m, after five days in sub-freezing terrain.
- The Boundary Cut sits at roughly 6,100 feet and is more than two miles from the nearest marked trail.
- Eric had food for two extra days, a sleeping bag rated for conditions, and planned a two-night trip to Sable Bench about seven miles in.
- The search for Eric had been suspended two days before the camera recorded him; a power-line technician later handed the memory card to rangers.
- Search-and-rescue coordinator Robert Lane flagged three anomalies: the location, the westward direction of travel, and an item Eric was not wearing that would have made him visible.

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.]]>1098falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-boot-on-wet-granite-the-woman-found-not-the-explanation--73162518
A single dry boot on a rain-wet granite shelf stopped a veteran searcher cold at 7:42 a.m. on October 14, 2019 - and that mismatch is the detail no one can explain. Connie Mueller was found alive after roughly forty hours missing in alpine country, but what happened in those forty hours, and why was her boot dry while the rock beneath it was wet?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Connie’s last text to the volunteers and the launch of Garfield County Search and Rescue grids, describing the clues left at camp and on the terrain, and asking whether the small inconsistencies hold the key to what she experienced.

Person: Connie Mueller
Date: October 14, 2019
Location: Bowl basin above Cutler trailhead, roughly 8,800 feet
Status: Found alive after approximately 40 hours missing
Search-and-rescue commander: Dennis Peterson

- Connie sent a final text on Friday, October 11: "Back Sunday, save me the cereal boxes."
- Connie had been a licensed practical nurse in Abner, Colorado, for 19 years.
- She had hunted elk 12 seasons and succeeded in 9 of them.
- Connie left camp around 6:15 a.m, on Saturday, October 12; by 1:00 p.m. she had not returned.
- A daypack found at Bowl camp on the first day of the search contained water, snacks, a headlamp, and an emergency blanket.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162518Sat, 26 Sep 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Boot on Wet Granite: The Woman Found, Not the Explanation A single dry boot on a rain-wet granite shelf stopped a veteran searcher cold at 7:42 a.m. on October 14, 2019 - and that mismatch is the detail no one can explain. Connie Mueller was...
A single dry boot on a rain-wet granite shelf stopped a veteran searcher cold at 7:42 a.m. on October 14, 2019 - and that mismatch is the detail no one can explain. Connie Mueller was found alive after roughly forty hours missing in alpine country, but what happened in those forty hours, and why was her boot dry while the rock beneath it was wet?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Connie’s last text to the volunteers and the launch of Garfield County Search and Rescue grids, describing the clues left at camp and on the terrain, and asking whether the small inconsistencies hold the key to what she experienced.

Person: Connie Mueller
Date: October 14, 2019
Location: Bowl basin above Cutler trailhead, roughly 8,800 feet
Status: Found alive after approximately 40 hours missing
Search-and-rescue commander: Dennis Peterson

- Connie sent a final text on Friday, October 11: "Back Sunday, save me the cereal boxes."
- Connie had been a licensed practical nurse in Abner, Colorado, for 19 years.
- She had hunted elk 12 seasons and succeeded in 9 of them.
- Connie left camp around 6:15 a.m, on Saturday, October 12; by 1:00 p.m. she had not returned.
- A daypack found at Bowl camp on the first day of the search contained water, snacks, a headlamp, and an emergency blanket.

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.]]>1324falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-climbed-the-face-at-night-how-did-lloyd-do-it--73162516
A parked truck, untouched for six weeks, a permit for a sixty-two-mile solo traverse, and a GPS that records forty minutes of upward movement onto a 230-foot vertical rock face - how does a methodical hydrological surveyor end up 162 feet up Palisade Face in the dark with no rope or hardware? What happened in the unexplained 38 days between his last trailhead phone call and when his truck was found 23 miles the wrong way?

In this episode, we lay out the factual timeline and physical evidence recovered from Lloyd Do’s trip into the Vantage Wilderness, and follow the gaps that refuse to resolve themselves. Could the route his GPS logged and the curious gas station receipt point to an answer, or only deepen the mystery?

Person: Lloyd Do
Date: last confirmed contact August 7, 2019; truck spotted September 14, 2019
Location: Vantage Wilderness; truck parked on Tillman Road; Pryor gas station receipt dated August 6, 2019
Permit: VW-2019-0412 for a 62-mile solo traverse, entry August 7, exit August 19
Feature: Palisade Face, 230-foot vertical rock formation; GPS stopped at ledge 162 feet above base

- Truck had not moved for six weeks and was photographed on Tillman Road on September 14, 2019.
- Permit filed under number VW-2019-0412 for a 62-mile route with planned exit August 19, 2019.
- Last confirmed contact was a payphone call to Marcus Webb from the trailhead on August 7, 2019.
- A gas station receipt from Pryor dated August 6, 2019 was found in the truck’s glove box, Pryor being 23 miles from Eugene and opposite the trailhead direction.
- The recovered GPS device logged movement matching the permit from August 7-11, then recorded approximately 40 minutes of ascent onto Palisade Face, stopping at a ledge about 162 feet above the base.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162516Fri, 25 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Climbed the Face at Night: How Did Lloyd Do It? A parked truck, untouched for six weeks, a permit for a sixty-two-mile solo traverse, and a GPS that records forty minutes of upward movement onto a 230-foot vertical rock face - how does a...
A parked truck, untouched for six weeks, a permit for a sixty-two-mile solo traverse, and a GPS that records forty minutes of upward movement onto a 230-foot vertical rock face - how does a methodical hydrological surveyor end up 162 feet up Palisade Face in the dark with no rope or hardware? What happened in the unexplained 38 days between his last trailhead phone call and when his truck was found 23 miles the wrong way?

In this episode, we lay out the factual timeline and physical evidence recovered from Lloyd Do’s trip into the Vantage Wilderness, and follow the gaps that refuse to resolve themselves. Could the route his GPS logged and the curious gas station receipt point to an answer, or only deepen the mystery?

Person: Lloyd Do
Date: last confirmed contact August 7, 2019; truck spotted September 14, 2019
Location: Vantage Wilderness; truck parked on Tillman Road; Pryor gas station receipt dated August 6, 2019
Permit: VW-2019-0412 for a 62-mile solo traverse, entry August 7, exit August 19
Feature: Palisade Face, 230-foot vertical rock formation; GPS stopped at ledge 162 feet above base

- Truck had not moved for six weeks and was photographed on Tillman Road on September 14, 2019.
- Permit filed under number VW-2019-0412 for a 62-mile route with planned exit August 19, 2019.
- Last confirmed contact was a payphone call to Marcus Webb from the trailhead on August 7, 2019.
- A gas station receipt from Pryor dated August 6, 2019 was found in the truck’s glove box, Pryor being 23 miles from Eugene and opposite the trailhead direction.
- The recovered GPS device logged movement matching the permit from August 7-11, then recorded approximately 40 minutes of ascent onto Palisade Face, stopping at a ledge about 162 feet above the base.

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.]]>1093falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-gaiter-that-walked-two-lost-walkers-one-impossible-trail--73162514
A single orange gaiter moved from a porch railing to a locked station's kitchen table with a coffee cup over it - and no one can say who did it. Strange, deliberate placements like a sealed food canister balanced between boulders and a strip of cleanly cut orange webbing in a juniper suggest the wilderness left intentional clues; what happened in those four August days that no map, compass, or memory can explain?

In this episode, we follow the chronology and evidence discovered during a multi-day search in the Talvert Range to present what was found, by whom, and where; the narrative closes on the question of how two experienced walkers entered the same stretch of wilderness on the same afternoon and then vanished separately without either knowing the other existed.

Person: Tammy Johnson
Person: Pete Morrow
Location: Talvert Range
Date: August (four days in August; specific entries on August 4th and 6th are mentioned)
Event: Search and rescue for two missing people

- Tammy Johnson, 53, left a photo before the drive on the morning of August 4th and planned a 41-mile, six-day route across the Talvert Range.
- Pete Morrow, 57, caretaker at Dunnfield Station, was found missing after failing a weekly radio check on the Sunday before August 9th; Gloria Cole arrived at the station at 11:42 AM on August 9th.
- Pete recorded Tammy in the Dunnfield Station logbook on August 6th: "Tammy Johnson, dark green pack, orange gaiters, destination Canfield Meadow, departed north... approximately 4:30 in the afternoon."
- Search dogs followed a scent north from the trailhead for 2.5 miles before losing it in a rocky creek bed about 15 feet wide where the trail ended for the dogs.
- A food canister was found a quarter mile off any trail, upright with lid on and 40% full, placed equidistant between two granite boulders; an 8-inch piece of orange webbing was later found cut clean and hung at head height in a juniper.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162514Thu, 24 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Gaiter That Walked: Two Lost Walkers, One Impossible Trail A single orange gaiter moved from a porch railing to a locked station's kitchen table with a coffee cup over it - and no one can say who did it. Strange, deliberate placements like a...
A single orange gaiter moved from a porch railing to a locked station's kitchen table with a coffee cup over it - and no one can say who did it. Strange, deliberate placements like a sealed food canister balanced between boulders and a strip of cleanly cut orange webbing in a juniper suggest the wilderness left intentional clues; what happened in those four August days that no map, compass, or memory can explain?

In this episode, we follow the chronology and evidence discovered during a multi-day search in the Talvert Range to present what was found, by whom, and where; the narrative closes on the question of how two experienced walkers entered the same stretch of wilderness on the same afternoon and then vanished separately without either knowing the other existed.

Person: Tammy Johnson
Person: Pete Morrow
Location: Talvert Range
Date: August (four days in August; specific entries on August 4th and 6th are mentioned)
Event: Search and rescue for two missing people

- Tammy Johnson, 53, left a photo before the drive on the morning of August 4th and planned a 41-mile, six-day route across the Talvert Range.
- Pete Morrow, 57, caretaker at Dunnfield Station, was found missing after failing a weekly radio check on the Sunday before August 9th; Gloria Cole arrived at the station at 11:42 AM on August 9th.
- Pete recorded Tammy in the Dunnfield Station logbook on August 6th: "Tammy Johnson, dark green pack, orange gaiters, destination Canfield Meadow, departed north... approximately 4:30 in the afternoon."
- Search dogs followed a scent north from the trailhead for 2.5 miles before losing it in a rocky creek bed about 15 feet wide where the trail ended for the dogs.
- A food canister was found a quarter mile off any trail, upright with lid on and 40% full, placed equidistant between two granite boulders; an 8-inch piece of orange webbing was later found cut clean and hung at head height in a juniper.

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.]]>1256falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-last-blink-at-tenmile-basin-her-camp-her-missing-steps--73162512
At 9,200 feet a pot of stew sat half-eaten, a spoon inside, and a headlamp blinked a red battery-save light - but the woman who set it all up was gone. The last confirmed message from Heather Morgan wasn't about herself but a ferret's breakfast instructions; four hours of headlamp logs and a single boot print pointing back toward camp hint at something that happened in the dark. What did Heather do between that 3:17 a.m. activation and the empty camp at dawn?

In this episode, we walk through the facts found at the site and the early search response to ask how a careful, experienced solo hiker could vanish from a perfectly ordered camp. What do a blinking headlamp, a one-inch-and-a-half stew, and a lone size-seven lug-sole print facing the tent tell us about her last hours?

Person: Heather Morgan
Date: July 9 (camp discovered), last text July 7
Location: Tenmile Basin / Braddock Lake Trailhead area
Status: Camp from an otherwise undisturbed camp
Incident commander: Rachel Petersen

- The camp was at 9,200 feet and contained a pot with 1.5 inches of freeze-dried stew and a spoon left inside.
- Heather’s headlamp activated at 3:17 a.m. on July 9 and entered battery-save mode at 7:17 a.m.
- Gary McCarthy’s dog found the camp just after 7:30 a.m, on July 9 after leaving the McCarthy Trail spur.
- Tracking dogs Beau and Dora independently stopped on the same granite shelf about 400 yards northeast of the tent.
- Investigators found a single size seven lug-sole boot print on a thin strip of dried mud on the shelf, facing back toward the camp.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162512Wed, 23 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Last Blink at Tenmile Basin: Her Camp, Her Missing Steps At 9,200 feet a pot of stew sat half-eaten, a spoon inside, and a headlamp blinked a red battery-save light - but the woman who set it all up was gone. The last confirmed message from...
At 9,200 feet a pot of stew sat half-eaten, a spoon inside, and a headlamp blinked a red battery-save light - but the woman who set it all up was gone. The last confirmed message from Heather Morgan wasn't about herself but a ferret's breakfast instructions; four hours of headlamp logs and a single boot print pointing back toward camp hint at something that happened in the dark. What did Heather do between that 3:17 a.m. activation and the empty camp at dawn?

In this episode, we walk through the facts found at the site and the early search response to ask how a careful, experienced solo hiker could vanish from a perfectly ordered camp. What do a blinking headlamp, a one-inch-and-a-half stew, and a lone size-seven lug-sole print facing the tent tell us about her last hours?

Person: Heather Morgan
Date: July 9 (camp discovered), last text July 7
Location: Tenmile Basin / Braddock Lake Trailhead area
Status: Camp from an otherwise undisturbed camp
Incident commander: Rachel Petersen

- The camp was at 9,200 feet and contained a pot with 1.5 inches of freeze-dried stew and a spoon left inside.
- Heather’s headlamp activated at 3:17 a.m. on July 9 and entered battery-save mode at 7:17 a.m.
- Gary McCarthy’s dog found the camp just after 7:30 a.m, on July 9 after leaving the McCarthy Trail spur.
- Tracking dogs Beau and Dora independently stopped on the same granite shelf about 400 yards northeast of the tent.
- Investigators found a single size seven lug-sole boot print on a thin strip of dried mud on the shelf, facing back toward the camp.

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.]]>1281falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-the-ledge-dawn-found-questions-left-in-stone--73162510
A single hiking boot, upright and dry, sat four feet above the waterline on a sandstone ledge in a canyon that hadn't seen rain in eleven days - laces tied, tongue straight, toe pointing upstream. How did a methodical, left-handed field biologist who always carried a satellite communicator and wrote pages of daily notes vanish with only that boot left as a clue?

In this episode, you'll hear the timeline of Dawn Green's last confirmed actions and the early search response, with conflicting signs that force a single question: what sequence of choices and misfortune left a boot on a ledge and a woman missing in a narrow sandstone canyon?

Person: Dawn Green
Age: 28
Location: Carver Hollow, Merna County
Last contact: Monday via satellite communicator and field notebook entry
Finder: Debra Nelson at 06:14 on Thursday

- The boot was found upright on a sandstone ledge four feet above the waterline with laces tied and tongue straight.
- The canyon had not seen rain in eleven days, yet the boot was dry and accessible only by wading thigh-deep into the creek.
- Dawn stopped writing in her field notebook after Monday despite usually writing three to four pages per day.
- Dawn missed a 9:15 p.m. Tuesday call to her mother, part of a four-year habit of calls lasting 22 to 35 minutes.
- Search dogs tracked a strong, consistent scent upstream for nearly a mile before reaching a large sandstone boulder the size of an overturned car.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162510Tue, 22 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on the Ledge: Dawn Found, Questions Left in Stone A single hiking boot, upright and dry, sat four feet above the waterline on a sandstone ledge in a canyon that hadn't seen rain in eleven days - laces tied, tongue straight, toe pointing...
A single hiking boot, upright and dry, sat four feet above the waterline on a sandstone ledge in a canyon that hadn't seen rain in eleven days - laces tied, tongue straight, toe pointing upstream. How did a methodical, left-handed field biologist who always carried a satellite communicator and wrote pages of daily notes vanish with only that boot left as a clue?

In this episode, you'll hear the timeline of Dawn Green's last confirmed actions and the early search response, with conflicting signs that force a single question: what sequence of choices and misfortune left a boot on a ledge and a woman missing in a narrow sandstone canyon?

Person: Dawn Green
Age: 28
Location: Carver Hollow, Merna County
Last contact: Monday via satellite communicator and field notebook entry
Finder: Debra Nelson at 06:14 on Thursday

- The boot was found upright on a sandstone ledge four feet above the waterline with laces tied and tongue straight.
- The canyon had not seen rain in eleven days, yet the boot was dry and accessible only by wading thigh-deep into the creek.
- Dawn stopped writing in her field notebook after Monday despite usually writing three to four pages per day.
- Dawn missed a 9:15 p.m. Tuesday call to her mother, part of a four-year habit of calls lasting 22 to 35 minutes.
- Search dogs tracked a strong, consistent scent upstream for nearly a mile before reaching a large sandstone boulder the size of an overturned car.

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© 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.]]>1099falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-the-boulder-how-a-trail-ate-a-man-and-spat-only-clues--73162509
A single hiking boot sat upright on a granite boulder after a night-long rain, laces tied and tongue folded, its interior completely dry while the pine duff around it was soaked - placed there in the dark after 4:10 AM. Who walked out into a storm and left that impossible marker behind, and where did he go?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the last confirmed contact to the first clues found on the trail, presenting the discoveries that redirected the search and the questions they raised about how quickly wilderness can erase a person. Listen as the boot, a tracking dog’s halted trail, and a pair of trekking poles reshape the search: what do those three concrete clues really mean?

Person: Douglas Olson
Date: May 9-10, 2019
Location: Sable Creek, Holt County
Status: Missing
Search lead: Tracking dog Cass followed scent 0.75 miles then stopped

- Olson was 54 years old and had been a high school shop teacher for 22 years.
- He texted his wife at 8:06 AM on May 9: "At the junction, turning north. All good."
- Rain began at 11:40 PM on May 9 and continued until 4:10 AM on May 10.
- A size 11 men's hiking boot, tan midsole and olive-green upper, was found upright on flat granite with a dry interior.
- Two trekking poles were found collapsed and clipped together 30 yards east of the trail, on the far side of a shallow seasonal drainage.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162509Mon, 21 Sep 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on the Boulder: How a Trail Ate a Man and Spat Only Clues A single hiking boot sat upright on a granite boulder after a night-long rain, laces tied and tongue folded, its interior completely dry while the pine duff around it was soaked -...
A single hiking boot sat upright on a granite boulder after a night-long rain, laces tied and tongue folded, its interior completely dry while the pine duff around it was soaked - placed there in the dark after 4:10 AM. Who walked out into a storm and left that impossible marker behind, and where did he go?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the last confirmed contact to the first clues found on the trail, presenting the discoveries that redirected the search and the questions they raised about how quickly wilderness can erase a person. Listen as the boot, a tracking dog’s halted trail, and a pair of trekking poles reshape the search: what do those three concrete clues really mean?

Person: Douglas Olson
Date: May 9-10, 2019
Location: Sable Creek, Holt County
Status: Missing
Search lead: Tracking dog Cass followed scent 0.75 miles then stopped

- Olson was 54 years old and had been a high school shop teacher for 22 years.
- He texted his wife at 8:06 AM on May 9: "At the junction, turning north. All good."
- Rain began at 11:40 PM on May 9 and continued until 4:10 AM on May 10.
- A size 11 men's hiking boot, tan midsole and olive-green upper, was found upright on flat granite with a dry interior.
- Two trekking poles were found collapsed and clipped together 30 yards east of the trail, on the far side of a shallow seasonal drainage.

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.]]>1221falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-upright-boot-what-followed-laura-into-the-silent-meadow--73162507
A single hiking boot stood upright in April grass sixty feet from the access road with no footprints to or from it - and the woman who owned it had been missing for two days. The boot was found before a four-day mountain search rescued Laura Davis alive from a boulder depression at 9,300 feet; what happened in between, and why one piece of evidence never entered the official file, remains unanswered.

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Laura Davis’s filed trip plan through the last confirmed satellite ping and the four-day search that followed, laying out the unexplained moments that connect a powered-off communicator, an upright boot, and a secret piece of evidence; what really happened on the slope above Heron Flat?

Person: Laura Davis
Date: April 11-14, 2019
Location: Heron Flat meadow / upper Pallor Creek tributaries / Mineral County
Status: Found alive; airlifted from a boulder depression at 9,300 feet
Coordinator: Lori Simmons

- Laura filed a single-day trip plan for April 12 to sample nine stations along the upper tributaries of Pallor Creek.
- At 18:17 on April 12, Laura’s satellite communicator recorded a GPS ping approximately 340 meters upslope from Heron Flat near station two.
- At 18:22 on April 12 the communicator shows a deliberate power-off requiring a held button, the last log entry before she was missing for two days.
- Frank Fisher discovered and photographed a single hiking boot standing upright roughly 60 feet from the access road on the morning of April 14.
- Laura was airlifted from a boulder depression at 9,300 feet after a four-day search-and-rescue operation and was wearing one boot when found.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162507Sun, 20 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Upright Boot: What Followed Laura Into the Silent Meadow A single hiking boot stood upright in April grass sixty feet from the access road with no footprints to or from it - and the woman who owned it had been missing for two days. The boot was...
A single hiking boot stood upright in April grass sixty feet from the access road with no footprints to or from it - and the woman who owned it had been missing for two days. The boot was found before a four-day mountain search rescued Laura Davis alive from a boulder depression at 9,300 feet; what happened in between, and why one piece of evidence never entered the official file, remains unanswered.

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Laura Davis’s filed trip plan through the last confirmed satellite ping and the four-day search that followed, laying out the unexplained moments that connect a powered-off communicator, an upright boot, and a secret piece of evidence; what really happened on the slope above Heron Flat?

Person: Laura Davis
Date: April 11-14, 2019
Location: Heron Flat meadow / upper Pallor Creek tributaries / Mineral County
Status: Found alive; airlifted from a boulder depression at 9,300 feet
Coordinator: Lori Simmons

- Laura filed a single-day trip plan for April 12 to sample nine stations along the upper tributaries of Pallor Creek.
- At 18:17 on April 12, Laura’s satellite communicator recorded a GPS ping approximately 340 meters upslope from Heron Flat near station two.
- At 18:22 on April 12 the communicator shows a deliberate power-off requiring a held button, the last log entry before she was missing for two days.
- Frank Fisher discovered and photographed a single hiking boot standing upright roughly 60 feet from the access road on the morning of April 14.
- Laura was airlifted from a boulder depression at 9,300 feet after a four-day search-and-rescue operation and was wearing one boot when found.

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.]]>1207falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boots-on-the-boulder-why-he-vanished-without-a-trace--73162506
Cold, precise, and impossible: a pair of size 10.5 Vasque Breeze hiking boots sat laced and upright on a granite shelf eleven feet above a snowfield with no footprints around the base - and the man who owned them had been missing for six days. How did the boots get there, with three dog teams losing scent at the same spot and a storm erasing the mountain's margins; what did the scene mean for the search?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline and the documented details of the search for Michael Weber, what rescuers recorded, and the strange discovery that refocused an already baffling case; can a ritualized placement of boots be explained by natural forces, human intent, or something else?

Person: Michael Weber
Date: March 8-14, 2019
Location: Talbot Creek trailhead / Pitcher Run drainage / Perdition Ridge
Status: Missing
Observer: Gloria Russo

- At 7:52 AM on March 14, 2019 Gloria Russo photographed a pair of hiking boots placed on a rock shelf eleven feet above the ground.
- The boots were Vasque Breeze, size 10.5, laced and tied, set upright on the boulder.
- Michael Weber had been missing for six days and had signed the Talbot Creek trail register at 7:18 AM the day before his disappearance.
- Three separate search-and-rescue dog teams lost Weber’s scent at exactly the same point where Pitcher Run crosses the Highline Connector, with no degraded signal on either bank.
- A storm on March 10 dropped eight inches of new snow above 8,000 feet over two days, grounding helicopters and covering any prior surface traces.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162506Sat, 19 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoots on the Boulder: Why He Vanished Without a Trace Cold, precise, and impossible: a pair of size 10.5 Vasque Breeze hiking boots sat laced and upright on a granite shelf eleven feet above a snowfield with no footprints around the base - and the...
Cold, precise, and impossible: a pair of size 10.5 Vasque Breeze hiking boots sat laced and upright on a granite shelf eleven feet above a snowfield with no footprints around the base - and the man who owned them had been missing for six days. How did the boots get there, with three dog teams losing scent at the same spot and a storm erasing the mountain's margins; what did the scene mean for the search?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline and the documented details of the search for Michael Weber, what rescuers recorded, and the strange discovery that refocused an already baffling case; can a ritualized placement of boots be explained by natural forces, human intent, or something else?

Person: Michael Weber
Date: March 8-14, 2019
Location: Talbot Creek trailhead / Pitcher Run drainage / Perdition Ridge
Status: Missing
Observer: Gloria Russo

- At 7:52 AM on March 14, 2019 Gloria Russo photographed a pair of hiking boots placed on a rock shelf eleven feet above the ground.
- The boots were Vasque Breeze, size 10.5, laced and tied, set upright on the boulder.
- Michael Weber had been missing for six days and had signed the Talbot Creek trail register at 7:18 AM the day before his disappearance.
- Three separate search-and-rescue dog teams lost Weber’s scent at exactly the same point where Pitcher Run crosses the Highline Connector, with no degraded signal on either bank.
- A storm on March 10 dropped eight inches of new snow above 8,000 feet over two days, grounding helicopters and covering any prior surface traces.

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.]]>1078falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-stopped-eleven-yards-short-the-man-found-hollowed-by-frost--73162504
Cold, precise details - an open truck door, a bloodstained, knotted surgical glove, and two search hounds that stopped exactly eleven yards short of a wind-scoured rock patch - set the scene for a wilderness disappearance that resists ordinary explanation. What caused experienced dogs to refuse to cross that line, and how did a methodical hunter vanish between two known stands in a landscape where nothing is forgiving?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the February ninth discovery of Philip Reynolds’s truck to the search teams entering Morrow-Pines National Forest, tracing the concrete clues left behind and the gaps that remain. Listen as the account moves from the notebook on the passenger seat to the undisturbed snow between Stand A and Stand B - and ask what could explain those missing footsteps.

Person: Philip Reynolds
Date: February 9
Location: Morrow-Pines National Forest
Status: Found alive, hospitalized (account given later at the hospital)
Event: Truck discovered with open driver-side door and bloodstained glove

- Truck discovered at 4:50 AM by sixteen-year-old delivery driver Gordon Farrell
- Notebook recorded return time of 3:00 PM on February 7, about 37 hours before truck was found
- Search report notes two trailing hounds with 11 years combined field experience stopped 11 yards before a rock patch
- Search entered Morrow-Pines at 8:00 AM on February 9; Stand A reached at 9:40 AM with boot prints and a spent brass casing found
- Stand B located about 400 yards west and uphill had smooth, undisturbed snow with no ladder scuffs or boot impressions

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162504Fri, 18 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Stopped Eleven Yards Short: The Man Found Hollowed by Frost Cold, precise details - an open truck door, a bloodstained, knotted surgical glove, and two search hounds that stopped exactly eleven yards short of a wind-scoured rock patch - set...
Cold, precise details - an open truck door, a bloodstained, knotted surgical glove, and two search hounds that stopped exactly eleven yards short of a wind-scoured rock patch - set the scene for a wilderness disappearance that resists ordinary explanation. What caused experienced dogs to refuse to cross that line, and how did a methodical hunter vanish between two known stands in a landscape where nothing is forgiving?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the February ninth discovery of Philip Reynolds’s truck to the search teams entering Morrow-Pines National Forest, tracing the concrete clues left behind and the gaps that remain. Listen as the account moves from the notebook on the passenger seat to the undisturbed snow between Stand A and Stand B - and ask what could explain those missing footsteps.

Person: Philip Reynolds
Date: February 9
Location: Morrow-Pines National Forest
Status: Found alive, hospitalized (account given later at the hospital)
Event: Truck discovered with open driver-side door and bloodstained glove

- Truck discovered at 4:50 AM by sixteen-year-old delivery driver Gordon Farrell
- Notebook recorded return time of 3:00 PM on February 7, about 37 hours before truck was found
- Search report notes two trailing hounds with 11 years combined field experience stopped 11 yards before a rock patch
- Search entered Morrow-Pines at 8:00 AM on February 9; Stand A reached at 9:40 AM with boot prints and a spent brass casing found
- Stand B located about 400 yards west and uphill had smooth, undisturbed snow with no ladder scuffs or boot impressions

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.]]>1211falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-upright-sneaker-how-a-man-vanished-in-plain-snow--73162503
A single white child's sneaker, size four and double-knotted, sat upright and perfectly centered on the shoulder of Forest Route 11 in undisturbed snow at 4:51 a.m., with no tracks to or from it - how did it get there, and why was the man it belonged to later found alive with no memory? This episode centers on that impossible shoe and the thirty-six baffling hours it anchors.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a family rosehip outing to the first search-and-rescue response and the discovery that turned the search uphill; what unfolded on Forest Route 11, and how a standard SAR assumption about non-hikers sent teams the wrong way, is at the heart of the question we keep returning to.

Person: Steven Fitzgerald
Date: January 12-14, 2019
Location: Forest Route 11, Tanner Creek day-use area, Madras, Oregon
Search-and-rescue leader: Alice Lewis
Finder of shoe: Marvin Sullivan

- The sneaker was discovered at 4:51 a.m. on January 14, 2019, by snowplow operator Marvin Sullivan in nine-degree air.
- The shoe was a white child's sneaker with a blue stripe, size four, double-knotted, sitting upright and perfectly centered on the road's edge with no surrounding tracks.
- Steven Fitzgerald, age 26, was last seen around 11:30 a.m. on January 12, 2019, wearing jeans, a cotton hoodie, and white canvas sneakers, and had two beers during the drive up.
- A search-and-rescue team assembled by 2:00 p.m. on January 12 and initially searched downhill drainage corridors based on a statistical model that predicts non-hikers move downhill.
- A quarter-sized smear of blood was found by Pete Ruiz at dusk about a half mile above the day-use area on the uphill shoulder of the road, prompting teams to redirect uphill.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162503Thu, 17 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Upright Sneaker: How a Man Vanished in Plain Snow A single white child's sneaker, size four and double-knotted, sat upright and perfectly centered on the shoulder of Forest Route 11 in undisturbed snow at 4:51 a.m., with no tracks to or from it...
A single white child's sneaker, size four and double-knotted, sat upright and perfectly centered on the shoulder of Forest Route 11 in undisturbed snow at 4:51 a.m., with no tracks to or from it - how did it get there, and why was the man it belonged to later found alive with no memory? This episode centers on that impossible shoe and the thirty-six baffling hours it anchors.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a family rosehip outing to the first search-and-rescue response and the discovery that turned the search uphill; what unfolded on Forest Route 11, and how a standard SAR assumption about non-hikers sent teams the wrong way, is at the heart of the question we keep returning to.

Person: Steven Fitzgerald
Date: January 12-14, 2019
Location: Forest Route 11, Tanner Creek day-use area, Madras, Oregon
Search-and-rescue leader: Alice Lewis
Finder of shoe: Marvin Sullivan

- The sneaker was discovered at 4:51 a.m. on January 14, 2019, by snowplow operator Marvin Sullivan in nine-degree air.
- The shoe was a white child's sneaker with a blue stripe, size four, double-knotted, sitting upright and perfectly centered on the road's edge with no surrounding tracks.
- Steven Fitzgerald, age 26, was last seen around 11:30 a.m. on January 12, 2019, wearing jeans, a cotton hoodie, and white canvas sneakers, and had two beers during the drive up.
- A search-and-rescue team assembled by 2:00 p.m. on January 12 and initially searched downhill drainage corridors based on a statistical model that predicts non-hikers move downhill.
- A quarter-sized smear of blood was found by Pete Ruiz at dusk about a half mile above the day-use area on the uphill shoulder of the road, prompting teams to redirect uphill.

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.]]>1150falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-mug-in-the-frost-why-the-stone-stayed-bare--73162502
The air hit Frances Christensen first - not fresh pine, but an ancient sealed smoke, and at nine forty-five on December 9, 2023 her boots stopped where frost surrendered to a single bare stone holding a dark teal ceramic mug. The Aldrich National Forest had been closed since 2017, six years of no human footprints, yet a handmade mug sat on the only dry surface in a field of frost - why did the frost refuse that one stone?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a utility technician’s detour led a search-and-rescue coordinator, a sheriff’s investigator, two dog handlers and volunteers into terrain closed to the public, and how a string of small facts - a withdrawal, a kiln photo, a packed fire ring - point to a single unresolved question: what happened to Jean Snyder and why was the frost absent beneath that mug?

Person: Frances Christensen
Person: Jean Snyder
Date: December 9, 2023
Location: Aldrich National Forest, Ponderosa Basin
Event: Missing persons investigation elevated December 1, 2023

- Frances paused twelve minutes into her utility route at 9:45 AM on December 9, 2023.
- Aldrich National Forest had been closed to human entry since 2017 (six years).
- Jean had missed ceramics class on November 14 after eleven consecutive years of attendance.
- On November 18 Jean withdrew $300 in cash and bought a sleeping pad, military-grade tarp, and camping stove.
- Dog handlers followed scent to a lava slab at 4,300 feet where the scent abruptly stopped.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162502Wed, 16 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Mug in the Frost: Why the Stone Stayed Bare The air hit Frances Christensen first - not fresh pine, but an ancient sealed smoke, and at nine forty-five on December 9, 2023 her boots stopped where frost surrendered to a single bare stone holding...
The air hit Frances Christensen first - not fresh pine, but an ancient sealed smoke, and at nine forty-five on December 9, 2023 her boots stopped where frost surrendered to a single bare stone holding a dark teal ceramic mug. The Aldrich National Forest had been closed since 2017, six years of no human footprints, yet a handmade mug sat on the only dry surface in a field of frost - why did the frost refuse that one stone?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a utility technician’s detour led a search-and-rescue coordinator, a sheriff’s investigator, two dog handlers and volunteers into terrain closed to the public, and how a string of small facts - a withdrawal, a kiln photo, a packed fire ring - point to a single unresolved question: what happened to Jean Snyder and why was the frost absent beneath that mug?

Person: Frances Christensen
Person: Jean Snyder
Date: December 9, 2023
Location: Aldrich National Forest, Ponderosa Basin
Event: Missing persons investigation elevated December 1, 2023

- Frances paused twelve minutes into her utility route at 9:45 AM on December 9, 2023.
- Aldrich National Forest had been closed to human entry since 2017 (six years).
- Jean had missed ceramics class on November 14 after eleven consecutive years of attendance.
- On November 18 Jean withdrew $300 in cash and bought a sleeping pad, military-grade tarp, and camping stove.
- Dog handlers followed scent to a lava slab at 4,300 feet where the scent abruptly stopped.

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.]]>1266falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-of-the-woods-wearing-someone-else-s-jacket--73162500
Cold, barefoot, and mute in eighteen-degree air, a woman who knew nothing of the trail appeared at the edge of Draper Reservoir wearing a jacket that wasn’t hers - a jacket that would become the strangest clue in a case where a routine life vanishes for four nights. What did the intake photo show that even seasoned searchers couldn’t explain?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of precise events from the morning Cheryl Price disappeared to the moment she walked out of the wilderness, laying out the timeline, the terrain, and the search efforts that began on the wrong side of a ridge. How did Cheryl survive four nights in November in street clothes, and what detail in her intake photograph refuses to line up with the rest of the case?

Person: Cheryl Price
Date: November 6-9, 2019
Location: Draper Reservoir access road / Saguaro Rim trail system / Broken Bench ridge
Status: Walked out alive after four nights
Search coordinator: Steven Burke

- Cheryl had a strict routine feeding a partially paralyzed tortoise named Edison twice daily at 6:45-7:00 AM and 5:00-5:15 PM.
- At 6:27 AM on Tuesday, November 9, 2019, Stanley Holt found a barefoot, conscious, non-speaking woman against a tree at the Draper Reservoir path.
- Cheryl’s last confirmed transactions: 2:14 PM call about calcium supplements, 2:51 PM debit card transaction at Kellerton Pump-N-Go.
- Search teams activated on Saturday, November 7, staged from Saguaro Rim trailhead about two miles from where Cheryl was found, and gridded three square miles over two days with 14 volunteers and two tracking dogs.
- The terrain between the trail system and Draper Reservoir includes roughly four miles of unmaintained ground, two unnamed creek drainages, a talus field, and an 800-foot elevation change with overnight lows near 18°F.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162500Tue, 15 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out of the Woods Wearing Someone Else's Jacket Cold, barefoot, and mute in eighteen-degree air, a woman who knew nothing of the trail appeared at the edge of Draper Reservoir wearing a jacket that wasn’t hers - a jacket that would become...
Cold, barefoot, and mute in eighteen-degree air, a woman who knew nothing of the trail appeared at the edge of Draper Reservoir wearing a jacket that wasn’t hers - a jacket that would become the strangest clue in a case where a routine life vanishes for four nights. What did the intake photo show that even seasoned searchers couldn’t explain?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of precise events from the morning Cheryl Price disappeared to the moment she walked out of the wilderness, laying out the timeline, the terrain, and the search efforts that began on the wrong side of a ridge. How did Cheryl survive four nights in November in street clothes, and what detail in her intake photograph refuses to line up with the rest of the case?

Person: Cheryl Price
Date: November 6-9, 2019
Location: Draper Reservoir access road / Saguaro Rim trail system / Broken Bench ridge
Status: Walked out alive after four nights
Search coordinator: Steven Burke

- Cheryl had a strict routine feeding a partially paralyzed tortoise named Edison twice daily at 6:45-7:00 AM and 5:00-5:15 PM.
- At 6:27 AM on Tuesday, November 9, 2019, Stanley Holt found a barefoot, conscious, non-speaking woman against a tree at the Draper Reservoir path.
- Cheryl’s last confirmed transactions: 2:14 PM call about calcium supplements, 2:51 PM debit card transaction at Kellerton Pump-N-Go.
- Search teams activated on Saturday, November 7, staged from Saguaro Rim trailhead about two miles from where Cheryl was found, and gridded three square miles over two days with 14 volunteers and two tracking dogs.
- The terrain between the trail system and Draper Reservoir includes roughly four miles of unmaintained ground, two unnamed creek drainages, a talus field, and an 800-foot elevation change with overnight lows near 18°F.

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© 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.]]>1173falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-a-line-of-cairns-found-alive-beyond-the-map--73162499
A woman who left eleven precisely built cairns pointing into roadless wilderness was later found alive beyond every map, carrying a backpack with four sealed days of food and a driver's license - so why did she abandon it and keep walking? The cairns were stacked with methodical care, each capped and sorted, and scent dogs followed a trail that turned off the cairn line; what did she know that led her alone into a place not shown on Forest Service maps?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Grant Doyle first saw the cairns to the search teams following them into the Colburn Wilderness, and we trace what Marcia Chambers left behind and what she took with her - how and why did she head toward a granite basin she had visited once, twenty-two years earlier?

Person: Marcia Chambers
Date: October 5-10, 2017
Location: Decker Flat pullout, Colburn Wilderness, Harmon County
Status: Found alive
Event: Eleven cairns leading northeast into roadless wilderness

- Grant Doyle discovered eleven cairns on the morning of October 9, 2017, after driving the stretch for eleven years and seeing nothing like them the day before.
- Marcia Chambers, age 52, worked nineteen years at the Harmon County Assessor's Department and called her sister every Wednesday at 11:15 p.m. for seven years; her last call was October 4.
- A trail camera recorded Marcia's vehicle arriving at the Decker Flat pullout at 2:47 p.m. on October 5, 2017; the card timestamp was not yet reviewed.
- The cairns were each cylindrical with a flat capstone, rocks sorted in descending size, and no chinking; eleven cairns spanned roughly eleven miles on a single inbound bearing.
- At cairn eleven searchers found a green external-frame backpack with buckles fastened containing a sleeping bag, a two-burner camp stove, and four sealed dehydrated food pouches, plus a Washington State driver's license in Marcia's name.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162499Mon, 14 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Left a Line of Cairns - Found Alive Beyond the Map A woman who left eleven precisely built cairns pointing into roadless wilderness was later found alive beyond every map, carrying a backpack with four sealed days of food and a driver's license...
A woman who left eleven precisely built cairns pointing into roadless wilderness was later found alive beyond every map, carrying a backpack with four sealed days of food and a driver's license - so why did she abandon it and keep walking? The cairns were stacked with methodical care, each capped and sorted, and scent dogs followed a trail that turned off the cairn line; what did she know that led her alone into a place not shown on Forest Service maps?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Grant Doyle first saw the cairns to the search teams following them into the Colburn Wilderness, and we trace what Marcia Chambers left behind and what she took with her - how and why did she head toward a granite basin she had visited once, twenty-two years earlier?

Person: Marcia Chambers
Date: October 5-10, 2017
Location: Decker Flat pullout, Colburn Wilderness, Harmon County
Status: Found alive
Event: Eleven cairns leading northeast into roadless wilderness

- Grant Doyle discovered eleven cairns on the morning of October 9, 2017, after driving the stretch for eleven years and seeing nothing like them the day before.
- Marcia Chambers, age 52, worked nineteen years at the Harmon County Assessor's Department and called her sister every Wednesday at 11:15 p.m. for seven years; her last call was October 4.
- A trail camera recorded Marcia's vehicle arriving at the Decker Flat pullout at 2:47 p.m. on October 5, 2017; the card timestamp was not yet reviewed.
- The cairns were each cylindrical with a flat capstone, rocks sorted in descending size, and no chinking; eleven cairns spanned roughly eleven miles on a single inbound bearing.
- At cairn eleven searchers found a green external-frame backpack with buckles fastened containing a sleeping bag, a two-burner camp stove, and four sealed dehydrated food pouches, plus a Washington State driver's license in Marcia's name.

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.]]>1162falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-of-the-mountains-but-the-dogs-said-dead--73162497
Cold and wrong: three cadaver dogs circled a granite shelf for forty minutes and alerted to a place where they later found a boot and a sweater-yet Cheryl Barrett stood alive four and a half miles away with one boot and no memory of the prior eighteen hours. How did scent and objects point to a place that held no body, and what did the scattered items really mean?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Cheryl Barrett’s Thursday hike to the discovery that confused volunteers and handlers alike, tracing the trail, the alerts, and the objects that didn’t fit together. Can the clues-dry boot, wool sweater, water bottle and cadaver dog alerts-reveal what happened that night?

Person: Cheryl Barrett
Date: September 8-9, 2019
Location: Copperline South trailhead to granite shelf at 7,300 ft
Status: Found alive
Witness: Phil Arndt (cadaver dog handler)

- Cheryl Barrett was 44 years old in the fall of 2019 and left a note saying she would be back by 3:30 PM.
- A Vasque Breeze mid women's size 8 right boot with laces tied was found on a boulder at mile marker 4 with no mud on it.
- Three trained Belgian Malinois cadaver dogs alerted on a granite shelf at 7,300 feet and circled for forty minutes.
- A dark green wool sweater had the boot placed neatly on top and was found in a dry creek channel with undisturbed silt.
- Cheryl’s water bottle with her clinic’s sticker was found wedged in talus 600 feet below the shelf, about a quarter mile from any expected route.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162497Sun, 13 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out of the Mountains-But the Dogs Said Dead Cold and wrong: three cadaver dogs circled a granite shelf for forty minutes and alerted to a place where they later found a boot and a sweater-yet Cheryl Barrett stood alive four and a half...
Cold and wrong: three cadaver dogs circled a granite shelf for forty minutes and alerted to a place where they later found a boot and a sweater-yet Cheryl Barrett stood alive four and a half miles away with one boot and no memory of the prior eighteen hours. How did scent and objects point to a place that held no body, and what did the scattered items really mean?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Cheryl Barrett’s Thursday hike to the discovery that confused volunteers and handlers alike, tracing the trail, the alerts, and the objects that didn’t fit together. Can the clues-dry boot, wool sweater, water bottle and cadaver dog alerts-reveal what happened that night?

Person: Cheryl Barrett
Date: September 8-9, 2019
Location: Copperline South trailhead to granite shelf at 7,300 ft
Status: Found alive
Witness: Phil Arndt (cadaver dog handler)

- Cheryl Barrett was 44 years old in the fall of 2019 and left a note saying she would be back by 3:30 PM.
- A Vasque Breeze mid women's size 8 right boot with laces tied was found on a boulder at mile marker 4 with no mud on it.
- Three trained Belgian Malinois cadaver dogs alerted on a granite shelf at 7,300 feet and circled for forty minutes.
- A dark green wool sweater had the boot placed neatly on top and was found in a dry creek channel with undisturbed silt.
- Cheryl’s water bottle with her clinic’s sticker was found wedged in talus 600 feet below the shelf, about a quarter mile from any expected route.

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.]]>1142falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-came-back-with-her-poles-but-the-marks-were-new--73162496
A pair of trekking poles stood perfectly upright in the silt of Callow Run drainage, grips level and one labeled HUNT, eleven miles from the nearest maintained trail - placed deliberately in a spot that saw no foot traffic. The poles were found at 6:40 a.m, on August 14, 2019, and by 11:20 a.m. the woman whose name matched the grip was alive; so who set the poles, and why were they left as a signal in a remote canyon?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and forensics from Paula Hunt’s logged permit on August 11 through the storm on August 12, the discovery of the poles at 6:40 a.m., and the bloodhound Wick’s tracking that ended at a tight terminus; what the episode covers is the turning point at the Elbow Lake junction and the unanswered question of who placed the poles and where they went.

Person: Paula Hunt
Date: August 11-14, 2019
Location: Callow Run drainage, Sutter Wilderness
Event: Discovery of trekking poles and scent tracking
Team: SAR crew led by Donald Thorpe

- Trekking poles found upright in silt at 6:40 a.m. on August 14, 2019, grips level and stenciled HUNT.
- Paula Hunt had been missing for 31 hours when the poles were found and was located alive by 11:20 a.m. the same day.
- Paula entered Sutter North gate on August 11 with a current permit and had entered Sutter Wilderness solo 14 times before this trip.
- Cobble Ridge camp was 6.4 miles in and showed no signs of panic; footprints continued northeast to the Elbow Lake junction then turned west onto an unmaintained use-path.
- Bloodhound Wick tracked a live scent from the poles for approximately 300 yards, then climbed 60 vertical feet to a spot where he circled three times and lay down, marking a terminus.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162496Sat, 12 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Came Back with Her Poles-But the Marks Were New A pair of trekking poles stood perfectly upright in the silt of Callow Run drainage, grips level and one labeled HUNT, eleven miles from the nearest maintained trail - placed deliberately in a...
A pair of trekking poles stood perfectly upright in the silt of Callow Run drainage, grips level and one labeled HUNT, eleven miles from the nearest maintained trail - placed deliberately in a spot that saw no foot traffic. The poles were found at 6:40 a.m, on August 14, 2019, and by 11:20 a.m. the woman whose name matched the grip was alive; so who set the poles, and why were they left as a signal in a remote canyon?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and forensics from Paula Hunt’s logged permit on August 11 through the storm on August 12, the discovery of the poles at 6:40 a.m., and the bloodhound Wick’s tracking that ended at a tight terminus; what the episode covers is the turning point at the Elbow Lake junction and the unanswered question of who placed the poles and where they went.

Person: Paula Hunt
Date: August 11-14, 2019
Location: Callow Run drainage, Sutter Wilderness
Event: Discovery of trekking poles and scent tracking
Team: SAR crew led by Donald Thorpe

- Trekking poles found upright in silt at 6:40 a.m. on August 14, 2019, grips level and stenciled HUNT.
- Paula Hunt had been missing for 31 hours when the poles were found and was located alive by 11:20 a.m. the same day.
- Paula entered Sutter North gate on August 11 with a current permit and had entered Sutter Wilderness solo 14 times before this trip.
- Cobble Ridge camp was 6.4 miles in and showed no signs of panic; footprints continued northeast to the Elbow Lake junction then turned west onto an unmaintained use-path.
- Bloodhound Wick tracked a live scent from the poles for approximately 300 yards, then climbed 60 vertical feet to a spot where he circled three times and lay down, marking a terminus.

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.]]>1368falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-logbook-at-the-river-how-a-lookout-vanished-from-her-cab--73162495
A dry green logbook with intact ink and a final entry reading "All clear. - D. Andrews" was found wedged at the waterline four thousand feet below a tower, while the fourteen-by-fourteen-foot cab on Cutter Peak sat locked and empty with the cot made and the fire finder aimed-how did the logbook reach the river before anyone even knew to look for it, and what did searchers find inside that cab that deepened the mystery?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and physical evidence recovered from Cutter Peak and the Sawmill Fork drainage to show what happened in the narrow window between Denise Andrews’s last radio sign-off and the next morning, and we follow the clues that force the question: did she leave the tower in daylight or after dark, and where did she go?

Person: Denise Andrews
Date: July 8-9, 2019
Location: Cutter Peak cab and Sawmill Fork riverbank
Status: Missing (cab entered July 9)
Case: Logbook found at river four air miles and ~4,000 feet below tower

- The green logbook was found wedged against a stake at the waterline on July 9, 2019, dry with intact ink and last entry signed "- D. Andrews."
- Cutter Peak cab measures 14 by 14 feet and sits about 4,200 feet above the Sawmill Fork drainage, accessed by a three-mile switchback trail.
- Andrews completed her evening radio report at 18:42 on July 8, 2019; the transmission was clear and logged by dispatcher Sandra Wills.
- When searchers entered the cab at 14:20 on July 9, they found a pot of lentil soup on the stove at room temperature and both headlamps in the closet, the primary lamp charged and functional.
- Dog teams worked the Bench for 22 minutes starting at 13:47 on July 9 and recorded that the scent trail ended where the granite shelf began, redirecting the search downhill.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162495Fri, 11 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Logbook at the River: How a Lookout Vanished from Her Cab A dry green logbook with intact ink and a final entry reading "All clear. - D. Andrews" was found wedged at the waterline four thousand feet below a tower, while the...
A dry green logbook with intact ink and a final entry reading "All clear. - D. Andrews" was found wedged at the waterline four thousand feet below a tower, while the fourteen-by-fourteen-foot cab on Cutter Peak sat locked and empty with the cot made and the fire finder aimed-how did the logbook reach the river before anyone even knew to look for it, and what did searchers find inside that cab that deepened the mystery?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and physical evidence recovered from Cutter Peak and the Sawmill Fork drainage to show what happened in the narrow window between Denise Andrews’s last radio sign-off and the next morning, and we follow the clues that force the question: did she leave the tower in daylight or after dark, and where did she go?

Person: Denise Andrews
Date: July 8-9, 2019
Location: Cutter Peak cab and Sawmill Fork riverbank
Status: Missing (cab entered July 9)
Case: Logbook found at river four air miles and ~4,000 feet below tower

- The green logbook was found wedged against a stake at the waterline on July 9, 2019, dry with intact ink and last entry signed "- D. Andrews."
- Cutter Peak cab measures 14 by 14 feet and sits about 4,200 feet above the Sawmill Fork drainage, accessed by a three-mile switchback trail.
- Andrews completed her evening radio report at 18:42 on July 8, 2019; the transmission was clear and logged by dispatcher Sandra Wills.
- When searchers entered the cab at 14:20 on July 9, they found a pot of lentil soup on the stove at room temperature and both headlamps in the closet, the primary lamp charged and functional.
- Dog teams worked the Bench for 22 minutes starting at 13:47 on July 9 and recorded that the scent trail ended where the granite shelf began, redirecting the search downhill.

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.]]>1260falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-the-rock-how-one-hiker-vanished-for-four-days--73162493
A lone boot stood upright on a granite rock, laces tied and tongue folded, sixty-one yards from the road and reachable only by crossing a guardrail and climbing loose shale - yet the woman it belonged to had been found alive four days earlier miles away with no memory. What else about the Crestfall Trail that day resists explanation, and why was a simple shoe never mentioned in the final report?

In this episode, we follow the timeline, eyewitness accounts, and the GPS evidence surrounding Kimberly Zimmerman and the Crestfall Trail to outline the unresolved anomalies from that June day. Which details - the orange zipper pull, conflicting hiker reports, and a stopped GPS track - point to a stray error and which point to something stranger?

Person: Kimberly Zimmerman
Date: June 17, 2011
Location: Crestfall Trail, Ridgecroft County
Status: Found alive after four days
Coordinator: Connie Dempsey

- Zimmerman signed the Crestfall Trailhead register at 7:02 AM with planned return 3:30 PM.
- Her GPS recorded arrival at the Shelf at 10:43 AM and start of return at 11:09 AM.
- At 1:55 PM the GPS track shifted ~40 feet east toward a drainage channel, then stopped recording movement.
- Two separate groups of hikers aided an injured woman who said her name was Kim at ~4:00-4:35 PM and later at 4:43 PM.
- Witnesses independently reported a bright orange zipper pull on the woman's backpack, but Zimmerman's pack had no exterior orange pull - only an interior orange carabiner.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162493Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on the Rock: How One Hiker Vanished for Four Days A lone boot stood upright on a granite rock, laces tied and tongue folded, sixty-one yards from the road and reachable only by crossing a guardrail and climbing loose shale - yet the woman...
A lone boot stood upright on a granite rock, laces tied and tongue folded, sixty-one yards from the road and reachable only by crossing a guardrail and climbing loose shale - yet the woman it belonged to had been found alive four days earlier miles away with no memory. What else about the Crestfall Trail that day resists explanation, and why was a simple shoe never mentioned in the final report?

In this episode, we follow the timeline, eyewitness accounts, and the GPS evidence surrounding Kimberly Zimmerman and the Crestfall Trail to outline the unresolved anomalies from that June day. Which details - the orange zipper pull, conflicting hiker reports, and a stopped GPS track - point to a stray error and which point to something stranger?

Person: Kimberly Zimmerman
Date: June 17, 2011
Location: Crestfall Trail, Ridgecroft County
Status: Found alive after four days
Coordinator: Connie Dempsey

- Zimmerman signed the Crestfall Trailhead register at 7:02 AM with planned return 3:30 PM.
- Her GPS recorded arrival at the Shelf at 10:43 AM and start of return at 11:09 AM.
- At 1:55 PM the GPS track shifted ~40 feet east toward a drainage channel, then stopped recording movement.
- Two separate groups of hikers aided an injured woman who said her name was Kim at ~4:00-4:35 PM and later at 4:43 PM.
- Witnesses independently reported a bright orange zipper pull on the woman's backpack, but Zimmerman's pack had no exterior orange pull - only an interior orange carabiner.

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.]]>1264falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-was-alive-but-her-beacon-was-broadcasting-silence--73162492
A beacon sat in a parking lot for seven days broadcasting the search frequency-four hundred and fifty-seven kilohertz-but no rescuers heard the signal meant to bring Megan Mills home. A chain of ordinary moments-a toggle switch, a kiosk post, a stranger by a creek-turned a lifesaving device into silence; how did the one tool designed to find her end up pointing rescuers in the wrong direction?

In this episode, we follow the seven days after Megan Mills disappeared into the Colorado backcountry and the search that unfolded on assumptions and missed signals. Listen to how a careful planner with seven seasons of backcountry experience became the center of a search that took nearly a week to pivot-what detail changed everything?

Person: Megan Mills
Date: May 1, 2019
Location: Ridgeback Approach, Crook Pass, Arrowheel Plateau, Cotter County, Colorado
Status: Missing for seven days before beacon detail altered search
Animal: Ajax the bloodhound tracked two miles then stopped at the saddle

- Megan Mills drove ninety miles north from Denton on the morning of May 1, 2019.
- A gas station clerk named Dennis Fay saw her carry skis inside and estimated she was gone within ten minutes.
- She was thirty-eight years old and worked as a structural engineer with seven seasons of backcountry travel.
- Her Mammut Barryvox beacon was set to transmit at the trailhead and its empty case was visible on the back seat of her locked Subaru.
- A black-and-orange avalanche beacon attached to the kiosk post emitted a steady 457 kilohertz pulse-the search frequency-while she was missing.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162492Wed, 09 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Was Alive But Her Beacon Was Broadcasting Silence A beacon sat in a parking lot for seven days broadcasting the search frequency-four hundred and fifty-seven kilohertz-but no rescuers heard the signal meant to bring Megan Mills home. A chain of...
A beacon sat in a parking lot for seven days broadcasting the search frequency-four hundred and fifty-seven kilohertz-but no rescuers heard the signal meant to bring Megan Mills home. A chain of ordinary moments-a toggle switch, a kiosk post, a stranger by a creek-turned a lifesaving device into silence; how did the one tool designed to find her end up pointing rescuers in the wrong direction?

In this episode, we follow the seven days after Megan Mills disappeared into the Colorado backcountry and the search that unfolded on assumptions and missed signals. Listen to how a careful planner with seven seasons of backcountry experience became the center of a search that took nearly a week to pivot-what detail changed everything?

Person: Megan Mills
Date: May 1, 2019
Location: Ridgeback Approach, Crook Pass, Arrowheel Plateau, Cotter County, Colorado
Status: Missing for seven days before beacon detail altered search
Animal: Ajax the bloodhound tracked two miles then stopped at the saddle

- Megan Mills drove ninety miles north from Denton on the morning of May 1, 2019.
- A gas station clerk named Dennis Fay saw her carry skis inside and estimated she was gone within ten minutes.
- She was thirty-eight years old and worked as a structural engineer with seven seasons of backcountry travel.
- Her Mammut Barryvox beacon was set to transmit at the trailhead and its empty case was visible on the back seat of her locked Subaru.
- A black-and-orange avalanche beacon attached to the kiosk post emitted a steady 457 kilohertz pulse-the search frequency-while she was missing.

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.]]>1135falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-wrote-after-the-search-started-three-days-alone-in-snowmelt--73162490
Mud-slick roots, a trekking pole propped at a forty-five degree angle, and a journal found bone-dry after a week of spring snowmelt - yet the writer kept adding entries after the search began. The journal records precise mileage, a blister on her right heel, and a last entry dated April 12 while her Subaru and permit sat untouched at the trailhead; how did April Novak spend three days within a quarter mile of the trail and keep writing as help looked for her?

In this episode, we follow the chronological trail from April Novak’s predictable life in Carver to the moment her permit and car were found and the search began, then read what her own handwriting reveals about the three days that followed. What do the journal’s dry pages and deliberate notes tell us about where she was and what she did?

Person: April Novak
Location: Lander Flat and Crestfall Rim Loop
Date: Entries from April 5 to last entry dated April 12; journal found April 14
Event: Missing person search began April 9; trekking pole found April 11
Status: Journal placed in evidence storage in Carver

- Age 62, retired occupational therapist, lived on Fenwick Street in Carver for 21 years
- Left for trail with valid permit and a sleeping bag rated to 20°F; Subaru Forester with cracked left tail lens left at trailhead
- Search assembled April 9 with eight team members including handler Pete Scholl with Belgian Malinois Gus and Vera Castillo with bloodhound Weston
- Dogs tracked scent roughly two miles to Spindle Creek Ford and stopped at the far bank, circling for 40 minutes
- Trekking pole found April 11 propped against a lodgepole pine on Lander Flat leaning at approximately 45 degrees

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162490Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Wrote After the Search Started: Three Days Alone in Snowmelt Mud-slick roots, a trekking pole propped at a forty-five degree angle, and a journal found bone-dry after a week of spring snowmelt - yet the writer kept adding entries after the...
Mud-slick roots, a trekking pole propped at a forty-five degree angle, and a journal found bone-dry after a week of spring snowmelt - yet the writer kept adding entries after the search began. The journal records precise mileage, a blister on her right heel, and a last entry dated April 12 while her Subaru and permit sat untouched at the trailhead; how did April Novak spend three days within a quarter mile of the trail and keep writing as help looked for her?

In this episode, we follow the chronological trail from April Novak’s predictable life in Carver to the moment her permit and car were found and the search began, then read what her own handwriting reveals about the three days that followed. What do the journal’s dry pages and deliberate notes tell us about where she was and what she did?

Person: April Novak
Location: Lander Flat and Crestfall Rim Loop
Date: Entries from April 5 to last entry dated April 12; journal found April 14
Event: Missing person search began April 9; trekking pole found April 11
Status: Journal placed in evidence storage in Carver

- Age 62, retired occupational therapist, lived on Fenwick Street in Carver for 21 years
- Left for trail with valid permit and a sleeping bag rated to 20°F; Subaru Forester with cracked left tail lens left at trailhead
- Search assembled April 9 with eight team members including handler Pete Scholl with Belgian Malinois Gus and Vera Castillo with bloodhound Weston
- Dogs tracked scent roughly two miles to Spindle Creek Ford and stopped at the far bank, circling for 40 minutes
- Trekking pole found April 11 propped against a lodgepole pine on Lander Flat leaning at approximately 45 degrees

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.]]>1367falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-came-down-from-the-rim-the-map-that-shouldn-t-be-there--73162489
Cold precision: a folded topographic map, a single right-hand wool glove, and four inches of fresh snow - but none on the map or glove. A cartographic technician left a minute-by-minute navigational log from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., then the map turned up at a locked gate 2,800 feet below her campsite; how did she traverse 2,500 vertical feet of stormed mountain and leave such deliberate evidence?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of items, timestamps, and measurements left at the scene to understand what the physical record actually says and what it implies about movement on the mountain. Was Patricia following a plan she wrote in pencil, or was the mountain writing its own story?

Person: Patricia Williams
Age: 26
Location: Wren Basin plateau and locked forest gate
Date: March 18-19, 2017
Item: Topographic map with seven entries spaced 30 minutes apart

- Four inches of fresh snow covered the area around the bivouac sack while the sack itself had zero snow accumulation.
- The bivouac sack was found at a locked forest gate at 2,800 feet, while Patricia's campsite was at 5,300 feet.
- The map contained seven pencil entries, each spaced exactly 30 minutes, recording compass bearings, distances in tenths of a mile, and the capital letter "S."
- Patricia left camp voluntarily on the evening of March 18 and recorded movement from 7:00 p.m. through 1:00 a.m.
- Vernon Phillips, a 31-year search veteran, noted "That's the wrong end" at 6:15 a.m. on March 19 when he saw photos of the scene.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162489Mon, 07 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Came Down From the Rim - The Map That Shouldn't Be There Cold precision: a folded topographic map, a single right-hand wool glove, and four inches of fresh snow - but none on the map or glove. A cartographic technician left a minute-by-minute...
Cold precision: a folded topographic map, a single right-hand wool glove, and four inches of fresh snow - but none on the map or glove. A cartographic technician left a minute-by-minute navigational log from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., then the map turned up at a locked gate 2,800 feet below her campsite; how did she traverse 2,500 vertical feet of stormed mountain and leave such deliberate evidence?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of items, timestamps, and measurements left at the scene to understand what the physical record actually says and what it implies about movement on the mountain. Was Patricia following a plan she wrote in pencil, or was the mountain writing its own story?

Person: Patricia Williams
Age: 26
Location: Wren Basin plateau and locked forest gate
Date: March 18-19, 2017
Item: Topographic map with seven entries spaced 30 minutes apart

- Four inches of fresh snow covered the area around the bivouac sack while the sack itself had zero snow accumulation.
- The bivouac sack was found at a locked forest gate at 2,800 feet, while Patricia's campsite was at 5,300 feet.
- The map contained seven pencil entries, each spaced exactly 30 minutes, recording compass bearings, distances in tenths of a mile, and the capital letter "S."
- Patricia left camp voluntarily on the evening of March 18 and recorded movement from 7:00 p.m. through 1:00 a.m.
- Vernon Phillips, a 31-year search veteran, noted "That's the wrong end" at 6:15 a.m. on March 19 when he saw photos of the scene.

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.]]>1152falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-that-walked-away-survival-cold-and-the-ridge-s-secret--73162487
A single hiking boot stood upright on a wind-smoothed shoulder with its laces tied, four and a half miles from where a meticulous geology professor was last seen - and there were no footprints, no drag marks, no disturbance. The boot belonged to Crystal Marshall, missing five days before she was found alive nine days later; how did a careful woman vanish across broken ridgeline terrain and leave only a boot as a clue?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the search operations, and the odd physical evidence left on Caldwell Ridge, asking whether the ridge itself or something unseen changed the rules of movement that February week.

Person: Crystal Marshall
Date: February 4-13, 2019
Location: Caldwell Ridge / Pennock Talus Field / Ridgetop trailhead
Status: Found alive after nine days
Occupation: Geology professor at Westin College

- At 4:51 AM on February 9, 2019, a road-grader operator found Crystal’s hiking boot standing upright with laces tied on the western boundary road.
- Crystal was reported missing for five days before the boot was discovered and was found alive nine days after she disappeared.
- Crystal signed the trail register at approximately 2:17 PM on February 4 listing Pennock Talus Field as her destination with an expected return of 5:00 PM.
- Ranger Paul Hensley found Crystal’s Subaru in the parking lot at 7:00 PM with the engine still faintly warm, two hours after her expected return.
- Search dog teams tracked Crystal’s scent for three miles toward the talus approach but the scent stopped abruptly at a trail junction with no further alerts.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162487Sun, 06 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot That Walked Away: Survival, Cold, and the Ridge's Secret A single hiking boot stood upright on a wind-smoothed shoulder with its laces tied, four and a half miles from where a meticulous geology professor was last seen - and there were no...
A single hiking boot stood upright on a wind-smoothed shoulder with its laces tied, four and a half miles from where a meticulous geology professor was last seen - and there were no footprints, no drag marks, no disturbance. The boot belonged to Crystal Marshall, missing five days before she was found alive nine days later; how did a careful woman vanish across broken ridgeline terrain and leave only a boot as a clue?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the search operations, and the odd physical evidence left on Caldwell Ridge, asking whether the ridge itself or something unseen changed the rules of movement that February week.

Person: Crystal Marshall
Date: February 4-13, 2019
Location: Caldwell Ridge / Pennock Talus Field / Ridgetop trailhead
Status: Found alive after nine days
Occupation: Geology professor at Westin College

- At 4:51 AM on February 9, 2019, a road-grader operator found Crystal’s hiking boot standing upright with laces tied on the western boundary road.
- Crystal was reported missing for five days before the boot was discovered and was found alive nine days after she disappeared.
- Crystal signed the trail register at approximately 2:17 PM on February 4 listing Pennock Talus Field as her destination with an expected return of 5:00 PM.
- Ranger Paul Hensley found Crystal’s Subaru in the parking lot at 7:00 PM with the engine still faintly warm, two hours after her expected return.
- Search dog teams tracked Crystal’s scent for three miles toward the talus approach but the scent stopped abruptly at a trail junction with no further alerts.

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.]]>1185falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/found-alive-at-nine-degrees-the-ice-cleats-nobody-left--73162479
Cold enough to kill, yet a man survived six nights outdoors and was found with one sock-no footprints and a pair of ice cleats lying alone in the middle of a deserted service road 2.3 miles from where he vanished. The incident commander with eleven years of mountain search experience could not explain the depression in the snow around the cleats or how he lasted nights in single-digit Fahrenheit; how did Harvey Simpson endure, and what happened between 2 PM and the moment he was found?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a January fishing trip to a nine-day search and the eventual discovery, laying out the evidence and the unexplained details that remain: the wet-but-folded jacket, a wading staff left in the water, the dogs’ trail that ends at a basalt ledge, and the mysterious cleats in the road-what do these facts add up to?

Person: Harvey Simpson
Age: 32
Date missing: January 3
Location found: willows beside a service road, 2.3 miles downstream from Saddler Creek pullout
Incident commander experience: 11 years

- Harvey Simpson was found unconscious after six days outdoors in temperatures of nine degrees Fahrenheit.
- He wore a fishing vest, a flannel shirt, one wool sock on his left foot, and nothing on his right.
- A pair of ice cleats lay in the center of a service road 2.3 miles from where he vanished, with no boot prints or tire tracks around them.
- His orange Carhartt jacket was folded dry on a rock above the waterline near the Elbow where he was last seen at about 2 PM.
- Search lasted nine days with nineteen searchers, a helicopter with thermal imaging, and trained scent dogs whose trail stopped at a basalt ledge jutting two feet over the water.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162479Sat, 05 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaFound Alive at Nine Degrees: The Ice Cleats Nobody Left Cold enough to kill, yet a man survived six nights outdoors and was found with one sock-no footprints and a pair of ice cleats lying alone in the middle of a deserted service road 2.3 miles...
Cold enough to kill, yet a man survived six nights outdoors and was found with one sock-no footprints and a pair of ice cleats lying alone in the middle of a deserted service road 2.3 miles from where he vanished. The incident commander with eleven years of mountain search experience could not explain the depression in the snow around the cleats or how he lasted nights in single-digit Fahrenheit; how did Harvey Simpson endure, and what happened between 2 PM and the moment he was found?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a January fishing trip to a nine-day search and the eventual discovery, laying out the evidence and the unexplained details that remain: the wet-but-folded jacket, a wading staff left in the water, the dogs’ trail that ends at a basalt ledge, and the mysterious cleats in the road-what do these facts add up to?

Person: Harvey Simpson
Age: 32
Date missing: January 3
Location found: willows beside a service road, 2.3 miles downstream from Saddler Creek pullout
Incident commander experience: 11 years

- Harvey Simpson was found unconscious after six days outdoors in temperatures of nine degrees Fahrenheit.
- He wore a fishing vest, a flannel shirt, one wool sock on his left foot, and nothing on his right.
- A pair of ice cleats lay in the center of a service road 2.3 miles from where he vanished, with no boot prints or tire tracks around them.
- His orange Carhartt jacket was folded dry on a rock above the waterline near the Elbow where he was last seen at about 2 PM.
- Search lasted nine days with nineteen searchers, a helicopter with thermal imaging, and trained scent dogs whose trail stopped at a basalt ledge jutting two feet over the water.

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.]]>1150falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-came-back-with-one-boot-the-millrace-mudprint-mystery--73162477
A woman on her morning run found two child-sized handprints pressed perfectly into clay at the water's edge, and twelve hours earlier a middle-aged man vanished on a familiar route with his car parked at the pullout and keys on the floor - so how did a single size 10½ oxford bootprint, toe-deep and heel-light, become the only trace in the muddy strip below the culvert? What happened in the basalt-walled mile of Millrace Creek where there is no bank and the water "makes every decision for you"?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Douglas Cook's last drive north from Cedarview through the discovery at the Garnet Road pullout, the search activation after Beverly Sanders' find, and the confusing forensic clues at the Elbow and below the culvert that shifted the investigation downstream; can the lone boot impression and delayed handprint identification reveal what really occurred that December week?

Person: Douglas Cook
Date: December 7-9, 2021
Location: Millrace Creek, Garnet Road pullout, Tillard County, Oregon
Status: Missing person report filed; search activated
Other Person: Tracy Odom's five-year-old daughter (handprints made December 7)

- Douglas Cook left Cedarview at approximately 2:30 PM on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, and never made it home.
- Beverly Sanders discovered two small child-sized handprints at the Elbow at 6:15 AM on December 9, 2021.
- A deputy found Douglas's Subaru parked at the Garnet Road pullout at 7:40 PM on December 8, 2021, with the engine cold and keys on the floor.
- Forensic technician Owen Reyes confirmed the Elbow prints were consistent with a child between four and six years old by 9:00 AM on December 9, 2021.
- A single right-foot boot impression, size 10½ oxford, was found 14 feet downstream from the Garnet Road culvert with the toe pressed nearly 0.5 inches deeper than the heel.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162477Fri, 04 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Came Back With One Boot: The Millrace Mudprint Mystery A woman on her morning run found two child-sized handprints pressed perfectly into clay at the water's edge, and twelve hours earlier a middle-aged man vanished on a familiar route with his...
A woman on her morning run found two child-sized handprints pressed perfectly into clay at the water's edge, and twelve hours earlier a middle-aged man vanished on a familiar route with his car parked at the pullout and keys on the floor - so how did a single size 10½ oxford bootprint, toe-deep and heel-light, become the only trace in the muddy strip below the culvert? What happened in the basalt-walled mile of Millrace Creek where there is no bank and the water "makes every decision for you"?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Douglas Cook's last drive north from Cedarview through the discovery at the Garnet Road pullout, the search activation after Beverly Sanders' find, and the confusing forensic clues at the Elbow and below the culvert that shifted the investigation downstream; can the lone boot impression and delayed handprint identification reveal what really occurred that December week?

Person: Douglas Cook
Date: December 7-9, 2021
Location: Millrace Creek, Garnet Road pullout, Tillard County, Oregon
Status: Missing person report filed; search activated
Other Person: Tracy Odom's five-year-old daughter (handprints made December 7)

- Douglas Cook left Cedarview at approximately 2:30 PM on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, and never made it home.
- Beverly Sanders discovered two small child-sized handprints at the Elbow at 6:15 AM on December 9, 2021.
- A deputy found Douglas's Subaru parked at the Garnet Road pullout at 7:40 PM on December 8, 2021, with the engine cold and keys on the floor.
- Forensic technician Owen Reyes confirmed the Elbow prints were consistent with a child between four and six years old by 9:00 AM on December 9, 2021.
- A single right-foot boot impression, size 10½ oxford, was found 14 feet downstream from the Garnet Road culvert with the toe pressed nearly 0.5 inches deeper than the heel.

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.]]>1248falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-like-morning-light-found-where-bones-couldn-t-reach--73162476
The moment a trail camera caught a woman walking south through the Oregon backcountry at 6:22 a.m. on November 17, she looked like someone finishing a morning walk - steady, silent, hands down - even though she had been missing for nine days in temperatures that dropped to 19°F. The footage contradicts her injuries and one piece of evidence points to a location she could not have physically reached; how did Ruth Young end up where the evidence says she was?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline of Ruth Young’s hike, the search that followed, and the specific evidence found along her route, leading to the unresolved question of how her movements fit the injuries and terrain she traversed.

Person: Ruth Young
Date: November 8-17, 2019
Location: Hutton Creek Trail / Greel Meadow, Hatchett County, Oregon
Status: Rescued after nine days missing (found alive on November 17)
Lead Search Coordinator: Valerie Underwood

- Trail camera recorded a woman walking south at 6:22 a.m, on November 17.
- Ruth had been missing for nine days and spent nights with temperatures as low as 19°F.
- A scent trail and a size seven women’s boot print were found two miles in on Hutton Creek Trail before a rocky ford.
- A trekking pole basket, orange and rubber, was found about 1.5 miles past the main trail, indicating travel east off the corridor.
- Ruth’s tent was found on day six in Greel Meadow with the sleeping bag pushed aside, a half-eaten granola bar, and the pack missing.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162476Thu, 03 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Like Morning Light - Found Where Bones Couldn't Reach The moment a trail camera caught a woman walking south through the Oregon backcountry at 6:22 a.m. on November 17, she looked like someone finishing a morning walk - steady, silent,...
The moment a trail camera caught a woman walking south through the Oregon backcountry at 6:22 a.m. on November 17, she looked like someone finishing a morning walk - steady, silent, hands down - even though she had been missing for nine days in temperatures that dropped to 19°F. The footage contradicts her injuries and one piece of evidence points to a location she could not have physically reached; how did Ruth Young end up where the evidence says she was?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline of Ruth Young’s hike, the search that followed, and the specific evidence found along her route, leading to the unresolved question of how her movements fit the injuries and terrain she traversed.

Person: Ruth Young
Date: November 8-17, 2019
Location: Hutton Creek Trail / Greel Meadow, Hatchett County, Oregon
Status: Rescued after nine days missing (found alive on November 17)
Lead Search Coordinator: Valerie Underwood

- Trail camera recorded a woman walking south at 6:22 a.m, on November 17.
- Ruth had been missing for nine days and spent nights with temperatures as low as 19°F.
- A scent trail and a size seven women’s boot print were found two miles in on Hutton Creek Trail before a rocky ford.
- A trekking pole basket, orange and rubber, was found about 1.5 miles past the main trail, indicating travel east off the corridor.
- Ruth’s tent was found on day six in Greel Meadow with the sleeping bag pushed aside, a half-eaten granola bar, and the pack missing.

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.]]>1217falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-upright-boot-how-brenda-vanished-above-eight-thousand-feet--73162474
A single right-footed hunting boot stood upright on a folding camp table with a clean sole and tied laces while the owner had been missing for roughly twenty hours - how did it get there with no tracks approaching or leaving? The boot, a dry interior, and a sealed right wool sock found in a pack tell a precise, unsettling story; why did four trained trailing dogs all lose Brenda's scent on the same open ground forty yards south of a boulder field?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Garnet Drainage trailhead through the first thirty-six hours of search operations, presenting the discovered evidence, the people involved, and the loss point that defined the search; what explanation can reconcile Brenda's experience as an experienced hunter and the baffling physical clues?

Person: Brenda Price
Age: 28
Date: October 12-14 (search discovery on October 14)
Location: Garnet Drainage, Blackthorn National Forest, above eight thousand feet
Finder: Ralph Myers, 63, volunteer with Trinity Lutheran Church outdoor ministry

- Brenda had hunted elk in similar terrain since age 19 and had taken seven elk over seven seasons.
- Brenda filed the route and signed the backcountry register at 6:20 AM on October 13 alongside Greg Ostrowski and Tom Vanek.
- By 3:15 PM on October 13, Greg and Tom returned to the lower trailhead disoriented; Greg carried both packs, Tom carried nothing.
- Brenda's pack at the trailhead contained her rifle, three days of food, a first-aid kit, an emergency bivy, a water filter, her map, her compass, and was missing her right boot while the right wool sock was dry and sealed in a plastic zip bag.
- Four trained search dogs, working independently, all lost Brenda's trail at the same point on open ground roughly forty yards south of a boulder field, logged as the "loss point."

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162474Wed, 02 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Upright Boot: How Brenda Vanished Above Eight Thousand Feet A single right-footed hunting boot stood upright on a folding camp table with a clean sole and tied laces while the owner had been missing for roughly twenty hours - how did it get...
A single right-footed hunting boot stood upright on a folding camp table with a clean sole and tied laces while the owner had been missing for roughly twenty hours - how did it get there with no tracks approaching or leaving? The boot, a dry interior, and a sealed right wool sock found in a pack tell a precise, unsettling story; why did four trained trailing dogs all lose Brenda's scent on the same open ground forty yards south of a boulder field?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Garnet Drainage trailhead through the first thirty-six hours of search operations, presenting the discovered evidence, the people involved, and the loss point that defined the search; what explanation can reconcile Brenda's experience as an experienced hunter and the baffling physical clues?

Person: Brenda Price
Age: 28
Date: October 12-14 (search discovery on October 14)
Location: Garnet Drainage, Blackthorn National Forest, above eight thousand feet
Finder: Ralph Myers, 63, volunteer with Trinity Lutheran Church outdoor ministry

- Brenda had hunted elk in similar terrain since age 19 and had taken seven elk over seven seasons.
- Brenda filed the route and signed the backcountry register at 6:20 AM on October 13 alongside Greg Ostrowski and Tom Vanek.
- By 3:15 PM on October 13, Greg and Tom returned to the lower trailhead disoriented; Greg carried both packs, Tom carried nothing.
- Brenda's pack at the trailhead contained her rifle, three days of food, a first-aid kit, an emergency bivy, a water filter, her map, her compass, and was missing her right boot while the right wool sock was dry and sealed in a plastic zip bag.
- Four trained search dogs, working independently, all lost Brenda's trail at the same point on open ground roughly forty yards south of a boulder field, logged as the "loss point."

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.]]>1158falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-upright-boot-how-beverly-climbed-a-cliff-she-couldn-t-have-climbed--73162473
A single boot stood upright on a muddy trail-laced, tongue straight, heel squared-as if someone had placed it there with care, twenty-two miles from the nearest trailhead and twenty-two hours after a missing-persons report was filed; how did the sole stay clean while the surrounding silt was wet, and who left it like that? The boot becomes the shape of the mystery: a woman found alive who could not explain how she reached a summit that, by every known measure, she could not have climbed without gear.

In this episode, we follow the timeline and factual evidence from the morning Beverly Rafferty went missing through the search that found her, and we trace the inexplicable GPS pings that put her on top of Siltwater Headwall; what do those eleven consecutive pings up a two-hundred-and-forty-foot basalt escarpment actually mean?

Person: Beverly Rafferty
Date: September 14-18, 2022
Location: Siltwater Headwall Forest, Siltwater Headwall
Status: Found alive after five days
Coordinating searcher: Neil Davis

- Beverly Rafferty was fifty-four years old and a seventh-grade earth science teacher who had hiked solo for eleven years.
- Her inReach satellite communicator pinged GPS coordinates every ten minutes and showed eleven consecutive pings tracing a forty-six-minute ascent of a 240-foot fractured basalt headwall.
- Beverly entered Siltwater Headwall Forest on September 14, 2022, through the Copperbell Trailhead on a valid permit and followed typical 8-10 miles per day for the first three days.
- She left camp at 9:12 PM on September 17, a night movement unprecedented in her prior GPS records, and the summit ping registered at approximately 10:33 PM.
- The boot was discovered upright on the trail by Emily Vaughn on the morning of September 19, 2022, twenty-two miles from the nearest trailhead, with the surrounding silt wet but the sole clean.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162473Tue, 01 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Upright Boot: How Beverly Climbed a Cliff She Couldn't Have Climbed A single boot stood upright on a muddy trail-laced, tongue straight, heel squared-as if someone had placed it there with care, twenty-two miles from the nearest trailhead and...
A single boot stood upright on a muddy trail-laced, tongue straight, heel squared-as if someone had placed it there with care, twenty-two miles from the nearest trailhead and twenty-two hours after a missing-persons report was filed; how did the sole stay clean while the surrounding silt was wet, and who left it like that? The boot becomes the shape of the mystery: a woman found alive who could not explain how she reached a summit that, by every known measure, she could not have climbed without gear.

In this episode, we follow the timeline and factual evidence from the morning Beverly Rafferty went missing through the search that found her, and we trace the inexplicable GPS pings that put her on top of Siltwater Headwall; what do those eleven consecutive pings up a two-hundred-and-forty-foot basalt escarpment actually mean?

Person: Beverly Rafferty
Date: September 14-18, 2022
Location: Siltwater Headwall Forest, Siltwater Headwall
Status: Found alive after five days
Coordinating searcher: Neil Davis

- Beverly Rafferty was fifty-four years old and a seventh-grade earth science teacher who had hiked solo for eleven years.
- Her inReach satellite communicator pinged GPS coordinates every ten minutes and showed eleven consecutive pings tracing a forty-six-minute ascent of a 240-foot fractured basalt headwall.
- Beverly entered Siltwater Headwall Forest on September 14, 2022, through the Copperbell Trailhead on a valid permit and followed typical 8-10 miles per day for the first three days.
- She left camp at 9:12 PM on September 17, a night movement unprecedented in her prior GPS records, and the summit ping registered at approximately 10:33 PM.
- The boot was discovered upright on the trail by Emily Vaughn on the morning of September 19, 2022, twenty-two miles from the nearest trailhead, with the surrounding silt wet but the sole clean.

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.]]>1312falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-came-back-with-one-dry-notebook-eleven-miles-missing--73162471
Cold, precise details: a twenty-three-year-old found alive in a river after nine days, eleven miles from her post, clutching a completely dry spiral notebook while everything else was soaked. How did Beverly Mitchell survive nine days in rough Appalachian terrain and protect a single dry notebook - and where was the man who walked into those mountains with her?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Beverly’s last log entry to the search operations in the Pelham Highlands, laying out the documented facts about her disappearance, the search, and the puzzling physical evidence that survived. What do the logs, the dog trails, and the single dry notebook really tell us about what happened?

Person: Beverly Mitchell
Date: August 14, 2019 (found); last log entry August 5, 2019
Location: Dunbar Station; Sulphur Fork; Pelham Highlands
Status: Missing nine days prior to being found alive
Search coordinator: April Wallace (eleven years experience)

- Beverly was found at 6:45 AM on August 14, 2019, sitting in fourteen inches of the Sulphur Fork with knees pulled to her chest.
- She had been missing for nine days and was eleven miles from Dunbar Station where she had been living since November 2018.
- A spiral notebook pressed against her sternum was completely dry while her clothes, hair, and skin were wet.
- Beverly kept a bound register with forty-two entries from November 2018 to August 2019; an entry dated August 3 listed no name or vehicle and only noted a midday visit about north branch water access.
- On August 13 (day five of searching) coordinator April Wallace encountered a man on the Sulphur Fork trail at approximately 2,800 feet wearing a gray jacket.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162471Mon, 31 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Came Back With One Dry Notebook - Eleven Miles Missing Cold, precise details: a twenty-three-year-old found alive in a river after nine days, eleven miles from her post, clutching a completely dry spiral notebook while everything else was...
Cold, precise details: a twenty-three-year-old found alive in a river after nine days, eleven miles from her post, clutching a completely dry spiral notebook while everything else was soaked. How did Beverly Mitchell survive nine days in rough Appalachian terrain and protect a single dry notebook - and where was the man who walked into those mountains with her?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Beverly’s last log entry to the search operations in the Pelham Highlands, laying out the documented facts about her disappearance, the search, and the puzzling physical evidence that survived. What do the logs, the dog trails, and the single dry notebook really tell us about what happened?

Person: Beverly Mitchell
Date: August 14, 2019 (found); last log entry August 5, 2019
Location: Dunbar Station; Sulphur Fork; Pelham Highlands
Status: Missing nine days prior to being found alive
Search coordinator: April Wallace (eleven years experience)

- Beverly was found at 6:45 AM on August 14, 2019, sitting in fourteen inches of the Sulphur Fork with knees pulled to her chest.
- She had been missing for nine days and was eleven miles from Dunbar Station where she had been living since November 2018.
- A spiral notebook pressed against her sternum was completely dry while her clothes, hair, and skin were wet.
- Beverly kept a bound register with forty-two entries from November 2018 to August 2019; an entry dated August 3 listed no name or vehicle and only noted a midday visit about north branch water access.
- On August 13 (day five of searching) coordinator April Wallace encountered a man on the Sulphur Fork trail at approximately 2,800 feet wearing a gray jacket.

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.]]>1313falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/warm-pot-missing-man-the-camp-that-shouldn-t-be-empty--73162470
A warm metal stove and a pot of warm water with a sealed freeze-dried meal sat untouched while a man lay injured three miles away - and the pot later tested positive for veterinary-grade acepromazine. Who prepared a precisely dosed, non-lethal tranquilizer in an otherwise orderly campsite, and why was the owner carried out instead of leaving on his own?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events found at a campsite and the timeline that leads to a dark talus slope three miles south; the episode follows the evidence from the warm stove and headlamp to the forensic finding that pivots the whole story. What does the single contaminated pot reveal about the stranger who came through the camp?

Person: Wade Tate
Date: July 9, 2022
Location: Kettrick National Forest
Status: Injured on talus slope with fractured fibula
Topic: Acepromazine found in campsite pot

- The campsite was discovered at 9:40 a.m, on July 9, 2022 by county surveyor Philip Stewart.
- The pot on the still-warm stove contained warm water and a sealed bag of freeze-dried chicken and rice.
- Wade Tate, age thirty-eight, was later found more than five hours away on a talus slope with a fractured fibula and no water.
- A headlamp at the campsite was switched on with batteries nearly dead and the sleeping bag was pushed aside.
- Forensic testing found veterinary-grade acepromazine in the pot, calibrated to produce four to eight hours of deep unconsciousness.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162470Sun, 30 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWarm Pot, Missing Man: The Camp That Shouldn't Be Empty A warm metal stove and a pot of warm water with a sealed freeze-dried meal sat untouched while a man lay injured three miles away - and the pot later tested positive for veterinary-grade...
A warm metal stove and a pot of warm water with a sealed freeze-dried meal sat untouched while a man lay injured three miles away - and the pot later tested positive for veterinary-grade acepromazine. Who prepared a precisely dosed, non-lethal tranquilizer in an otherwise orderly campsite, and why was the owner carried out instead of leaving on his own?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events found at a campsite and the timeline that leads to a dark talus slope three miles south; the episode follows the evidence from the warm stove and headlamp to the forensic finding that pivots the whole story. What does the single contaminated pot reveal about the stranger who came through the camp?

Person: Wade Tate
Date: July 9, 2022
Location: Kettrick National Forest
Status: Injured on talus slope with fractured fibula
Topic: Acepromazine found in campsite pot

- The campsite was discovered at 9:40 a.m, on July 9, 2022 by county surveyor Philip Stewart.
- The pot on the still-warm stove contained warm water and a sealed bag of freeze-dried chicken and rice.
- Wade Tate, age thirty-eight, was later found more than five hours away on a talus slope with a fractured fibula and no water.
- A headlamp at the campsite was switched on with batteries nearly dead and the sleeping bag was pushed aside.
- Forensic testing found veterinary-grade acepromazine in the pot, calibrated to produce four to eight hours of deep unconsciousness.

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.]]>1355falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-shoe-on-the-well-how-linda-vanished-beyond-the-maps--73162468
A single white canvas sneaker, women's size seven, laces tied in a neat bow, sat upright on a steel well cap two and a half miles from the nearest trail - and no prints, no drag marks, no disturbance for yards around. How did that shoe, belonging to a woman tracked by dogs to a canyon pinch point, end up on an unmapped fire access lane that was not on any map she would have carried?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Linda Larsen's routine Wednesday check-in to the search-and-rescue operation that reached the Elbow and found the scent abruptly end; then to Vernon Ramsey's discovery at a county groundwater monitoring well - and the persistent mystery of how a hiking shoe traveled beyond the known routes. What explains the shoe on the unmapped well cap and the disappearance of all scent and traces past the Elbow?

Person: Linda Larsen
Date: June 7, 2019 (last confirmed hiking departure)
Date: June 14, 2019 (sneaker found at 9:41 AM)
Location: eastern drainage of Padre Canyon (unmapped fire access lane)
Location: Mesita Trailhead and north fork of Padre Canyon (search origin)
Status: sneaker belonged to missing woman; Linda later found alive (search resolved); shoe unexplained (unresolved)

- The sneaker was a white canvas women's size seven with laces tied in a neat bow, placed upright and centered on a steel well cap.
- The nearest established trail to the well was 2.4 miles away from where the shoe was found.
- Search dogs tracked Linda's scent about 1.25 miles past the Y-junction to a pinch point called the Elbow, then the scent stopped; dogs cast for 40 minutes without proceeding.
- The upper corridor of the north fork continues roughly two miles beyond the Elbow and ends at a 60-foot sheer dry pour-off that Linda could not have climbed.
- Vernon Ramsey, a well-service contractor, found the sneaker at 9:41 AM on June 14, 2019 while checking a county groundwater monitoring well that was not on any public map.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162468Sat, 29 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Shoe on the Well: How Linda Vanished Beyond the Maps A single white canvas sneaker, women's size seven, laces tied in a neat bow, sat upright on a steel well cap two and a half miles from the nearest trail - and no prints, no drag marks, no...
A single white canvas sneaker, women's size seven, laces tied in a neat bow, sat upright on a steel well cap two and a half miles from the nearest trail - and no prints, no drag marks, no disturbance for yards around. How did that shoe, belonging to a woman tracked by dogs to a canyon pinch point, end up on an unmapped fire access lane that was not on any map she would have carried?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Linda Larsen's routine Wednesday check-in to the search-and-rescue operation that reached the Elbow and found the scent abruptly end; then to Vernon Ramsey's discovery at a county groundwater monitoring well - and the persistent mystery of how a hiking shoe traveled beyond the known routes. What explains the shoe on the unmapped well cap and the disappearance of all scent and traces past the Elbow?

Person: Linda Larsen
Date: June 7, 2019 (last confirmed hiking departure)
Date: June 14, 2019 (sneaker found at 9:41 AM)
Location: eastern drainage of Padre Canyon (unmapped fire access lane)
Location: Mesita Trailhead and north fork of Padre Canyon (search origin)
Status: sneaker belonged to missing woman; Linda later found alive (search resolved); shoe unexplained (unresolved)

- The sneaker was a white canvas women's size seven with laces tied in a neat bow, placed upright and centered on a steel well cap.
- The nearest established trail to the well was 2.4 miles away from where the shoe was found.
- Search dogs tracked Linda's scent about 1.25 miles past the Y-junction to a pinch point called the Elbow, then the scent stopped; dogs cast for 40 minutes without proceeding.
- The upper corridor of the north fork continues roughly two miles beyond the Elbow and ends at a 60-foot sheer dry pour-off that Linda could not have climbed.
- Vernon Ramsey, a well-service contractor, found the sneaker at 9:41 AM on June 14, 2019 while checking a county groundwater monitoring well that was not on any public map.

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.]]>1073falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/forty-minutes-the-dry-sock-on-a-boulder-mystery--73162467
Cold and impossible: a woman's size seven Merrell stood upright, double-knotted on a boulder with a single thin wool sock folded and perfectly dry inside-no blood, no note, no second boot. The boot was photographed at 6:58 AM and reported at 7:02 AM in central Oregon; forty minutes later, the hiker who owned it had vanished. What happened in that forty-minute gap on a nontechnical trail?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning the boot was found to the first search team's puzzling discoveries, and trace how scent dogs, weather data, and a single folded sock shape the unanswered question: how does a trail and a clear scent simply end?

Person: Marcia Hamilton
Date: May 14, 2019
Location: Ridgeline Spur, Ashfield National Recreation Area, central Oregon
Time span: 40 minutes between Marcia signing the register at 7:51 AM and Doug Fenn seeing no one at 8:31 AM
Observer: Darlene Berry photographed the boot at 6:58 AM and called 9-1-1 at 7:02 AM

- Marcia sent a text at 6:17 AM saying "Heading out. Back by two."
- Darlene arrived at the trailhead at 6:45 AM and photographed the boot at 6:58 AM.
- The boot was a women's size seven Merrell, left foot, double-knotted, exterior damp, with a single thin wool sock folded and dry inside.
- Both search dogs tracked cleanly from the trailhead and stopped three hundred yards north of the junction, where scent ended.
- Temperature dropped eleven degrees Fahrenheit between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM as a Pacific storm began arriving.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162467Fri, 28 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaForty Minutes: The Dry Sock on a Boulder Mystery Cold and impossible: a woman's size seven Merrell stood upright, double-knotted on a boulder with a single thin wool sock folded and perfectly dry inside-no blood, no note, no second boot. The boot...
Cold and impossible: a woman's size seven Merrell stood upright, double-knotted on a boulder with a single thin wool sock folded and perfectly dry inside-no blood, no note, no second boot. The boot was photographed at 6:58 AM and reported at 7:02 AM in central Oregon; forty minutes later, the hiker who owned it had vanished. What happened in that forty-minute gap on a nontechnical trail?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning the boot was found to the first search team's puzzling discoveries, and trace how scent dogs, weather data, and a single folded sock shape the unanswered question: how does a trail and a clear scent simply end?

Person: Marcia Hamilton
Date: May 14, 2019
Location: Ridgeline Spur, Ashfield National Recreation Area, central Oregon
Time span: 40 minutes between Marcia signing the register at 7:51 AM and Doug Fenn seeing no one at 8:31 AM
Observer: Darlene Berry photographed the boot at 6:58 AM and called 9-1-1 at 7:02 AM

- Marcia sent a text at 6:17 AM saying "Heading out. Back by two."
- Darlene arrived at the trailhead at 6:45 AM and photographed the boot at 6:58 AM.
- The boot was a women's size seven Merrell, left foot, double-knotted, exterior damp, with a single thin wool sock folded and dry inside.
- Both search dogs tracked cleanly from the trailhead and stopped three hundred yards north of the junction, where scent ended.
- Temperature dropped eleven degrees Fahrenheit between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM as a Pacific storm began arriving.

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.]]>1018falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-woke-under-a-rock-glasses-pressed-to-the-windshield--73162466
A woman’s reading glasses were found pressed flat against the inside of a windshield, lenses facing out, temples folded as if placed with deliberate care - in a car belonging to a woman no one had yet reported missing. Who left those unfamiliar black frames against the glass, and why did a meticulously organized life end in a mountain clearing five days earlier?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of discoveries from a paperboy’s morning route to a nine-person search team at a trailhead, laying out the documented timeline and the unresolved anomalies that linger around the case. What does the evidence say about where she was, when she got there, and the meaning of the glasses?

Person: Rhonda Mason
Date: April 3-9, 2013
Location: Emmett Flats trailhead, Sablewood National Forest, Harkin County
Event: Search for missing hiker found in subalpine meadow
Status: No crime established

- The Subaru station wagon was first seen parked normally at 7:15 AM on April 8 and later found diagonally across two spaces.
- Kimberly Evans noticed the car at 8:20 AM on April 8 and again on April 9 with engine cold and rear window fogged.
- Marion Webb, Rhonda’s aunt, died on April 3, 2013; Rhonda likely was at Upper Bench meadow around April 3.
- The recovered black rectangular reading glasses were not Rhonda’s prescription, confirmed by optometrist Brian Solano.
- A nine-person search team was staged at the trailhead by 4:00 PM on April 9; a bloodhound named Cooper (7 years old, 110 pounds) was brought in the next morning.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162466Thu, 27 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Woke Under a Rock - Glasses Pressed to the Windshield A woman’s reading glasses were found pressed flat against the inside of a windshield, lenses facing out, temples folded as if placed with deliberate care - in a car belonging to a woman no...
A woman’s reading glasses were found pressed flat against the inside of a windshield, lenses facing out, temples folded as if placed with deliberate care - in a car belonging to a woman no one had yet reported missing. Who left those unfamiliar black frames against the glass, and why did a meticulously organized life end in a mountain clearing five days earlier?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of discoveries from a paperboy’s morning route to a nine-person search team at a trailhead, laying out the documented timeline and the unresolved anomalies that linger around the case. What does the evidence say about where she was, when she got there, and the meaning of the glasses?

Person: Rhonda Mason
Date: April 3-9, 2013
Location: Emmett Flats trailhead, Sablewood National Forest, Harkin County
Event: Search for missing hiker found in subalpine meadow
Status: No crime established

- The Subaru station wagon was first seen parked normally at 7:15 AM on April 8 and later found diagonally across two spaces.
- Kimberly Evans noticed the car at 8:20 AM on April 8 and again on April 9 with engine cold and rear window fogged.
- Marion Webb, Rhonda’s aunt, died on April 3, 2013; Rhonda likely was at Upper Bench meadow around April 3.
- The recovered black rectangular reading glasses were not Rhonda’s prescription, confirmed by optometrist Brian Solano.
- A nine-person search team was staged at the trailhead by 4:00 PM on April 9; a bloodhound named Cooper (7 years old, 110 pounds) was brought in the next morning.

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.]]>1176falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-lost-her-boots-they-found-them-on-a-rock-how--73162465
Cold, silent, and impossible: two dry trail runners sat laced and aligned on a basalt boulder surrounded by eleven inches of undisturbed snow with no tracks to or from them - how did dry shoes end up on open rock on a sub-freezing night? The only clue underlined by the search coordinator was that the insoles were dry, and the rock lay within a loop a woman had run over three hundred times.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a county road grader operator finding the shoes at 6:40 a.m. to the search teams and dogs combing the Aldridge Bench loop, and we present the facts that make this disappearance baffling. What happened in the hours before the eleven-forty p.m. snowfall that left boots on Cairn Rock and a runner missing?

Date: March 4 (discovery at 6:40 a.m.)
Person: Connie Fisher, 32 years old
Location: Cairn Rock / Aldridge Bench loop, Starvation Bench access road
Status: Missing (found later on the mountain; boots on rock)
Event: Search and rescue with 14 people and two trained dogs

- Boots found by grader operator Nicole Ward at 6:40 a.m., heels together, toes toward the valley, laced and tied.
- Eleven inches of undisturbed snow surrounded the rock; snowfall began at 11:40 p.m. the night before.
- Overnight temperatures were 22°F at road level and colder on the ridge when the shoes were on open basalt.
- Connie had run the Aldridge Bench loop more than 300 times and left before 5:00 a.m, for an 8:00 a.m. meeting she never attended.
- A daypack found on day three contained a whistle, half-eaten granola bar, wool liner gloves, and a headlamp whose purchased AA batteries (bought 11 days earlier) were never installed and tested at zero.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162465Wed, 26 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Lost Her Boots, They Found Them On A Rock-How? Cold, silent, and impossible: two dry trail runners sat laced and aligned on a basalt boulder surrounded by eleven inches of undisturbed snow with no tracks to or from them - how did dry shoes end...
Cold, silent, and impossible: two dry trail runners sat laced and aligned on a basalt boulder surrounded by eleven inches of undisturbed snow with no tracks to or from them - how did dry shoes end up on open rock on a sub-freezing night? The only clue underlined by the search coordinator was that the insoles were dry, and the rock lay within a loop a woman had run over three hundred times.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a county road grader operator finding the shoes at 6:40 a.m. to the search teams and dogs combing the Aldridge Bench loop, and we present the facts that make this disappearance baffling. What happened in the hours before the eleven-forty p.m. snowfall that left boots on Cairn Rock and a runner missing?

Date: March 4 (discovery at 6:40 a.m.)
Person: Connie Fisher, 32 years old
Location: Cairn Rock / Aldridge Bench loop, Starvation Bench access road
Status: Missing (found later on the mountain; boots on rock)
Event: Search and rescue with 14 people and two trained dogs

- Boots found by grader operator Nicole Ward at 6:40 a.m., heels together, toes toward the valley, laced and tied.
- Eleven inches of undisturbed snow surrounded the rock; snowfall began at 11:40 p.m. the night before.
- Overnight temperatures were 22°F at road level and colder on the ridge when the shoes were on open basalt.
- Connie had run the Aldridge Bench loop more than 300 times and left before 5:00 a.m, for an 8:00 a.m. meeting she never attended.
- A daypack found on day three contained a whistle, half-eaten granola bar, wool liner gloves, and a headlamp whose purchased AA batteries (bought 11 days earlier) were never installed and tested at zero.

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© 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.]]>1043falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-standing-boot-how-one-shoe-broke-the-wilderness-silence--73162463
Cold, precise, and impossible: a single boot stood upright in fresh snow with its laces tied like someone had simply stepped out of it - and no tracks led to or away from it. The search that followed turned up a missing hunter, an untraceable phone call, and details that refuse tidy explanations: who called Julie Thompson before dawn, and what made one boot the single most disorienting clue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and the evidence from Julie Thompson's last known movements, the morning phone call she returned, the search operations that found no heat signatures, and the baffling discovery of the standing boot - and we ask whether those facts point to accident, foul play, or something else.

Person: Julie Thompson
Date: February 7-9, 2019
Location: Carvell National Forest, near Mirabel, Oregon
Status: Missing
Case: Unresolved disappearance with single standing boot as key evidence

- At 5:30 AM on February 7, 2019, Julie received a phone call from a prepaid number reporting vandalism to her deer stand.
- Julie called the same number back at 5:47 AM; that return call lasted 11 seconds and the prepaid number was never traced.
- Julie was 53 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall, and approximately 140 pounds, and had never missed her Tuesday volunteer shift in four years.
- Search teams reached Julie’s lower stand at 9:40 PM on February 7; the platform was intact with no sign of vandalism or Julie.
- On February 9 at about 9:00 AM, George Patterson found one boot standing upright in undisturbed snow with toe pointing north and laces tied in a double knot; no second boot and no tracks within 15 feet.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162463Tue, 25 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Standing Boot: How One Shoe Broke the Wilderness Silence Cold, precise, and impossible: a single boot stood upright in fresh snow with its laces tied like someone had simply stepped out of it - and no tracks led to or away from it. The search...
Cold, precise, and impossible: a single boot stood upright in fresh snow with its laces tied like someone had simply stepped out of it - and no tracks led to or away from it. The search that followed turned up a missing hunter, an untraceable phone call, and details that refuse tidy explanations: who called Julie Thompson before dawn, and what made one boot the single most disorienting clue?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and the evidence from Julie Thompson's last known movements, the morning phone call she returned, the search operations that found no heat signatures, and the baffling discovery of the standing boot - and we ask whether those facts point to accident, foul play, or something else.

Person: Julie Thompson
Date: February 7-9, 2019
Location: Carvell National Forest, near Mirabel, Oregon
Status: Missing
Case: Unresolved disappearance with single standing boot as key evidence

- At 5:30 AM on February 7, 2019, Julie received a phone call from a prepaid number reporting vandalism to her deer stand.
- Julie called the same number back at 5:47 AM; that return call lasted 11 seconds and the prepaid number was never traced.
- Julie was 53 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall, and approximately 140 pounds, and had never missed her Tuesday volunteer shift in four years.
- Search teams reached Julie’s lower stand at 9:40 PM on February 7; the platform was intact with no sign of vandalism or Julie.
- On February 9 at about 9:00 AM, George Patterson found one boot standing upright in undisturbed snow with toe pointing north and laces tied in a double knot; no second boot and no tracks within 15 feet.

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.]]>1230falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-boot-on-the-culvert-how-a-family-vanished-and-returned--73162461
A dry orange child's shoe sat upright on a frozen culvert at 22°F with no footprints nearby - a photograph taken at 6:15 a.m. became the single inexplicable piece of evidence that rewrote a winter wilderness search. How could a boot stay dry in those conditions, and why did two scent dogs stop as if the ground had swallowed the family?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Debra Jensen signing the Cutter Ridge trailhead register at 11:47 a.m. to the activation of search and rescue and the baffling discoveries that followed, asking whether ordinary routines can explain an extraordinary disappearance.

Person: Debra Jensen
Date: January 8-9, 2019
Location: Cutter Ridge / Corvin Reservoir drainage
Status: Family missing then returned
Case: Search-and-rescue with scent dogs and a photograph of a dry child's shoe

- Debra signed the trailhead register at 11:47 a.m. with a planned return of 2:30 p.m.
- Temperature was 22°F when Alice Bishop found the orange child's shoe at 6:15 a.m, on January 9.
- The child's shoe was sized for a four- to five-year-old and appeared dry and unfrosted on the culvert lip.
- Search-and-rescue coordinator Robert Dempsey arrived with 11 personnel and two dog teams by 5:30 p.m, on January 8.
- Both scent dogs stopped at 9:14 p.m. at the eastern edge of a granite outcropping where their scent trail abruptly ended.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162461Mon, 24 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Boot on the Culvert: How a Family Vanished and Returned A dry orange child's shoe sat upright on a frozen culvert at 22°F with no footprints nearby - a photograph taken at 6:15 a.m. became the single inexplicable piece of evidence that rewrote...
A dry orange child's shoe sat upright on a frozen culvert at 22°F with no footprints nearby - a photograph taken at 6:15 a.m. became the single inexplicable piece of evidence that rewrote a winter wilderness search. How could a boot stay dry in those conditions, and why did two scent dogs stop as if the ground had swallowed the family?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Debra Jensen signing the Cutter Ridge trailhead register at 11:47 a.m. to the activation of search and rescue and the baffling discoveries that followed, asking whether ordinary routines can explain an extraordinary disappearance.

Person: Debra Jensen
Date: January 8-9, 2019
Location: Cutter Ridge / Corvin Reservoir drainage
Status: Family missing then returned
Case: Search-and-rescue with scent dogs and a photograph of a dry child's shoe

- Debra signed the trailhead register at 11:47 a.m. with a planned return of 2:30 p.m.
- Temperature was 22°F when Alice Bishop found the orange child's shoe at 6:15 a.m, on January 9.
- The child's shoe was sized for a four- to five-year-old and appeared dry and unfrosted on the culvert lip.
- Search-and-rescue coordinator Robert Dempsey arrived with 11 personnel and two dog teams by 5:30 p.m, on January 8.
- Both scent dogs stopped at 9:14 p.m. at the eastern edge of a granite outcropping where their scent trail abruptly ended.

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.]]>1043falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-her-boots-sealed-bag-no-tracks-the-crow-basin-vanish--73162460
Cold and calculated: an intact camp appears inside a closed burn zone with a sealed sleeping bag, a spiral notebook dated through December 22, 2022, and no footprints leading away - so how did someone vanish from a place closed since 2017? The discovery included two distinct layers of pine needles on the tent, implying the camp sat through at least one full year, but one crucial detail stayed unexplained.

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from the initial field survey discovery through the suspended search and the forensic findings, laying out the evidence that both clarifies and deepens the mystery: did the occupant ever leave Crow Basin, and if so, how were there no tracks?

Person: Amanda Weber
Date: first notebook entry December 7, 2022; last legible entry December 22, 2022
Location: Crow Basin, closed burn zone in the Cascade foothills of southern Oregon
Event: discovery by three-person environmental survey team on December 14, 2023
Status: search suspended December 16, 2022; notebook found December 14, 2023

- The camp contained an orange tent pressed flat under two seasons of fallen pine needles.
- The spiral notebook had forty-one pages of handwriting with entries from December 7 to December 22, 2022.
- Dogs established scent from Amanda’s Subaru Forester to the locked gate, and the trail stopped at 11:47 a.m. on gravel where pavement became rock dust.
- The area beyond the locked gate had been closed since 2017 after a wildfire killed two suppression crew members.
- Search and rescue logged more than four hundred person-hours across thirty-one volunteers before suspending the search on December 16, 2022.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162460Sun, 23 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Her Boots, Sealed Bag, No Tracks: The Crow Basin Vanish Cold and calculated: an intact camp appears inside a closed burn zone with a sealed sleeping bag, a spiral notebook dated through December 22, 2022, and no footprints leading away - so...
Cold and calculated: an intact camp appears inside a closed burn zone with a sealed sleeping bag, a spiral notebook dated through December 22, 2022, and no footprints leading away - so how did someone vanish from a place closed since 2017? The discovery included two distinct layers of pine needles on the tent, implying the camp sat through at least one full year, but one crucial detail stayed unexplained.

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from the initial field survey discovery through the suspended search and the forensic findings, laying out the evidence that both clarifies and deepens the mystery: did the occupant ever leave Crow Basin, and if so, how were there no tracks?

Person: Amanda Weber
Date: first notebook entry December 7, 2022; last legible entry December 22, 2022
Location: Crow Basin, closed burn zone in the Cascade foothills of southern Oregon
Event: discovery by three-person environmental survey team on December 14, 2023
Status: search suspended December 16, 2022; notebook found December 14, 2023

- The camp contained an orange tent pressed flat under two seasons of fallen pine needles.
- The spiral notebook had forty-one pages of handwriting with entries from December 7 to December 22, 2022.
- Dogs established scent from Amanda’s Subaru Forester to the locked gate, and the trail stopped at 11:47 a.m. on gravel where pavement became rock dust.
- The area beyond the locked gate had been closed since 2017 after a wildfire killed two suppression crew members.
- Search and rescue logged more than four hundred person-hours across thirty-one volunteers before suspending the search on December 16, 2022.

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.]]>1187falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/warm-in-the-pines-jacket-dry-the-orviston-forest-mystery--73162459
A woman found alive in freezing rain with soaked clothes but wearing a dry jacket that didn’t belong to her - and that same jacket hung in her husband’s closet thirty-one miles away. The dry jacket, a handwritten note from the search coordinator, and a blank logbook entry are the details that refuse to add up: how did that jacket get to the tree where she sat?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Jean Harrison’s departure on November 12 through her discovery on November 14, laying out the evidence, the small anomalies, and the unanswered questions that follow. What does the dry jacket mean for how those two nights actually unfolded?

Person: Jean Harrison
Date: November 12-14, 2019
Location: Orviston National Forest, Feather Creek Road, Ridgetop Trail toward Crane Basin
Status: Found alive after two nights in freezing rain
Case: Jacket belonging to husband Dennis was in his mudroom closet 31 miles away

- Jean Harrison was found at 7:15 AM on November 14, 2019, sitting upright against a ponderosa pine fifteen feet off Feather Creek Road.
- Temperatures dropped to 17°F during the freezing rain storm she endured for two nights.
- Jean covered more than two miles of steep talus and seasonal drainage on one bare foot while in early stages of hypothermia.
- Her personal locator beacon was clipped in the outer pocket of her pack’s lid and was not activated when rescue found her tent correctly pitched.
- Search coordinator Chad Duncan’s written note: “She was warm when Walsh found her. Jacket was dry.”

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162459Sat, 22 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWarm in the Pines, Jacket Dry: The Orviston Forest Mystery A woman found alive in freezing rain with soaked clothes but wearing a dry jacket that didn’t belong to her - and that same jacket hung in her husband’s closet thirty-one miles away. The...
A woman found alive in freezing rain with soaked clothes but wearing a dry jacket that didn’t belong to her - and that same jacket hung in her husband’s closet thirty-one miles away. The dry jacket, a handwritten note from the search coordinator, and a blank logbook entry are the details that refuse to add up: how did that jacket get to the tree where she sat?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Jean Harrison’s departure on November 12 through her discovery on November 14, laying out the evidence, the small anomalies, and the unanswered questions that follow. What does the dry jacket mean for how those two nights actually unfolded?

Person: Jean Harrison
Date: November 12-14, 2019
Location: Orviston National Forest, Feather Creek Road, Ridgetop Trail toward Crane Basin
Status: Found alive after two nights in freezing rain
Case: Jacket belonging to husband Dennis was in his mudroom closet 31 miles away

- Jean Harrison was found at 7:15 AM on November 14, 2019, sitting upright against a ponderosa pine fifteen feet off Feather Creek Road.
- Temperatures dropped to 17°F during the freezing rain storm she endured for two nights.
- Jean covered more than two miles of steep talus and seasonal drainage on one bare foot while in early stages of hypothermia.
- Her personal locator beacon was clipped in the outer pocket of her pack’s lid and was not activated when rescue found her tent correctly pitched.
- Search coordinator Chad Duncan’s written note: “She was warm when Walsh found her. Jacket was dry.”

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.]]>1143falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/eleven-stone-beacons-one-missing-call-the-cairn-line-mystery--73162457
A methodical line of eleven engineered cairns-each eight flat basalt plates, stacked and counter-rotated-appeared on a precise compass bearing deep in the Granger Wilderness, and a young geologist vanished after one missed Wednesday morning call; who built the cairns and what were they trying to signal?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Valerie Draper’s discovery of the first cairn to the discovery of Jerry Armstrong’s abandoned Tacoma and the mobilization of search-and-rescue, asking whether the cairn line was a navigational marker, a message, or something more intentional that only the builder could explain.

Person: Valerie Draper
Person: Jerry Armstrong
Person: Donna Armstrong
Person: Kevin Marsh
Location: Granger Wilderness Study Area

- Valerie found the first cairn seven miles into the Ochoco backcountry and photographed it before reporting it two days later.
- Each cairn was built from eight flat basalt plates stacked knee-high with each layer rotated a few degrees for structural lock.
- Eleven cairns were reported, spaced half a mile to a mile apart, aligned due northeast on a precise compass bearing.
- Jerry Armstrong was twenty-two, finished his geology degree the previous spring, and had called his mother at 6:45 AM every Wednesday for four years.
- Jerry’s Tacoma with a cracked rear bumper was found parked at the Ridgeback trailhead days after he missed his Tuesday shift and failed to make his usual Wednesday call.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162457Fri, 21 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaEleven Stone Beacons, One Missing Call: The Cairn Line Mystery A methodical line of eleven engineered cairns-each eight flat basalt plates, stacked and counter-rotated-appeared on a precise compass bearing deep in the Granger Wilderness, and a...
A methodical line of eleven engineered cairns-each eight flat basalt plates, stacked and counter-rotated-appeared on a precise compass bearing deep in the Granger Wilderness, and a young geologist vanished after one missed Wednesday morning call; who built the cairns and what were they trying to signal?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Valerie Draper’s discovery of the first cairn to the discovery of Jerry Armstrong’s abandoned Tacoma and the mobilization of search-and-rescue, asking whether the cairn line was a navigational marker, a message, or something more intentional that only the builder could explain.

Person: Valerie Draper
Person: Jerry Armstrong
Person: Donna Armstrong
Person: Kevin Marsh
Location: Granger Wilderness Study Area

- Valerie found the first cairn seven miles into the Ochoco backcountry and photographed it before reporting it two days later.
- Each cairn was built from eight flat basalt plates stacked knee-high with each layer rotated a few degrees for structural lock.
- Eleven cairns were reported, spaced half a mile to a mile apart, aligned due northeast on a precise compass bearing.
- Jerry Armstrong was twenty-two, finished his geology degree the previous spring, and had called his mother at 6:45 AM every Wednesday for four years.
- Jerry’s Tacoma with a cracked rear bumper was found parked at the Ridgeback trailhead days after he missed his Tuesday shift and failed to make his usual Wednesday call.

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.]]>1278falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-granite-how-a-man-vanished-and-came-back--73162456
A single hiking boot sat upright, laces double-knotted, centered on a granite ledge three thousand feet from a rescue camp - and no other sign of its owner. The missing man was found alive by dogs two hours after search teams arrived; how did he vanish for four days and leave one boot as if placed deliberately?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of what happened from the morning Paul Petersen left camp for a short sunrise walk without a compass to the moment his wife reported him missing and search-and-rescue teams began to follow his planned route. What choices, small mistakes, and slim survival tools explain how a careful man disappeared and later returned?

Person: Paul Petersen
Date: September 11-14
Location: Whitmore National Forest, Seco Trailhead to Broken Dish Lake and Vantage Saddle
Status: Found alive after four days
Event: Solo hike and unexpected disappearance

- Paul Petersen was 38 years old and a civil engineer married for eleven years.
- He left camp on September 12 before first light with only a camera, light jacket, and no compass.
- He had left an itinerary for a four-day route: Seco Trailhead → Broken Dish Lake → Vantage Saddle → Rimtop → return.
- At 7:42 AM on September 14 Kent Carlson found one upright hiking boot on a granite ledge with laces tied in a double knot.
- Linda Petersen called the forest service at 4:30 PM on September 13 when her husband’s truck remained in the Seco Trailhead parking lot.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162456Thu, 20 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on Granite: How a Man Vanished and Came Back A single hiking boot sat upright, laces double-knotted, centered on a granite ledge three thousand feet from a rescue camp - and no other sign of its owner. The missing man was found alive by...
A single hiking boot sat upright, laces double-knotted, centered on a granite ledge three thousand feet from a rescue camp - and no other sign of its owner. The missing man was found alive by dogs two hours after search teams arrived; how did he vanish for four days and leave one boot as if placed deliberately?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of what happened from the morning Paul Petersen left camp for a short sunrise walk without a compass to the moment his wife reported him missing and search-and-rescue teams began to follow his planned route. What choices, small mistakes, and slim survival tools explain how a careful man disappeared and later returned?

Person: Paul Petersen
Date: September 11-14
Location: Whitmore National Forest, Seco Trailhead to Broken Dish Lake and Vantage Saddle
Status: Found alive after four days
Event: Solo hike and unexpected disappearance

- Paul Petersen was 38 years old and a civil engineer married for eleven years.
- He left camp on September 12 before first light with only a camera, light jacket, and no compass.
- He had left an itinerary for a four-day route: Seco Trailhead → Broken Dish Lake → Vantage Saddle → Rimtop → return.
- At 7:42 AM on September 14 Kent Carlson found one upright hiking boot on a granite ledge with laces tied in a double knot.
- Linda Petersen called the forest service at 4:30 PM on September 13 when her husband’s truck remained in the Seco Trailhead parking lot.

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.]]>1158falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-with-one-boot-who-placed-the-other--73162455
A single women's trail shoe, size eight, upright and laced, sat in the middle of a fire road pointing back toward the trailhead - found 1.5 miles southwest of the trail two days after Debra Hunt fractured her ankle on Clover Peak. How did a right boot that came off a warm, active foot end up in the opposite direction of every other trace?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of locations, injuries and searches recorded in the county file, and follow the conflicting physical evidence that kept the case unresolved. Can the placement of one boot and the end point of a scent trail explain what really happened to Debra Hunt?

Person: Debra Hunt
Date: August 12-14, 2009
Location: Clover Peak / fire road southwest of Suttler Range trailhead
Injury: fractured left lateral malleolus (inversion break)
Status: unresolved county file

- Boot found: right women's trail shoe, gray and teal, size eight, laced, upright in road on August 14, 2009
- Summit time: Hunt recorded reaching Clover Peak at 1:50 PM on August 12, 2009
- Fall time and conditions: storm closed in; lightning and heavy rain by 2:15 PM on August 12, 2009
- Injury evidence: blood smear on gray quartzite slab and rain-jacket caught on rock at ~8,800 ft
- Scent trail: search dog tracked northeast along main trail for four miles, scent ended at ~8,200 ft saddle, opposite direction from boot discovery

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162455Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out With One Boot - Who Placed the Other? A single women's trail shoe, size eight, upright and laced, sat in the middle of a fire road pointing back toward the trailhead - found 1.5 miles southwest of the trail two days after Debra Hunt...
A single women's trail shoe, size eight, upright and laced, sat in the middle of a fire road pointing back toward the trailhead - found 1.5 miles southwest of the trail two days after Debra Hunt fractured her ankle on Clover Peak. How did a right boot that came off a warm, active foot end up in the opposite direction of every other trace?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of locations, injuries and searches recorded in the county file, and follow the conflicting physical evidence that kept the case unresolved. Can the placement of one boot and the end point of a scent trail explain what really happened to Debra Hunt?

Person: Debra Hunt
Date: August 12-14, 2009
Location: Clover Peak / fire road southwest of Suttler Range trailhead
Injury: fractured left lateral malleolus (inversion break)
Status: unresolved county file

- Boot found: right women's trail shoe, gray and teal, size eight, laced, upright in road on August 14, 2009
- Summit time: Hunt recorded reaching Clover Peak at 1:50 PM on August 12, 2009
- Fall time and conditions: storm closed in; lightning and heavy rain by 2:15 PM on August 12, 2009
- Injury evidence: blood smear on gray quartzite slab and rain-jacket caught on rock at ~8,800 ft
- Scent trail: search dog tracked northeast along main trail for four miles, scent ended at ~8,200 ft saddle, opposite direction from boot discovery

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.]]>1140falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-at-dawn-found-days-later-lived-to-tell--73162454
A calm, methodical fire lookout left a warm cup of coffee on the table and walked out before dawn - her boots laced, logbook open, nothing broken - and nine days later the trail that vanished in scrub led to a fracture in a canyon wall that finally explained why she left. What did a right-handed routine, a stopped scent, and a partial shoe print on a jeep road add up to, and how did every assumption in the first 72 hours point the search the wrong way?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the unlocked door at 7:40 a.m. on July 19, 2011 to the search decisions made by experienced coordinators and dog handlers, and we trace the clues that moved the investigation north along a jeep road toward the cañada. Could the place she intended to go - and the way she walked - be the key to understanding what happened that morning?

Person: Lisa Moore
Date: July 19, 2011
Location: Cinder Peak fire lookout tower, Cibola National Forest
Status: Located nine days after disappearance
Case: disappearance and subsequent discovery

- At 7:40 a.m. Edward Becker found the tower door unlocked, radio on, and a cup of coffee still faintly warm.
- Lisa's hiking boots were found side by side under the bed with laces still tied, and her coffee cup was on the left side of the table despite her being right-handed.
- Search coordinator Edward Becker arrived at 10:15 a.m., noted the scene's stillness, and assessed Lisa had left voluntarily on foot.
- Dogs handled by Carl Ortega picked up a strong, continuous scent north from the tower and tracked at a walking pace until the scent stopped about a quarter mile out.
- Volunteer Sandra Paige found a partial shoe impression on a jeep road NNW from the tower matching the missing shoes, showing heel and outer midfoot and pointing north.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162454Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out at Dawn - Found Days Later, Lived to Tell A calm, methodical fire lookout left a warm cup of coffee on the table and walked out before dawn - her boots laced, logbook open, nothing broken - and nine days later the trail that vanished...
A calm, methodical fire lookout left a warm cup of coffee on the table and walked out before dawn - her boots laced, logbook open, nothing broken - and nine days later the trail that vanished in scrub led to a fracture in a canyon wall that finally explained why she left. What did a right-handed routine, a stopped scent, and a partial shoe print on a jeep road add up to, and how did every assumption in the first 72 hours point the search the wrong way?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the unlocked door at 7:40 a.m. on July 19, 2011 to the search decisions made by experienced coordinators and dog handlers, and we trace the clues that moved the investigation north along a jeep road toward the cañada. Could the place she intended to go - and the way she walked - be the key to understanding what happened that morning?

Person: Lisa Moore
Date: July 19, 2011
Location: Cinder Peak fire lookout tower, Cibola National Forest
Status: Located nine days after disappearance
Case: disappearance and subsequent discovery

- At 7:40 a.m. Edward Becker found the tower door unlocked, radio on, and a cup of coffee still faintly warm.
- Lisa's hiking boots were found side by side under the bed with laces still tied, and her coffee cup was on the left side of the table despite her being right-handed.
- Search coordinator Edward Becker arrived at 10:15 a.m., noted the scene's stillness, and assessed Lisa had left voluntarily on foot.
- Dogs handled by Carl Ortega picked up a strong, continuous scent north from the tower and tracked at a walking pace until the scent stopped about a quarter mile out.
- Volunteer Sandra Paige found a partial shoe impression on a jeep road NNW from the tower matching the missing shoes, showing heel and outer midfoot and pointing north.

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.]]>1120falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-that-knew-the-trail-before-her--73162452
A single hiking boot stood upright in a granite bowl with pine cones fanned inside it - dry, brittle, and predating the hiker who signed the register three hours earlier. How did an item that clearly did not belong to any missing person in Deschutes County become the unsolved, silent witness to Jennifer Holmes’s vanishing?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and evidence surrounding a three-day disappearance in the Caldera Range, tracing Jennifer Holmes’s last known movements, the cracked Garmin inReach, and the puzzling boot found by a birdwatcher; what sequence of choices and breaks turned a routine hike into a disappearance?

Person: Jennifer Holmes
Date: June 14
Location: Coldwater Connector trail, Caldera Range
Status: Missing (supplemental report filed in August)
Age: 48

- Jennifer signed the trailhead register at 6:40 AM declaring an upper Coldwater lake basin destination roughly seven miles in.
- The Garmin inReach sent its last successful transmission at 6:58 AM and later showed an antenna casing crack consistent with a hard impact.
- Jeffrey Perry found the upright hiking boot at 9:52 AM inside a shallow granite bowl, boot pointing northwest with pine cones arranged vertically inside.
- Jennifer twisted her left ankle on a granite shelf at about one mile in at roughly 8:00 AM but continued moving on the trail.
- Todd Weller encountered Jennifer limping and refusing help before 8:37 AM; Weller called search and rescue more than twenty minutes after passing her.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162452Mon, 17 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot That Knew the Trail Before Her A single hiking boot stood upright in a granite bowl with pine cones fanned inside it - dry, brittle, and predating the hiker who signed the register three hours earlier. How did an item that clearly did not...
A single hiking boot stood upright in a granite bowl with pine cones fanned inside it - dry, brittle, and predating the hiker who signed the register three hours earlier. How did an item that clearly did not belong to any missing person in Deschutes County become the unsolved, silent witness to Jennifer Holmes’s vanishing?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and evidence surrounding a three-day disappearance in the Caldera Range, tracing Jennifer Holmes’s last known movements, the cracked Garmin inReach, and the puzzling boot found by a birdwatcher; what sequence of choices and breaks turned a routine hike into a disappearance?

Person: Jennifer Holmes
Date: June 14
Location: Coldwater Connector trail, Caldera Range
Status: Missing (supplemental report filed in August)
Age: 48

- Jennifer signed the trailhead register at 6:40 AM declaring an upper Coldwater lake basin destination roughly seven miles in.
- The Garmin inReach sent its last successful transmission at 6:58 AM and later showed an antenna casing crack consistent with a hard impact.
- Jeffrey Perry found the upright hiking boot at 9:52 AM inside a shallow granite bowl, boot pointing northwest with pine cones arranged vertically inside.
- Jennifer twisted her left ankle on a granite shelf at about one mile in at roughly 8:00 AM but continued moving on the trail.
- Todd Weller encountered Jennifer limping and refusing help before 8:37 AM; Weller called search and rescue more than twenty minutes after passing her.

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.]]>1307falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-beacon-in-the-gorge-why-a-ski-pole-was-planted-for-no-one--73162451
A beacon transmitting on 457 kHz was found clean, dry and at 63% battery on a basalt shelf far below any snowpack - 1,348 vertical feet beneath the nearest snow - raising the unnerving question: who drove a ski pole eighteen inches into consolidated May snow and why would a functioning avalanche beacon be left on a gorge floor? What single action in this case refuses every tidy explanation?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from a printed trip plan in a Creston Forks kitchen to a ski pole appearing between seven a.m. and two p.m., and follow search logs, a lookout’s contemporaneous note, and equipment records to the one physical object nobody has accounted for: the planted pole. Can the placement of that pole point to what happened between departure and the first missing-person call?

Person: Clifford Casey
Date: May 3, 2019 (departure); reported missing by evening May 3, 2019; beacon detected May 9, 2019
Location: Weller Basin (trip) and Sinter Gorge (beacon location)
Status: Missing (object - beacon and ski pole - found; Casey unaccounted for in transcript)
Search Coordinator: Chad Bennett (22 years coordinating search and rescue in Creston Forks)

- The beacon transmitted on frequency 457 kilohertz and showed a battery level of 63%.
- The nearest snowpack was 1,348 vertical feet above the basalt shelf where the beacon transmitted.
- The ski pole was driven roughly 18 inches into consolidated May snow, handle-down with basket facing up.
- The trip plan in Casey’s handwriting listed Weller Basin at roughly 8,000 feet with 4-6 feet of consolidated snow and intended return by 3:00 p.m.
- A lookout logged seeing a figure on the lower Sinter Gorge trail on the evening of May 3, noted as moving without poles and carrying something across both shoulders.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162451Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Beacon in the Gorge: Why a Ski Pole Was Planted for No One A beacon transmitting on 457 kHz was found clean, dry and at 63% battery on a basalt shelf far below any snowpack - 1,348 vertical feet beneath the nearest snow - raising the unnerving...
A beacon transmitting on 457 kHz was found clean, dry and at 63% battery on a basalt shelf far below any snowpack - 1,348 vertical feet beneath the nearest snow - raising the unnerving question: who drove a ski pole eighteen inches into consolidated May snow and why would a functioning avalanche beacon be left on a gorge floor? What single action in this case refuses every tidy explanation?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from a printed trip plan in a Creston Forks kitchen to a ski pole appearing between seven a.m. and two p.m., and follow search logs, a lookout’s contemporaneous note, and equipment records to the one physical object nobody has accounted for: the planted pole. Can the placement of that pole point to what happened between departure and the first missing-person call?

Person: Clifford Casey
Date: May 3, 2019 (departure); reported missing by evening May 3, 2019; beacon detected May 9, 2019
Location: Weller Basin (trip) and Sinter Gorge (beacon location)
Status: Missing (object - beacon and ski pole - found; Casey unaccounted for in transcript)
Search Coordinator: Chad Bennett (22 years coordinating search and rescue in Creston Forks)

- The beacon transmitted on frequency 457 kilohertz and showed a battery level of 63%.
- The nearest snowpack was 1,348 vertical feet above the basalt shelf where the beacon transmitted.
- The ski pole was driven roughly 18 inches into consolidated May snow, handle-down with basket facing up.
- The trip plan in Casey’s handwriting listed Weller Basin at roughly 8,000 feet with 4-6 feet of consolidated snow and intended return by 3:00 p.m.
- A lookout logged seeing a figure on the lower Sinter Gorge trail on the evening of May 3, noted as moving without poles and carrying something across both shoulders.

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.]]>1214falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-vanishes-on-a-trail-she-knew-the-jean-gallagher-case--73162447
A volunteer heard two stones struck together in a slow, deliberate rhythm in Pitcher Gulch - seven days after Jean Gallagher went missing, eleven miles from her campsite, found with severe hypothermia and a missing sock. The evidence includes a granite bench where search dogs stopped, a foreign sock at a campsite, and a green composition notebook standing upright on a plowed forest road with no footprints; how did those pieces assemble into what happened to Jean?

In this episode, we lay out the known facts of Jean Gallagher's disappearance and the odd, unresolved physical traces left along the Coburn Creek drainage, asking whether the evidence points to accident, foul play, or something else entirely.

Person: Jean Gallagher
Date: April 9-16, 2011
Location: Coburn Creek drainage, Saddler Pass trailhead, Pitcher Gulch
Status: Found alive with severe hypothermia and mild frostbite
Search area: Roughly 63 square miles

- Jean was 53 years old and had lived in Dellworth, Oregon for 22 years by April 2011.
- She was found 11 miles from her campsite and 7 miles from the last confirmed trace of her presence.
- Search and Rescue mobilized 14 members and 2 dog teams by midday after she was reported missing.
- Trained search dogs followed Jean’s scent to a granite bench about 4 miles in, then stopped and did not recover the line beyond it.
- A green composition notebook was found standing upright, dry, in the center of a plowed forest road sometime after 3:00 a.m., with no footprints in the snow around it.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162447Sat, 15 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Vanishes on a Trail She Knew: The Jean Gallagher Case A volunteer heard two stones struck together in a slow, deliberate rhythm in Pitcher Gulch - seven days after Jean Gallagher went missing, eleven miles from her campsite, found with severe...
A volunteer heard two stones struck together in a slow, deliberate rhythm in Pitcher Gulch - seven days after Jean Gallagher went missing, eleven miles from her campsite, found with severe hypothermia and a missing sock. The evidence includes a granite bench where search dogs stopped, a foreign sock at a campsite, and a green composition notebook standing upright on a plowed forest road with no footprints; how did those pieces assemble into what happened to Jean?

In this episode, we lay out the known facts of Jean Gallagher's disappearance and the odd, unresolved physical traces left along the Coburn Creek drainage, asking whether the evidence points to accident, foul play, or something else entirely.

Person: Jean Gallagher
Date: April 9-16, 2011
Location: Coburn Creek drainage, Saddler Pass trailhead, Pitcher Gulch
Status: Found alive with severe hypothermia and mild frostbite
Search area: Roughly 63 square miles

- Jean was 53 years old and had lived in Dellworth, Oregon for 22 years by April 2011.
- She was found 11 miles from her campsite and 7 miles from the last confirmed trace of her presence.
- Search and Rescue mobilized 14 members and 2 dog teams by midday after she was reported missing.
- Trained search dogs followed Jean’s scent to a granite bench about 4 miles in, then stopped and did not recover the line beyond it.
- A green composition notebook was found standing upright, dry, in the center of a plowed forest road sometime after 3:00 a.m., with no footprints in the snow around it.

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.]]>1066falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tent-on-harrow-plateau-how-did-she-vanish-without-a-trace--73162437
Cold and empty, an orange dome tent sat fully zipped on bare rock while the snow around Harrow Plateau was pristine - no tracks in, no tracks out - yet a forty-four-year-old woman named Beverly Rice was missing. Her sleeping bag had been used, both trekking poles were found folded inside the tent, and a second trekking pole lay sixty feet below the rim, bent and rimed with ice; how could she leave without leaving a single trail?

In this episode, we walk the plateau with the search team and recount the timeline and physical evidence discovered on March 11-14, 2019, from the permit at Kettner Trailhead to the first person on scene. What do the rime ice on a pole, an undisturbed four-inch snowfall, and a zipped vestibule tell us about where Beverly went?

Person: Beverly Rice
Date: March 11-14, 2019
Location: Harrow Plateau via Kettner-Colburn connector
Status: Missing after tent found occupied but no outside tracks
Search lead: Judith Hicks, 15-year SAR veteran

- Beverly Rice was forty-four years old and a hydrological technician based in Prater.
- She signed a permit at Kettner Trailhead on the evening of March 11, 2019, with planned return March 12.
- The overnight low on the plateau dropped to 17 degrees Fahrenheit and the slopes had about four inches of new snow at station level.
- The tent’s vestibule was zipped tight, the sleeping bag showed it had been slept in, and both trekking poles were folded neatly inside the tent.
- A separate trekking pole lay sixty feet down the west slope with its basket cracked, tip bent about 30 degrees, and rime ice on the upper shaft, while the surrounding snow remained undisturbed.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162437Fri, 14 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tent on Harrow Plateau: How Did She Vanish Without a Trace? Cold and empty, an orange dome tent sat fully zipped on bare rock while the snow around Harrow Plateau was pristine - no tracks in, no tracks out - yet a forty-four-year-old woman...
Cold and empty, an orange dome tent sat fully zipped on bare rock while the snow around Harrow Plateau was pristine - no tracks in, no tracks out - yet a forty-four-year-old woman named Beverly Rice was missing. Her sleeping bag had been used, both trekking poles were found folded inside the tent, and a second trekking pole lay sixty feet below the rim, bent and rimed with ice; how could she leave without leaving a single trail?

In this episode, we walk the plateau with the search team and recount the timeline and physical evidence discovered on March 11-14, 2019, from the permit at Kettner Trailhead to the first person on scene. What do the rime ice on a pole, an undisturbed four-inch snowfall, and a zipped vestibule tell us about where Beverly went?

Person: Beverly Rice
Date: March 11-14, 2019
Location: Harrow Plateau via Kettner-Colburn connector
Status: Missing after tent found occupied but no outside tracks
Search lead: Judith Hicks, 15-year SAR veteran

- Beverly Rice was forty-four years old and a hydrological technician based in Prater.
- She signed a permit at Kettner Trailhead on the evening of March 11, 2019, with planned return March 12.
- The overnight low on the plateau dropped to 17 degrees Fahrenheit and the slopes had about four inches of new snow at station level.
- The tent’s vestibule was zipped tight, the sleeping bag showed it had been slept in, and both trekking poles were folded neatly inside the tent.
- A separate trekking pole lay sixty feet down the west slope with its basket cracked, tip bent about 30 degrees, and rime ice on the upper shaft, while the surrounding snow remained undisturbed.

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.]]>1243falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-stones-turned-face-down-the-trail-that-vanished--73162426
The slope had hundreds of stones flipped face-down overnight, pale lichen pressed into the dirt and dark undersides staring up at a gray February sky - and the woman who’d been working that field vanished nine hours earlier. How can a scent trail stop cleanly in the middle of a talus field with no sign of hiking out, injury, or struggle?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from the morning Gloria Reed failed to call home through the early search actions, the weather data and field notes that frame what was possible that night, and the single baffling break in the dogs’ tracking that left rescuers with more questions than answers. Could geology, weather, or something else explain where the trail simply ends?

Person: Gloria Reed
Age: 28
Date: February 9 (discovered missing); February 8 last communication at 2:58 p.m.
Location: Carver Notch east face talus field (Harlan Flats loop)
Vehicle: 2004 Dodge Ram parked at trailhead
Weather: Low 4°F by 10:00 p.m.; wind gusts up to 31 mph until 2:00 a.m.

- Gloria signed the backcountry log at 3:04 p.m, with entry "Reed, G. - Carver E. slope, sample collection, back by dark."
- She texted a photo at 2:58 p.m. saying "look at that contact line, it's perfect," the last communication received.
- She labeled sample CN-E-14 at 5:22 p.m., a location not in her original research plan, 27 minutes before sunset at 5:49 p.m.
- Douglas York arrived at the trailhead at 8:15 a.m., by which time Gloria had been missing for approximately nine hours.
- Tracking dogs picked up her scent at the lower margin of the talus field, moved upslope, and stopped at a midpoint where the scent ceased abruptly with no subsequent trail.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162426Thu, 13 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen Stones Turned Face-Down: The Trail That Vanished The slope had hundreds of stones flipped face-down overnight, pale lichen pressed into the dirt and dark undersides staring up at a gray February sky - and the woman who’d been working that...
The slope had hundreds of stones flipped face-down overnight, pale lichen pressed into the dirt and dark undersides staring up at a gray February sky - and the woman who’d been working that field vanished nine hours earlier. How can a scent trail stop cleanly in the middle of a talus field with no sign of hiking out, injury, or struggle?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from the morning Gloria Reed failed to call home through the early search actions, the weather data and field notes that frame what was possible that night, and the single baffling break in the dogs’ tracking that left rescuers with more questions than answers. Could geology, weather, or something else explain where the trail simply ends?

Person: Gloria Reed
Age: 28
Date: February 9 (discovered missing); February 8 last communication at 2:58 p.m.
Location: Carver Notch east face talus field (Harlan Flats loop)
Vehicle: 2004 Dodge Ram parked at trailhead
Weather: Low 4°F by 10:00 p.m.; wind gusts up to 31 mph until 2:00 a.m.

- Gloria signed the backcountry log at 3:04 p.m, with entry "Reed, G. - Carver E. slope, sample collection, back by dark."
- She texted a photo at 2:58 p.m. saying "look at that contact line, it's perfect," the last communication received.
- She labeled sample CN-E-14 at 5:22 p.m., a location not in her original research plan, 27 minutes before sunset at 5:49 p.m.
- Douglas York arrived at the trailhead at 8:15 a.m., by which time Gloria had been missing for approximately nine hours.
- Tracking dogs picked up her scent at the lower margin of the talus field, moved upslope, and stopped at a midpoint where the scent ceased abruptly with no subsequent trail.

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.]]>1106falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-vanished-between-casts-the-bowling-shoe-in-the-ice--73162416
An ordinary fishing morning turned into a six-day wilderness scramble when a bowling shoe with a red numeral nine washed up in an ice shelf sixty yards below Harker Road bridge - eleven miles from the nearest alley - and the woman who owned it had been missing for seven days. How did Rebecca Dalton disappear from a neatly arranged riverbank, reappear two and a half miles away with a frozen jacket and a core temperature of 89°F, while her bag that entered the river was never seen again?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the search, and the three stubborn facts that refuse to align: the undisturbed riverbank scene, the tracking dogs’ scent that ended on a frozen sandbar three hundred yards from the main river, and the shoe found sole-up in an ice shelf the next morning. What sequence of events could connect a tied lace, a lane-nine heel paint, and a woman who walked miles with no memory of how she got there?

Person: Rebecca Dalton
Date: January 7 (disappearance), January 1-7 (context), morning of January 7 (search start)
Location: Harker Road bridge / Pelton Fork / Harker National Forest
Status: Found alive two and a half miles east with core temperature 89°F
Case: Shoe with painted red numeral nine found in ice shelf sixty yards below bridge

- The shoe was found sole-up in an ice shelf sixty yards below Harker Road bridge with laces tied in a neat bow and a red numeral nine painted on the heel.
- Rebecca Dalton had been missing for seven days when the shoe was discovered; she had lived in Miner’s Bluff for twenty-two years and was fifty-four.
- Dennis Okafor turned away for four or five minutes around 8:30 AM on January 7; when he looked back Rebecca was gone while her rod, open tackle bag, and upright thermos remained undisturbed.
- Tracking dogs followed Rebecca’s scent through frost-stiffened brush onto a broad gravel flat roughly three hundred yards from the main river where the scent abruptly ended.
- After six days of search involving forty-one volunteers, helicopters, and dogs, Rebecca was found two and a half miles east with her jacket frozen to the bark of a ponderosa pine and a core temperature of 89°F.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162416Wed, 12 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Vanished Between Casts: The Bowling Shoe in the Ice An ordinary fishing morning turned into a six-day wilderness scramble when a bowling shoe with a red numeral nine washed up in an ice shelf sixty yards below Harker Road bridge - eleven miles...
An ordinary fishing morning turned into a six-day wilderness scramble when a bowling shoe with a red numeral nine washed up in an ice shelf sixty yards below Harker Road bridge - eleven miles from the nearest alley - and the woman who owned it had been missing for seven days. How did Rebecca Dalton disappear from a neatly arranged riverbank, reappear two and a half miles away with a frozen jacket and a core temperature of 89°F, while her bag that entered the river was never seen again?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the search, and the three stubborn facts that refuse to align: the undisturbed riverbank scene, the tracking dogs’ scent that ended on a frozen sandbar three hundred yards from the main river, and the shoe found sole-up in an ice shelf the next morning. What sequence of events could connect a tied lace, a lane-nine heel paint, and a woman who walked miles with no memory of how she got there?

Person: Rebecca Dalton
Date: January 7 (disappearance), January 1-7 (context), morning of January 7 (search start)
Location: Harker Road bridge / Pelton Fork / Harker National Forest
Status: Found alive two and a half miles east with core temperature 89°F
Case: Shoe with painted red numeral nine found in ice shelf sixty yards below bridge

- The shoe was found sole-up in an ice shelf sixty yards below Harker Road bridge with laces tied in a neat bow and a red numeral nine painted on the heel.
- Rebecca Dalton had been missing for seven days when the shoe was discovered; she had lived in Miner’s Bluff for twenty-two years and was fifty-four.
- Dennis Okafor turned away for four or five minutes around 8:30 AM on January 7; when he looked back Rebecca was gone while her rod, open tackle bag, and upright thermos remained undisturbed.
- Tracking dogs followed Rebecca’s scent through frost-stiffened brush onto a broad gravel flat roughly three hundred yards from the main river where the scent abruptly ended.
- After six days of search involving forty-one volunteers, helicopters, and dogs, Rebecca was found two and a half miles east with her jacket frozen to the bark of a ponderosa pine and a core temperature of 89°F.

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© 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.]]>1269falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/handprints-in-the-mud-how-a-forest-left-a-woman-behind--73162408
A thin skin of ice formed inside two child-sized handprints pressed into the mud of Sallow Creek bank, and there were no footprints leading in or out; a woman found them after driving four miles through no cell signal. The case hinges on a single bootprint, a deliberately looped granola wrapper, and the gap between what the evidence shows and what a person should have been capable of doing-what happened to Vicki Tate?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Vicki Tate’s last known steps to the discoveries at Haymaker trailhead and Sallow Creek, tracing the physical clues left behind and the unanswered question that keeps the search open: how do these isolated traces fit any plausible scenario?

Person: Vicki Tate
Date: December 5 (left trailhead at approximately 1:15 PM); December 6 (search began)
Location: Haymaker trailhead, Harlan National Forest, Sallow Creek bank
Status: Missing
Witness: Frances Rogers (found handprints December 11)

- Vicki Tate was 22 years old and had not missed a weekly Thursday visit to her 81-year-old grandmother in over two years.
- She left her car at the trailhead at approximately 1:15 PM wearing jeans, a fleece-lined canvas jacket, and non-waterproof hiking boots; her daypack remained in the car.
- Search and Rescue coordinator Marie Jones arrived December 6 at 9:15 AM with a 14-person grid crew and two dog teams; Porter the Belgian Malinois tracked to Haymaker Bend and stopped at the waterline.
- A single right bootprint matching Vicki’s boots was found 18 inches from the waterline with no other prints leading to or from it.
- A granola bar wrapper matching the bars in Vicki’s daypack was found looped over a forked willow branch about 2 feet above the waterline, with the inner surface dry and the outside moisture-marked.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162408Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHandprints in the Mud: How a Forest Left a Woman Behind A thin skin of ice formed inside two child-sized handprints pressed into the mud of Sallow Creek bank, and there were no footprints leading in or out; a woman found them after driving four...
A thin skin of ice formed inside two child-sized handprints pressed into the mud of Sallow Creek bank, and there were no footprints leading in or out; a woman found them after driving four miles through no cell signal. The case hinges on a single bootprint, a deliberately looped granola wrapper, and the gap between what the evidence shows and what a person should have been capable of doing-what happened to Vicki Tate?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Vicki Tate’s last known steps to the discoveries at Haymaker trailhead and Sallow Creek, tracing the physical clues left behind and the unanswered question that keeps the search open: how do these isolated traces fit any plausible scenario?

Person: Vicki Tate
Date: December 5 (left trailhead at approximately 1:15 PM); December 6 (search began)
Location: Haymaker trailhead, Harlan National Forest, Sallow Creek bank
Status: Missing
Witness: Frances Rogers (found handprints December 11)

- Vicki Tate was 22 years old and had not missed a weekly Thursday visit to her 81-year-old grandmother in over two years.
- She left her car at the trailhead at approximately 1:15 PM wearing jeans, a fleece-lined canvas jacket, and non-waterproof hiking boots; her daypack remained in the car.
- Search and Rescue coordinator Marie Jones arrived December 6 at 9:15 AM with a 14-person grid crew and two dog teams; Porter the Belgian Malinois tracked to Haymaker Bend and stopped at the waterline.
- A single right bootprint matching Vicki’s boots was found 18 inches from the waterline with no other prints leading to or from it.
- A granola bar wrapper matching the bars in Vicki’s daypack was found looped over a forked willow branch about 2 feet above the waterline, with the inner surface dry and the outside moisture-marked.

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.]]>1169falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/maximo-reservar-la-resolucion-del-error-de-reloj-para-resolution--73162401
A single wildlife camera captured a woman walking alone through a drainage corridor - a real photograph stamped with the wrong date because the camera's internal clock had drifted by four days and nearly twelve hours. Marcia Sullivan had been dead for weeks by the time anyone saw that image; how did a methodical, experienced hiker vanish from a tidy camp and leave behind a glove that was never explained?

In this episode, we follow the available evidence from the trailhead register to the scent dogs' final clue, tracing Marcia's planned route, her campsite condition, and the photograph that altered the timeline. What compelled a licensed structural engineer who packed deliberately to walk out of camp in her boots and not return?

Person: Marcia Sullivan
Age: 38
Location: Crestview National Forest
Date of departure: November 6, 2019
Expected return date: November 10, 2019

- Signed the trailhead register at 11:48 a.m, on November 6, 2019.
- Camp base at Harlow Flats, elevation approximately 5,800 feet.
- Tent intact with sleeping bag inside and cooking kit neatly arranged.
- Trail boots were gone; Merrell slip-on camp shoes found tucked under the vestibule.
- Camera clock drifted by 4 days and nearly 12 hours, making the timestamp incorrect.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162401Mon, 10 Aug 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at Obomediamáximo). Reservar la resolución del error de reloj para RESOLUTION A single wildlife camera captured a woman walking alone through a drainage corridor - a real photograph stamped with the wrong date because the camera's internal clock had drifted...
A single wildlife camera captured a woman walking alone through a drainage corridor - a real photograph stamped with the wrong date because the camera's internal clock had drifted by four days and nearly twelve hours. Marcia Sullivan had been dead for weeks by the time anyone saw that image; how did a methodical, experienced hiker vanish from a tidy camp and leave behind a glove that was never explained?

In this episode, we follow the available evidence from the trailhead register to the scent dogs' final clue, tracing Marcia's planned route, her campsite condition, and the photograph that altered the timeline. What compelled a licensed structural engineer who packed deliberately to walk out of camp in her boots and not return?

Person: Marcia Sullivan
Age: 38
Location: Crestview National Forest
Date of departure: November 6, 2019
Expected return date: November 10, 2019

- Signed the trailhead register at 11:48 a.m, on November 6, 2019.
- Camp base at Harlow Flats, elevation approximately 5,800 feet.
- Tent intact with sleeping bag inside and cooking kit neatly arranged.
- Trail boots were gone; Merrell slip-on camp shoes found tucked under the vestibule.
- Camera clock drifted by 4 days and nearly 12 hours, making the timestamp incorrect.

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.]]>1104falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-vanished-then-reappeared-the-boot-on-the-root-ball--73162395
A single women's size seven hunting boot, dry and upright on a root ball above thigh-deep, 41°F water - placed, not dropped - sparked a search that found a rifle leaning and a scent that ended cleanly after 900 yards. How did a deliberate, routine woman simply vanish across 4.3 miles of roadless wilderness and reappear with questions that remain unanswered?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline of Brenda Sharp’s disappearance and recovery, the precise placements of items found, and the search team's observations that defied expectation. Was this a case of a body moving with a mind already gone elsewhere, or something the records cannot explain?

Person: Brenda Sharp
Date: October 12-14, 2017
Location: Kessler Drainage, Pellar River area
Status: Missing then found (items placed precisely)
Case: Search and rescue with scent loss after 900 yards

- Brenda Sharp was 62 years old and stood 5 feet 4 inches tall.
- The boot found at 6:40 a.m. on October 14, 2017 was a left, women's size 7, orange lug sole, toe pointing upstream.
- The river where the boot sat was running thigh-deep and 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Trackers lost Brenda’s scent after 900 yards at a patch of decomposed granite where both dogs stopped and refused to continue.
- Brenda’s bolt-action .30-06 rifle was found leaning against a lodgepole pine with the bolt open and the magazine removed and set upright at the base.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162395Sun, 09 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Vanished, Then Reappeared: The Boot on the Root Ball A single women's size seven hunting boot, dry and upright on a root ball above thigh-deep, 41°F water - placed, not dropped - sparked a search that found a rifle leaning and a scent that...
A single women's size seven hunting boot, dry and upright on a root ball above thigh-deep, 41°F water - placed, not dropped - sparked a search that found a rifle leaning and a scent that ended cleanly after 900 yards. How did a deliberate, routine woman simply vanish across 4.3 miles of roadless wilderness and reappear with questions that remain unanswered?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline of Brenda Sharp’s disappearance and recovery, the precise placements of items found, and the search team's observations that defied expectation. Was this a case of a body moving with a mind already gone elsewhere, or something the records cannot explain?

Person: Brenda Sharp
Date: October 12-14, 2017
Location: Kessler Drainage, Pellar River area
Status: Missing then found (items placed precisely)
Case: Search and rescue with scent loss after 900 yards

- Brenda Sharp was 62 years old and stood 5 feet 4 inches tall.
- The boot found at 6:40 a.m. on October 14, 2017 was a left, women's size 7, orange lug sole, toe pointing upstream.
- The river where the boot sat was running thigh-deep and 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Trackers lost Brenda’s scent after 900 yards at a patch of decomposed granite where both dogs stopped and refused to continue.
- Brenda’s bolt-action .30-06 rifle was found leaning against a lodgepole pine with the bolt open and the magazine removed and set upright at the base.

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.]]>1151falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-came-back-missing-the-shoe-on-the-shelf--73162390
A single burnt-orange hiking shoe, double-knotted and placed on an eight-inch rock shelf forty feet above the ground, sat where no unroped hiker could reach - and a methodical 26-year-old walked away from camp eleven days earlier and returned four days later wearing one shoe. Why does the GPS climb match the two-hundred-and-thirty-foot wall while the medical record, dogs, and the shoe point in different directions?

In this episode, we follow the timeline, the gear, and the search effort to show what was known at each step and what remained unexplained. How do the inReach altitude pings, the orderly campsite, and the shoe on the shelf fit together?

Person: Marilyn Young (county surveyor photographed the shoe)
Person: Marilyn Sheridan (26-year-old hiker who disappeared)
Date: September 4, 2019 (shoe photographed at 9:47 AM)
Location: Orreck Wall (rock shelf forty feet above the ground; 230-foot face)
Status: Returned after four days wearing one shoe; “case is closed” per final report

- The shoe was photographed from three angles at 9:47 AM on September 14, 2019.
- The rock shelf where the shoe rested was eight inches wide and forty feet above the ground.
- The inReach device recorded forty-seven pings and showed altitude rising to match the 230-foot face of Orreck Wall.
- Marilyn Sheridan left the Ridgetop trailhead at 6:12 AM on August 25 and thru-hiked 486 miles in 29 days the previous summer.
- Search and rescue coordinator Wayne Allen’s final report consists of four sentences, ending: “The terrain offers no explanation. The case is closed.”

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162390Sat, 08 Aug 2026 23:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out, Came Back Missing: The Shoe on the Shelf A single burnt-orange hiking shoe, double-knotted and placed on an eight-inch rock shelf forty feet above the ground, sat where no unroped hiker could reach - and a methodical 26-year-old...
A single burnt-orange hiking shoe, double-knotted and placed on an eight-inch rock shelf forty feet above the ground, sat where no unroped hiker could reach - and a methodical 26-year-old walked away from camp eleven days earlier and returned four days later wearing one shoe. Why does the GPS climb match the two-hundred-and-thirty-foot wall while the medical record, dogs, and the shoe point in different directions?

In this episode, we follow the timeline, the gear, and the search effort to show what was known at each step and what remained unexplained. How do the inReach altitude pings, the orderly campsite, and the shoe on the shelf fit together?

Person: Marilyn Young (county surveyor photographed the shoe)
Person: Marilyn Sheridan (26-year-old hiker who disappeared)
Date: September 4, 2019 (shoe photographed at 9:47 AM)
Location: Orreck Wall (rock shelf forty feet above the ground; 230-foot face)
Status: Returned after four days wearing one shoe; “case is closed” per final report

- The shoe was photographed from three angles at 9:47 AM on September 14, 2019.
- The rock shelf where the shoe rested was eight inches wide and forty feet above the ground.
- The inReach device recorded forty-seven pings and showed altitude rising to match the 230-foot face of Orreck Wall.
- Marilyn Sheridan left the Ridgetop trailhead at 6:12 AM on August 25 and thru-hiked 486 miles in 29 days the previous summer.
- Search and rescue coordinator Wayne Allen’s final report consists of four sentences, ending: “The terrain offers no explanation. The case is closed.”

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.]]>1204falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-signed-out-alone-why-his-name-was-in-the-cabin-log--73162384
A quiet trailhead, a cheap yellow padlock where a Forest Service lock once hung, and a pickup left with keys in the ignition - the first morning searchers found a woman’s truck and a cabin log with an extra name that didn’t belong. Who signed the log beneath Melissa Brooks’s neat handwriting, and why was a multi-hour fire burned to cold ash in August with a torn fragment of her purple notebook hidden in the hearth?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Randy Parker’s discovery at 7:40 a.m. to the search teams reaching the cabin and the puzzling evidence they found, mapping Melissa Brooks’s movements and the anomalies that turned a routine caretaker shift into a mystery. What does the entry for "Tom Dearing" and the destroyed spiral notebook reveal about her last day?

Person: Melissa Brooks
Date: August 9, 2019
Location: Ponderosa Basin trailhead and Wilderness Cabin
Status: Missing when truck was found; alive on a ridge above tree line at time referenced
Item: Purple spiral notebook fragment recovered behind firebox throat plate

- Truck found at 7:40 a.m. with driver’s door open and keys in the ignition
- Yellow hardware-store padlock (approx. $8) replaced Forest Service lock at gate
- Melissa signed cabin log at 11:45 a.m. on August 8, 2019
- Second signature directly beneath hers read "Tom Dearing" with vehicle noted as white Ford Econoline van, Idaho plates, partial "four-B"
- Firebox contained heavy cold ash from a multi-hour burn; a 2x3 inch fragment of purple spiral cover with ballpoint impression was recovered

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162384Fri, 07 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Signed Out Alone - Why His Name Was in the Cabin Log A quiet trailhead, a cheap yellow padlock where a Forest Service lock once hung, and a pickup left with keys in the ignition - the first morning searchers found a woman’s truck and a cabin...
A quiet trailhead, a cheap yellow padlock where a Forest Service lock once hung, and a pickup left with keys in the ignition - the first morning searchers found a woman’s truck and a cabin log with an extra name that didn’t belong. Who signed the log beneath Melissa Brooks’s neat handwriting, and why was a multi-hour fire burned to cold ash in August with a torn fragment of her purple notebook hidden in the hearth?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Randy Parker’s discovery at 7:40 a.m. to the search teams reaching the cabin and the puzzling evidence they found, mapping Melissa Brooks’s movements and the anomalies that turned a routine caretaker shift into a mystery. What does the entry for "Tom Dearing" and the destroyed spiral notebook reveal about her last day?

Person: Melissa Brooks
Date: August 9, 2019
Location: Ponderosa Basin trailhead and Wilderness Cabin
Status: Missing when truck was found; alive on a ridge above tree line at time referenced
Item: Purple spiral notebook fragment recovered behind firebox throat plate

- Truck found at 7:40 a.m. with driver’s door open and keys in the ignition
- Yellow hardware-store padlock (approx. $8) replaced Forest Service lock at gate
- Melissa signed cabin log at 11:45 a.m. on August 8, 2019
- Second signature directly beneath hers read "Tom Dearing" with vehicle noted as white Ford Econoline van, Idaho plates, partial "four-B"
- Firebox contained heavy cold ash from a multi-hour burn; a 2x3 inch fragment of purple spiral cover with ballpoint impression was recovered

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.]]>1183falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-spoon-pointed-north-the-hiker-who-vanished-while-the-stove-burned--73162376
A camp stove was still burning at 6:15 a.m. with lentil soup reduced to a dark paste and a spoon balanced at a 45-degree angle pointing north - but no hiker and no camp shoes. What did that spoon, a tent left orderly, and two bloodhounds that stopped dead at a dry draw together actually mean?

In this episode, we follow the chain of facts discovered at Arrowglass trail - the campsite at 4.3 miles and 6,200 feet, the photographic evidence that prompted a search, the bloodhounds that lost the scent in Arrowglass Draw, and the strange anonymous trail register entry - to ask how a careful, experienced hiker disappeared from an otherwise intact camp.

Person: Warren Gardner
Date: July 13-14
Location: Arrowglass trail, 4.3 miles up, elevation 6,200 ft
Event: Missing person leading to search-and-rescue and federal case
Witness: Ryan Novak (photographed campsite at 6:15 a.m.)

- Warren signed the trail register at 11:47 a.m. on July 13 listing Arrowglass Lake (~7 miles) and return by July 14 at 3:00 p.m.
- The burning stove and pot of soup were found at 6:15 a.m. on July 14 by Ryan Novak 4.3 miles up the trail.
- The spoon was balanced on the pot rim at approximately a 45-degree angle pointing toward the tree line to the north.
- Two bloodhounds tracked north from the trailhead but stopped and sat twice at Arrowglass Draw, unable to continue the scent.
- A second trail register entry 43 minutes after Warren’s listed a white Chevy Blazer with no name and no license plate.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162376Thu, 06 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Spoon Pointed North: The Hiker Who Vanished While the Stove Burned A camp stove was still burning at 6:15 a.m. with lentil soup reduced to a dark paste and a spoon balanced at a 45-degree angle pointing north - but no hiker and no camp shoes....
A camp stove was still burning at 6:15 a.m. with lentil soup reduced to a dark paste and a spoon balanced at a 45-degree angle pointing north - but no hiker and no camp shoes. What did that spoon, a tent left orderly, and two bloodhounds that stopped dead at a dry draw together actually mean?

In this episode, we follow the chain of facts discovered at Arrowglass trail - the campsite at 4.3 miles and 6,200 feet, the photographic evidence that prompted a search, the bloodhounds that lost the scent in Arrowglass Draw, and the strange anonymous trail register entry - to ask how a careful, experienced hiker disappeared from an otherwise intact camp.

Person: Warren Gardner
Date: July 13-14
Location: Arrowglass trail, 4.3 miles up, elevation 6,200 ft
Event: Missing person leading to search-and-rescue and federal case
Witness: Ryan Novak (photographed campsite at 6:15 a.m.)

- Warren signed the trail register at 11:47 a.m. on July 13 listing Arrowglass Lake (~7 miles) and return by July 14 at 3:00 p.m.
- The burning stove and pot of soup were found at 6:15 a.m. on July 14 by Ryan Novak 4.3 miles up the trail.
- The spoon was balanced on the pot rim at approximately a 45-degree angle pointing toward the tree line to the north.
- Two bloodhounds tracked north from the trailhead but stopped and sat twice at Arrowglass Draw, unable to continue the scent.
- A second trail register entry 43 minutes after Warren’s listed a white Chevy Blazer with no name and no license plate.

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.]]>1169falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-boot-on-a-soaked-hood-the-alder-fork-lacing-mystery--73162373
A single dry hiking boot on a soaked car hood launched a twenty-two-hour wilderness search across two counties with four tracking dogs and more than thirty volunteers - and the official incident report ends with one line: "Origin of the alteration: not established." How did a meticulous, experienced fifty-two-year-old end up on an unplanned canyon route, and why was the lacing on her boot inconsistent with her usual practice?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the discovery at 5:40 a.m. to the deployment of search teams, the scent trails pulled by tracking dogs, and the puzzling dry evidence found deep inside Alder Fork East - all while asking whether a four-minute routine change can explain what happened.

Person: Jennifer Hoffman
Age: 52
Occupation: Pediatric occupational therapist
Search duration: 22 hours
Rescue resources: Two counties, four tracking dogs, more than 30 volunteers

- The boot was discovered by a sixteen-year-old on a paper route at 5:40 a.m.
- Rain fell on Prosper most of the night; every surface at the trailhead was wet except the boot on the hood.
- Jennifer had called her sister at 10:30 p.m, on June 11, the last call before the incident.
- The planned route was the North Rim loop, a twelve-mile circuit estimated at five to seven hours.
- A tracking dog named Birch held a scent trail for four-tenths of a mile then lost it on a sandstone shelf, pulling northeast toward Alder Fork East.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162373Wed, 05 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Boot on a Soaked Hood: The Alder Fork Lacing Mystery A single dry hiking boot on a soaked car hood launched a twenty-two-hour wilderness search across two counties with four tracking dogs and more than thirty volunteers - and the official...
A single dry hiking boot on a soaked car hood launched a twenty-two-hour wilderness search across two counties with four tracking dogs and more than thirty volunteers - and the official incident report ends with one line: "Origin of the alteration: not established." How did a meticulous, experienced fifty-two-year-old end up on an unplanned canyon route, and why was the lacing on her boot inconsistent with her usual practice?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the discovery at 5:40 a.m. to the deployment of search teams, the scent trails pulled by tracking dogs, and the puzzling dry evidence found deep inside Alder Fork East - all while asking whether a four-minute routine change can explain what happened.

Person: Jennifer Hoffman
Age: 52
Occupation: Pediatric occupational therapist
Search duration: 22 hours
Rescue resources: Two counties, four tracking dogs, more than 30 volunteers

- The boot was discovered by a sixteen-year-old on a paper route at 5:40 a.m.
- Rain fell on Prosper most of the night; every surface at the trailhead was wet except the boot on the hood.
- Jennifer had called her sister at 10:30 p.m, on June 11, the last call before the incident.
- The planned route was the North Rim loop, a twelve-mile circuit estimated at five to seven hours.
- A tracking dog named Birch held a scent trail for four-tenths of a mile then lost it on a sandstone shelf, pulling northeast toward Alder Fork East.

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.
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A single size eleven hiking boot, laces tied and sole clean, sat upright on a snowplow-scoured road at 6:15 a.m. after a 47-year-old hiker had been missing for nearly forty hours - the boot looked as if it had come out of a box and “was waiting.” How did Chad Anderson vanish from a well-known trail, leaving a precise forty-minute gap that searchers and tracking dogs could not explain?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and first-responder notes from the day Chad Anderson failed to return, the actions of experienced search-and-rescue teams and dogs, and the odd physical clues recovered on the route; what really happened in that unexplained forty-minute window on the Ridgetop Connector?

Person: Chad Anderson
Date: May 14 (boot found at 6:15 a.m.), May 12 (hike began), May 13 (search in daylight)
Location: Forest Service Road Seven-Delta / Ridgetop Connector / Ridgetop Connector
Status: Missing; later hospitalized with partial memory
Searcher: Judith Taylor (15-year veteran)
Dog handler: Frances Gould (Belgian Malinois and bloodhound used)

- A snowplow operator named John Morris found the boot at 6:15 a.m. on May 14 on the centerline of Forest Service Road Seven-Delta.
- The boot was size eleven, laces tied, sole clean, and sitting upright on ground churned for a hundred yards in every direction.
- Chad Anderson, age forty-seven, left the eastern flank trailhead on May 12 intending an eleven-mile Ridgetop Connector hike and had been missing for nearly forty hours when the boot was found.
- Tracking dogs followed Anderson’s scent for nearly two miles before stopping at 4:47 a.m. at the Ridgetop Connector (4,220 feet elevation), where the bloodhound sat and would not move forward.
- Judith Taylor logged one vehicle at the trailhead, no other tire tracks or footprints in the fresh mud, and coordinated a search with thirty-one volunteers and three additional dog teams by daylight on May 13.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162370Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaForty Minutes Missing: The Boot That Waited on the Road A single size eleven hiking boot, laces tied and sole clean, sat upright on a snowplow-scoured road at 6:15 a.m. after a 47-year-old hiker had been missing for nearly forty hours - the boot...
A single size eleven hiking boot, laces tied and sole clean, sat upright on a snowplow-scoured road at 6:15 a.m. after a 47-year-old hiker had been missing for nearly forty hours - the boot looked as if it had come out of a box and “was waiting.” How did Chad Anderson vanish from a well-known trail, leaving a precise forty-minute gap that searchers and tracking dogs could not explain?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and first-responder notes from the day Chad Anderson failed to return, the actions of experienced search-and-rescue teams and dogs, and the odd physical clues recovered on the route; what really happened in that unexplained forty-minute window on the Ridgetop Connector?

Person: Chad Anderson
Date: May 14 (boot found at 6:15 a.m.), May 12 (hike began), May 13 (search in daylight)
Location: Forest Service Road Seven-Delta / Ridgetop Connector / Ridgetop Connector
Status: Missing; later hospitalized with partial memory
Searcher: Judith Taylor (15-year veteran)
Dog handler: Frances Gould (Belgian Malinois and bloodhound used)

- A snowplow operator named John Morris found the boot at 6:15 a.m. on May 14 on the centerline of Forest Service Road Seven-Delta.
- The boot was size eleven, laces tied, sole clean, and sitting upright on ground churned for a hundred yards in every direction.
- Chad Anderson, age forty-seven, left the eastern flank trailhead on May 12 intending an eleven-mile Ridgetop Connector hike and had been missing for nearly forty hours when the boot was found.
- Tracking dogs followed Anderson’s scent for nearly two miles before stopping at 4:47 a.m. at the Ridgetop Connector (4,220 feet elevation), where the bloodhound sat and would not move forward.
- Judith Taylor logged one vehicle at the trailhead, no other tire tracks or footprints in the fresh mud, and coordinated a search with thirty-one volunteers and three additional dog teams by daylight on May 13.

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© 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.]]>1313falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-in-the-meadow-she-vanished-where-no-trail-led--73162367
A lone women's size seven trail-running boot stood upright in the exact geographic center of Drover Flat, unlaced and sockless, as if deliberately placed - and the woman it belonged to signed the trail register, had her pack and phone, and never returned. What drew a trained, prepared runner to that open spot and left only a single standing shoe behind?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning discovery through the first thirty-one hours of search operations, tracing who Vicki Phillips was and the decisions that shaped the initial response. How did a veteran search team, working with two certified dogs and hampered by a communication failure, miss what mattered most?

Person: Vicki Phillips
Age: 29
Date: April 19 (morning discovery at 7:15; 911 call at 7:41)
Location: Drover Flat, Caldera-Whitmore National Forest, north-central Idaho
Search duration: 31 hours

- Boot found standing upright at approximate geographic center of Drover Flat, women's size seven, trail-running with orange trim
- Frank Romano discovered the boot at approximately 7:15 a.m. and called 911 at 7:41 a.m.
- Vicki signed the trailhead register at 6:52 a.m.; her car was locked at Forest Service Road 441, nine miles from the meadow
- Search was led by Gail Barrett (15 years with Caldera County Search and Rescue) and included handler Tina Morales with two wilderness-certified dogs, Perry (bloodhound) and Scrap (Belgian Malinois)
- Vicki texted her boyfriend at 9:18 p.m. the night before: "going up to the Drover approach tomorrow, solo, back by three," and did not return his expected contact

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162367Mon, 03 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot in the Meadow: She Vanished Where No Trail Led A lone women's size seven trail-running boot stood upright in the exact geographic center of Drover Flat, unlaced and sockless, as if deliberately placed - and the woman it belonged to signed...
A lone women's size seven trail-running boot stood upright in the exact geographic center of Drover Flat, unlaced and sockless, as if deliberately placed - and the woman it belonged to signed the trail register, had her pack and phone, and never returned. What drew a trained, prepared runner to that open spot and left only a single standing shoe behind?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning discovery through the first thirty-one hours of search operations, tracing who Vicki Phillips was and the decisions that shaped the initial response. How did a veteran search team, working with two certified dogs and hampered by a communication failure, miss what mattered most?

Person: Vicki Phillips
Age: 29
Date: April 19 (morning discovery at 7:15; 911 call at 7:41)
Location: Drover Flat, Caldera-Whitmore National Forest, north-central Idaho
Search duration: 31 hours

- Boot found standing upright at approximate geographic center of Drover Flat, women's size seven, trail-running with orange trim
- Frank Romano discovered the boot at approximately 7:15 a.m. and called 911 at 7:41 a.m.
- Vicki signed the trailhead register at 6:52 a.m.; her car was locked at Forest Service Road 441, nine miles from the meadow
- Search was led by Gail Barrett (15 years with Caldera County Search and Rescue) and included handler Tina Morales with two wilderness-certified dogs, Perry (bloodhound) and Scrap (Belgian Malinois)
- Vicki texted her boyfriend at 9:18 p.m. the night before: "going up to the Drover approach tomorrow, solo, back by three," and did not return his expected contact

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.]]>1130falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boots-on-the-boulder-how-a-man-vanished-above-the-treeline--73162366
Two boots sat side by side on a granite boulder at 10,200 feet, toes pointing upslope, surrounded by two inches of wind-pressed granular snow and no tracks - but the wind that later smoothed the snow peaked at 31 mph after the boots were already there. Who could have set boots down in socks at 22°F on a dark late-winter night and simply disappeared?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from a routine runner’s phone photo to a fourteen-hour search and the contradictions that baffled rescuers: a signed trail register that lied, a hand-drawn technical-route sketch in the truck, and a pair of boots placed where no one could have stood long. What do the timing, the weather logs, and the untracked snow tell us about where Jeffrey Keller went?

Person: Jeffrey Keller
Date: March 8-9, 2019
Location: Cutter Basin, Alderton, Colorado
Temperature: 22 degrees Fahrenheit
Wind gusts: peaked at 31 miles per hour

- Boots found upright on a boulder at 10,200 feet with toes pointing upslope and no nearby tracks.
- Runner Warren Stein called SAR at 6:41 a.m, after photographing the boots on March 9, 2019.
- Keller signed the trail register at 4:58 p.m. on March 8 listing the east ridge trail as intended route.
- A hand-drawn sketch in Keller’s truck showed the northwest couloir with elevation notations and a circled base.
- SNOTEL logged sustained wind gusts peaking at 31 mph between midnight and 3 a.m., after the boots were already on the boulder.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162366Sun, 02 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoots on the Boulder: How a Man Vanished Above the Treeline Two boots sat side by side on a granite boulder at 10,200 feet, toes pointing upslope, surrounded by two inches of wind-pressed granular snow and no tracks - but the wind that later...
Two boots sat side by side on a granite boulder at 10,200 feet, toes pointing upslope, surrounded by two inches of wind-pressed granular snow and no tracks - but the wind that later smoothed the snow peaked at 31 mph after the boots were already there. Who could have set boots down in socks at 22°F on a dark late-winter night and simply disappeared?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from a routine runner’s phone photo to a fourteen-hour search and the contradictions that baffled rescuers: a signed trail register that lied, a hand-drawn technical-route sketch in the truck, and a pair of boots placed where no one could have stood long. What do the timing, the weather logs, and the untracked snow tell us about where Jeffrey Keller went?

Person: Jeffrey Keller
Date: March 8-9, 2019
Location: Cutter Basin, Alderton, Colorado
Temperature: 22 degrees Fahrenheit
Wind gusts: peaked at 31 miles per hour

- Boots found upright on a boulder at 10,200 feet with toes pointing upslope and no nearby tracks.
- Runner Warren Stein called SAR at 6:41 a.m, after photographing the boots on March 9, 2019.
- Keller signed the trail register at 4:58 p.m. on March 8 listing the east ridge trail as intended route.
- A hand-drawn sketch in Keller’s truck showed the northwest couloir with elevation notations and a circled base.
- SNOTEL logged sustained wind gusts peaking at 31 mph between midnight and 3 a.m., after the boots were already on the boulder.

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.]]>1084falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/upright-in-the-snow-the-boot-that-didn-t-make-sense--73162365
A single size-seven women's hunting boot stood perfectly upright in eight inches of undisturbed snow with nine feet of untouched ground around it - and no tracks led to or away from it. That boot belonged to 23-year-old Sandra Cook, who entered Dunbar-Hennessey National Forest and vanished between an 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. window; what happened at the granite shelf where her scent trail stopped?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Sandra’s routine February hunt to the discovery that set off a search, laying out the known movements, the forensic observations, and the baffling gaps in the trail. Can the shallow final prints, the bloodhound’s terminus at the rock ledge, and the solitary upright boot be reconciled into one explanation?

Person: Sandra Cook
Date: Monday, February 9
Location: Dunbar-Hennessey National Forest, Fenwick Road pullout / granite shelf
Age: 23
Search Commander: George Armstrong

- The boot was found standing upright in eight inches of undisturbed snow with nine feet of untouched snow around it.
- Sandra left a detailed hunter's itinerary on her truck dashboard specifying Notch Stand first and Creek Stand if no elk sign by 10:00 a.m., the stands being 430 yards apart.
- Temperature was 18°F before dawn, expected to reach 29°F by midday, with wind gusts up to 31 mph later in the morning.
- Bloodhound Casper tracked Sandra's scent to the edge of a granite shelf about 200 yards southeast of Notch Stand and then sat, indicating the trail ended at the lip.
- Tracker Iris Vance recorded that the last two prints near the drop were roughly half the depth of the approaching prints.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162365Sat, 01 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaUpright in the Snow: The Boot That Didn't Make Sense A single size-seven women's hunting boot stood perfectly upright in eight inches of undisturbed snow with nine feet of untouched ground around it - and no tracks led to or away from it. That boot...
A single size-seven women's hunting boot stood perfectly upright in eight inches of undisturbed snow with nine feet of untouched ground around it - and no tracks led to or away from it. That boot belonged to 23-year-old Sandra Cook, who entered Dunbar-Hennessey National Forest and vanished between an 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. window; what happened at the granite shelf where her scent trail stopped?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Sandra’s routine February hunt to the discovery that set off a search, laying out the known movements, the forensic observations, and the baffling gaps in the trail. Can the shallow final prints, the bloodhound’s terminus at the rock ledge, and the solitary upright boot be reconciled into one explanation?

Person: Sandra Cook
Date: Monday, February 9
Location: Dunbar-Hennessey National Forest, Fenwick Road pullout / granite shelf
Age: 23
Search Commander: George Armstrong

- The boot was found standing upright in eight inches of undisturbed snow with nine feet of untouched snow around it.
- Sandra left a detailed hunter's itinerary on her truck dashboard specifying Notch Stand first and Creek Stand if no elk sign by 10:00 a.m., the stands being 430 yards apart.
- Temperature was 18°F before dawn, expected to reach 29°F by midday, with wind gusts up to 31 mph later in the morning.
- Bloodhound Casper tracked Sandra's scent to the edge of a granite shelf about 200 yards southeast of Notch Stand and then sat, indicating the trail ended at the lip.
- Tracker Iris Vance recorded that the last two prints near the drop were roughly half the depth of the approaching prints.

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.]]>1212falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-granite-shelf-where-a-tracking-dog-refused-to-follow-her-trail--73162363
A tracking dog led rescuers across 400 yards of clean scent and then stopped on an exposed granite shelf where photographs show undisturbed snow and mule deer tracks-but no human footprints. A size 8 Merrell Moab boot print was later found nearly a mile away, pressed into clay under a frozen overhang; how did Lori Slater get from the shelf to that drainage channel?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of what happened on Fenner Loop Trail on January 14 and the first days of the search that followed. You’ll hear the movements of Lori, her nine-year-old daughter Paige, the witness Doug Prewitt, and the search teams-ending on the one unresolved question that drives the whole operation.

Person: Lori Slater
Date: January 14 (initial disappearance) and January 15 (search dogs tracked)
Location: Fenner Loop Trail, Kaskala National Forest
Status: Missing; memory blank for three days
Case: Tracking dog Koda stopped on exposed granite shelf

- At 8:45 AM on January 14, hiker Doug Prewitt passed Lori and her nine-year-old daughter on Fenner Loop Trail.
- Lori told her group she would walk about 50 yards up the trail to check rosehip canes and would return in two minutes; Phil estimated she was gone about eight minutes.
- Four trained tracking dogs followed Lori’s scent approximately 400 yards north of the Ember Run footbridge to a flat granite shelf where one dog, Koda, sat and refused to continue.
- Photographs taken on day two show undisturbed snow on the granite shelf with mule deer tracks crossing it and no human footprints.
- A woman's size 8 Merrell Moab boot print matching Lori’s boots was found pressed into clay under a frozen overhang almost a mile from where the dogs stopped.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162363Fri, 31 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Granite Shelf Where a Tracking Dog Refused to Follow Her Trail A tracking dog led rescuers across 400 yards of clean scent and then stopped on an exposed granite shelf where photographs show undisturbed snow and mule deer tracks-but no human...
A tracking dog led rescuers across 400 yards of clean scent and then stopped on an exposed granite shelf where photographs show undisturbed snow and mule deer tracks-but no human footprints. A size 8 Merrell Moab boot print was later found nearly a mile away, pressed into clay under a frozen overhang; how did Lori Slater get from the shelf to that drainage channel?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of what happened on Fenner Loop Trail on January 14 and the first days of the search that followed. You’ll hear the movements of Lori, her nine-year-old daughter Paige, the witness Doug Prewitt, and the search teams-ending on the one unresolved question that drives the whole operation.

Person: Lori Slater
Date: January 14 (initial disappearance) and January 15 (search dogs tracked)
Location: Fenner Loop Trail, Kaskala National Forest
Status: Missing; memory blank for three days
Case: Tracking dog Koda stopped on exposed granite shelf

- At 8:45 AM on January 14, hiker Doug Prewitt passed Lori and her nine-year-old daughter on Fenner Loop Trail.
- Lori told her group she would walk about 50 yards up the trail to check rosehip canes and would return in two minutes; Phil estimated she was gone about eight minutes.
- Four trained tracking dogs followed Lori’s scent approximately 400 yards north of the Ember Run footbridge to a flat granite shelf where one dog, Koda, sat and refused to continue.
- Photographs taken on day two show undisturbed snow on the granite shelf with mule deer tracks crossing it and no human footprints.
- A woman's size 8 Merrell Moab boot print matching Lori’s boots was found pressed into clay under a frozen overhang almost a mile from where the dogs stopped.

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.]]>1262falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boots-beside-an-empty-tent-the-night-melissa-walked-out--73162362
A pair of leather boots, women's size seven to eight, were placed neatly side by side at the tent threshold in a sealed burn zone - laces tucked inside the shafts as if set there before stepping in for the night. Melissa Walked, 62, left a tent unzipped in eleven-degree weather with a functioning headlamp, untouched food, and a blistered heel; why would a careful planner step out without her boots?

In this episode, we follow the documented path Melissa took to a restricted Kessler Creek clearing, trace her routine visits recorded in her journal, and lay out the last entries she wrote on December 14-15 alongside the evidence found at the campsite to ask: what happened after she unzipped that tent door?

Person: Melissa Walked
Age: 62
Location: Kessler Creek drainage
Date: December 14-15 (final entries)
Temperature: 11 degrees Fahrenheit

- Boots described as leather, lace-up, women's size seven to eight, placed side by side with laces tucked inside the shafts.
- Melissa recorded counting ninety-four Geminids in two hours on December 14 and noted a blister on her left heel.
- Her Subaru was found parked on a forest service two-track off Marker Road, roughly one mile from the locked gate.
- Her tent had lichen on the north-facing seam and showed no fire damage; it was set in a dry creek channel used as a fuel break.
- Dry bag contents included a damp water filter, a functional headlamp with fresh batteries, and four untouched energy bars.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162362Thu, 30 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoots Beside an Empty Tent: The Night Melissa Walked Out A pair of leather boots, women's size seven to eight, were placed neatly side by side at the tent threshold in a sealed burn zone - laces tucked inside the shafts as if set there before...
A pair of leather boots, women's size seven to eight, were placed neatly side by side at the tent threshold in a sealed burn zone - laces tucked inside the shafts as if set there before stepping in for the night. Melissa Walked, 62, left a tent unzipped in eleven-degree weather with a functioning headlamp, untouched food, and a blistered heel; why would a careful planner step out without her boots?

In this episode, we follow the documented path Melissa took to a restricted Kessler Creek clearing, trace her routine visits recorded in her journal, and lay out the last entries she wrote on December 14-15 alongside the evidence found at the campsite to ask: what happened after she unzipped that tent door?

Person: Melissa Walked
Age: 62
Location: Kessler Creek drainage
Date: December 14-15 (final entries)
Temperature: 11 degrees Fahrenheit

- Boots described as leather, lace-up, women's size seven to eight, placed side by side with laces tucked inside the shafts.
- Melissa recorded counting ninety-four Geminids in two hours on December 14 and noted a blister on her left heel.
- Her Subaru was found parked on a forest service two-track off Marker Road, roughly one mile from the locked gate.
- Her tent had lichen on the north-facing seam and showed no fire damage; it was set in a dry creek channel used as a fuel break.
- Dry bag contents included a damp water filter, a functional headlamp with fresh batteries, and four untouched energy bars.

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.]]>1198falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-dogs-said-otherwise-the-tanner-river-jacket-mystery--73162358
Cold morning air held a secret: a 26-year-old woman found alive in frost wearing a man's canvas jacket "four sizes too large," and a tracking team whose dogs followed a scent that made a right-angle turn as if the woman had been carried. The jacket matched a father's description down to a taped cuff before anyone showed him a photo - so why did the dogs indicate she wasn't walking, and who gave a hypothermic 73-year-old a fleece jacket the afternoon before he was found? Which of these impossible details explains what really happened?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Melissa Schmidt's last logged check-out at 2:15 p.m. to the search-and-rescue operation that began at dawn, mapping the scene spots, the wildlife-camera evidence, and the canine tracking behavior that rerouted the search into the Tanner drainage. How do the jacket, the dogs' pivot, and a stranded rancher fit into one unfolding question?

Person: Melissa Schmidt
Date: November 12-14, 2011
Location: Tanner drainage / Turk's Saddle / County Road Nine, Dellard County, Idaho
Status: Found alive in frost; missing for 36 hours
Person: Walter Hines

- Melissa Schmidt was 26 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighed 122 pounds.
- Melissa logged out of the Fish and Game office at 2:15 p.m. on November 12, 2011 and the wildlife camera recorded a single frame at 2:57 p.m. showing a wolf, not Melissa.
- The overnight low temperature held at 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Search-and-rescue was activated at 6:00 a.m. on November 13; dogs picked up Melissa's scent immediately then made a sharp right-angle turn toward the Tanner drainage.
- Walter Hines, age 73, was found with moderate hypothermia beside the creek wearing a fleece jacket reportedly given to him the previous afternoon.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162358Wed, 29 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked; Dogs Said Otherwise - The Tanner River Jacket Mystery Cold morning air held a secret: a 26-year-old woman found alive in frost wearing a man's canvas jacket "four sizes too large," and a tracking team whose dogs followed a scent that...
Cold morning air held a secret: a 26-year-old woman found alive in frost wearing a man's canvas jacket "four sizes too large," and a tracking team whose dogs followed a scent that made a right-angle turn as if the woman had been carried. The jacket matched a father's description down to a taped cuff before anyone showed him a photo - so why did the dogs indicate she wasn't walking, and who gave a hypothermic 73-year-old a fleece jacket the afternoon before he was found? Which of these impossible details explains what really happened?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Melissa Schmidt's last logged check-out at 2:15 p.m. to the search-and-rescue operation that began at dawn, mapping the scene spots, the wildlife-camera evidence, and the canine tracking behavior that rerouted the search into the Tanner drainage. How do the jacket, the dogs' pivot, and a stranded rancher fit into one unfolding question?

Person: Melissa Schmidt
Date: November 12-14, 2011
Location: Tanner drainage / Turk's Saddle / County Road Nine, Dellard County, Idaho
Status: Found alive in frost; missing for 36 hours
Person: Walter Hines

- Melissa Schmidt was 26 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighed 122 pounds.
- Melissa logged out of the Fish and Game office at 2:15 p.m. on November 12, 2011 and the wildlife camera recorded a single frame at 2:57 p.m. showing a wolf, not Melissa.
- The overnight low temperature held at 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Search-and-rescue was activated at 6:00 a.m. on November 13; dogs picked up Melissa's scent immediately then made a sharp right-angle turn toward the Tanner drainage.
- Walter Hines, age 73, was found with moderate hypothermia beside the creek wearing a fleece jacket reportedly given to him the previous afternoon.

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© 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.]]>1169falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-eleven-cairns-how-a-perfect-line-led-him-astray--73162354
A county surveyor found eleven pale quartzite stone towers in a straight line spanning eleven miles of roadless wilderness, made from nonlocal stone and aligned to a bearing of 172 degrees with less than two degrees deviation - and at the far end, a man was missing. Who built that perfect line, and how did it collide with the disappearance of an experienced, beacon-carrying hiker?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and fieldwork that unfolded after Darlene Mitchell's discovery and the Gallatin County search that began when Neil Christensen reported his brother missing; we cover the discovery of the towers, Richard Christensen’s planned route and habits, the tracking dog’s puzzling behavior, and the first campsite - and ask how these pieces fit together.

Person: Richard Christensen
Date: October 11, 2019 (signed trail register at 6:52 AM)
Location: Ridgeback Creek trailhead / Ridgeback Shelf, Gallatin Highlands, south-central Montana
Event: Discovery of eleven stone towers by Darlene Mitchell on October 14, 2019
Status: Richard did not return by expected date October 16, 2019; search initiated October 17, 2019

- Eleven stone towers found in a perfectly straight line across eleven miles, bearing 172 degrees ±2 degrees.
- Towers were two feet tall, made of pale water-smoothed quartzite not native to the area.
- Darlene Mitchell discovered the first tower on October 14, 2019 and followed them for two miles before calling her supervisor.
- Richard Christensen signed the Ridgeback Creek trailhead register on October 11, 2019 at 6:52 AM, planned to return by October 16, 2019.
- Tracking dog Pepper located a scent moving south, then sat at a creek bank refusing to cross, indicating the scent split or doubled back.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162354Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Eleven Cairns: How a Perfect Line Led Him Astray A county surveyor found eleven pale quartzite stone towers in a straight line spanning eleven miles of roadless wilderness, made from nonlocal stone and aligned to a bearing of 172 degrees with...
A county surveyor found eleven pale quartzite stone towers in a straight line spanning eleven miles of roadless wilderness, made from nonlocal stone and aligned to a bearing of 172 degrees with less than two degrees deviation - and at the far end, a man was missing. Who built that perfect line, and how did it collide with the disappearance of an experienced, beacon-carrying hiker?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and fieldwork that unfolded after Darlene Mitchell's discovery and the Gallatin County search that began when Neil Christensen reported his brother missing; we cover the discovery of the towers, Richard Christensen’s planned route and habits, the tracking dog’s puzzling behavior, and the first campsite - and ask how these pieces fit together.

Person: Richard Christensen
Date: October 11, 2019 (signed trail register at 6:52 AM)
Location: Ridgeback Creek trailhead / Ridgeback Shelf, Gallatin Highlands, south-central Montana
Event: Discovery of eleven stone towers by Darlene Mitchell on October 14, 2019
Status: Richard did not return by expected date October 16, 2019; search initiated October 17, 2019

- Eleven stone towers found in a perfectly straight line across eleven miles, bearing 172 degrees ±2 degrees.
- Towers were two feet tall, made of pale water-smoothed quartzite not native to the area.
- Darlene Mitchell discovered the first tower on October 14, 2019 and followed them for two miles before calling her supervisor.
- Richard Christensen signed the Ridgeback Creek trailhead register on October 11, 2019 at 6:52 AM, planned to return by October 16, 2019.
- Tracking dog Pepper located a scent moving south, then sat at a creek bank refusing to cross, indicating the scent split or doubled back.

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.]]>1239falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boot-on-a-locked-car-dogs-howling-at-a-whispering-shelf--73162353
A dry hiking boot, upright and laces tied, sat on the hood of a locked gray Toyota Camry after a night of rain-while its owner was found seven miles up the trail with one bare foot and no memory of placing it. Cadaver dogs gave sustained alerts to a bare granite shelf and searchers logged sixty-three pages before the report concluded the cause of the boot placement was "undetermined." How did a teacher who always called when plans changed end up seven miles away with her boot on a locked car?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Kelly Wright left for a solo overnight hike to the search-and-rescue response that unfolded when she did not return. You will hear what the parking lot looked like, why experienced coordinators treated the alerts as serious, and why the final SAR line-"Cause of boot placement - undetermined"-keeps the mystery alive.

Person: Kelly Wright
Date: September 6-8, 2019
Location: Dunmore trailhead, Garnet Range
Status: Subject recovered, outcome favorable
Search documentation: 63 pages

- The boot was upright with laces tied and completely dry despite a night of rain that soaked every surface in the lot.
- Kelly Wright was a 32-year-old seventh-grade earth science teacher from Hartfield, Idaho who had been missing since Friday and was found seven miles up the Dunmore trail.
- Two cadaver dogs, Pepper and Scout, gave independent alerts; Pepper sat and held an alert on a bare granite shelf for four minutes.
- Kelly's gray Toyota Camry was parked in the gravel lot, locked with windows intact and no confirmed footprints around the vehicle.
- The final line of the search-and-rescue report reads: "Subject recovered, outcome favorable. Cause of boot placement - undetermined."

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162353Mon, 27 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoot on a Locked Car, Dogs Howling at a Whispering Shelf A dry hiking boot, upright and laces tied, sat on the hood of a locked gray Toyota Camry after a night of rain-while its owner was found seven miles up the trail with one bare foot and no...
A dry hiking boot, upright and laces tied, sat on the hood of a locked gray Toyota Camry after a night of rain-while its owner was found seven miles up the trail with one bare foot and no memory of placing it. Cadaver dogs gave sustained alerts to a bare granite shelf and searchers logged sixty-three pages before the report concluded the cause of the boot placement was "undetermined." How did a teacher who always called when plans changed end up seven miles away with her boot on a locked car?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Kelly Wright left for a solo overnight hike to the search-and-rescue response that unfolded when she did not return. You will hear what the parking lot looked like, why experienced coordinators treated the alerts as serious, and why the final SAR line-"Cause of boot placement - undetermined"-keeps the mystery alive.

Person: Kelly Wright
Date: September 6-8, 2019
Location: Dunmore trailhead, Garnet Range
Status: Subject recovered, outcome favorable
Search documentation: 63 pages

- The boot was upright with laces tied and completely dry despite a night of rain that soaked every surface in the lot.
- Kelly Wright was a 32-year-old seventh-grade earth science teacher from Hartfield, Idaho who had been missing since Friday and was found seven miles up the Dunmore trail.
- Two cadaver dogs, Pepper and Scout, gave independent alerts; Pepper sat and held an alert on a bare granite shelf for four minutes.
- Kelly's gray Toyota Camry was parked in the gravel lot, locked with windows intact and no confirmed footprints around the vehicle.
- The final line of the search-and-rescue report reads: "Subject recovered, outcome favorable. Cause of boot placement - undetermined."

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.]]>1166falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-index-card-how-jean-vanished-from-caldwell-peak--73162350
A single dry summit register card sat on a soaked knee in a forest where everything else - Jean Wilson's jacket, hair, the soil, the spruce bark - was saturated with August dew; that one dry card became the central mystery of a seventeen-hour disappearance in Granger County wilderness. How did the card remain dry after a wet night outside, and where did Jean go during those missing hours?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the physical evidence, and the unanswered statements recorded by rescuers and witnesses, and we follow the ledger of notebooks, registers, and first-hand accounts that frame the question at the heart of the case: what happened between 1:47 p.m. and 6:45 a.m.?

Person: Jean Wilson
Date: August 10-11, 2011
Location: Caldwell Peak, Granger County wilderness
Status: Case closed administratively; anomaly unresolved
Witness: Chris Fenwick (saw Jean at summit at 1:47 p.m.)

- Jean signed the trail register at Sable Meadow at 5:52 a.m, on Monday, August 10.
- Jean signed the Caldwell Peak summit register at 1:47 p.m., 4,300 feet above sea level and 7.5 miles from where she was found.
- Seventeen hours elapsed between Jean signing the summit register and being found on the ground at 6:45 a.m. the next morning.
- Jean carried two one-liter water bottles; both were found empty beside her the following morning.
- Jean's headlamp was on medium, batteries fully dead; that model on medium runs approximately eight hours, leaving about two hours unaccounted for in total darkness.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162350Sun, 26 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Index Card: How Jean Vanished From Caldwell Peak A single dry summit register card sat on a soaked knee in a forest where everything else - Jean Wilson's jacket, hair, the soil, the spruce bark - was saturated with August dew; that one dry...
A single dry summit register card sat on a soaked knee in a forest where everything else - Jean Wilson's jacket, hair, the soil, the spruce bark - was saturated with August dew; that one dry card became the central mystery of a seventeen-hour disappearance in Granger County wilderness. How did the card remain dry after a wet night outside, and where did Jean go during those missing hours?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the physical evidence, and the unanswered statements recorded by rescuers and witnesses, and we follow the ledger of notebooks, registers, and first-hand accounts that frame the question at the heart of the case: what happened between 1:47 p.m. and 6:45 a.m.?

Person: Jean Wilson
Date: August 10-11, 2011
Location: Caldwell Peak, Granger County wilderness
Status: Case closed administratively; anomaly unresolved
Witness: Chris Fenwick (saw Jean at summit at 1:47 p.m.)

- Jean signed the trail register at Sable Meadow at 5:52 a.m, on Monday, August 10.
- Jean signed the Caldwell Peak summit register at 1:47 p.m., 4,300 feet above sea level and 7.5 miles from where she was found.
- Seventeen hours elapsed between Jean signing the summit register and being found on the ground at 6:45 a.m. the next morning.
- Jean carried two one-liter water bottles; both were found empty beside her the following morning.
- Jean's headlamp was on medium, batteries fully dead; that model on medium runs approximately eight hours, leaving about two hours unaccounted for in total darkness.

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.]]>1168falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sentry-peak-s-beacon-why-the-light-was-on-when-she-vanished--73162349
A bright emergency beacon flashed in full daylight over Sentry Peak the morning a seasoned Forest Service lookout disappeared, though that light was only supposed to run at night; the tower’s door was latched from the outside, boots were neatly lined under the cot, dishes stacked, and the logbook’s last entry at 9:14 PM was written in an unfamiliar blue ink-so why was the beacon cycling and where did she go?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline and concrete scene details from that morning, revisit the last written entry and who noticed the oddities, and follow search-and-rescue and investigative leads as they try to reconcile a methodical woman’s routine with the baffling discrepancies left behind-what sequence of small, explainable errors and deliberate actions could produce such an unresolved disappearance?

Person: Crystal Wagner
Date: July 11, 2019
Location: Sentry Peak lookout tower
Age: 46
Investigator: Terry Davis

- Beacon panel was set to continuous operation though it was supposed to run on an overnight timer.
- Logbook's last entry time-stamped 9:14 PM on July 10 and written in blue ballpoint ink.
- Crystal’s usual Pilot G-2 black pen was missing from its slot; a leftover blue pen was later found in a desk drawer.
- Tower door was latched from the outside and Crystal’s trail runners were gone while her heavy boots remained under the cot.
- Satellite communicator was powered off and the emergency beacon was still flashing at 7:42 AM when paper carrier Alice Rogers noticed it.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162349Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaSentry Peak's Beacon: Why the Light Was On When She Vanished A bright emergency beacon flashed in full daylight over Sentry Peak the morning a seasoned Forest Service lookout disappeared, though that light was only supposed to run at night; the...
A bright emergency beacon flashed in full daylight over Sentry Peak the morning a seasoned Forest Service lookout disappeared, though that light was only supposed to run at night; the tower’s door was latched from the outside, boots were neatly lined under the cot, dishes stacked, and the logbook’s last entry at 9:14 PM was written in an unfamiliar blue ink-so why was the beacon cycling and where did she go?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline and concrete scene details from that morning, revisit the last written entry and who noticed the oddities, and follow search-and-rescue and investigative leads as they try to reconcile a methodical woman’s routine with the baffling discrepancies left behind-what sequence of small, explainable errors and deliberate actions could produce such an unresolved disappearance?

Person: Crystal Wagner
Date: July 11, 2019
Location: Sentry Peak lookout tower
Age: 46
Investigator: Terry Davis

- Beacon panel was set to continuous operation though it was supposed to run on an overnight timer.
- Logbook's last entry time-stamped 9:14 PM on July 10 and written in blue ballpoint ink.
- Crystal’s usual Pilot G-2 black pen was missing from its slot; a leftover blue pen was later found in a desk drawer.
- Tower door was latched from the outside and Crystal’s trail runners were gone while her heavy boots remained under the cot.
- Satellite communicator was powered off and the emergency beacon was still flashing at 7:42 AM when paper carrier Alice Rogers noticed it.

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.]]>1082falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/warm-boot-double-knot-how-michelle-came-back-missing-memories--73162348
Warm, buried, and tied-searchers found a size seven coral trail runner at mile marker eleven that felt as if someone had just taken it off; the laces were pulled tight in a double knot though the last person to tie them had left only a single knot. What happened in the nine days between a limping hiker and a boot dug out of winter gravel, and who tied that knot?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Michelle Simmons leaving the Pelham County animal shelter to the discovery on Forest Road Seven-Echo, tracing witness accounts, search-and-rescue evidence, and the unresolved question of how that boot came to be double-knotted.

Person: Michelle Simmons
Date: June 14-19
Location: Coldspring Trail and Forest Road Seven-Echo, Pelham County
Status: Missing for four days before boot discovery; case spans nine days in the high country
Search coordinator: Megan Tillman

- Michelle Simmons was 28 years old, 5'4" and 130 pounds.
- She left the shelter at 10:17 AM on June 14 and signed the trail register at 8:41 AM for an ~11-mile north ridge loop.
- Dennis Prada encountered Michelle at ~2:15 PM, wrapped her right ankle with an elastic bandage, and relaced her boot with a single-knot pattern.
- Chris and Anne Fowler saw Michelle sitting on the trail at ~3:45 PM about two miles from the trailhead; her right boot was off and the ankle was swollen, and she declined help.
- At 7:52 AM on June 19, Richard Henderson found a warm, dry women's right trail runner (size 7, faded coral) buried in gravel at mile marker 11; the laces were tied in a tight double knot.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162348Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:37:10 +0000Creator at ObomediaWarm Boot, Double Knot: How Michelle Came Back Missing Memories Warm, buried, and tied-searchers found a size seven coral trail runner at mile marker eleven that felt as if someone had just taken it off; the laces were pulled tight in a double knot...
Warm, buried, and tied-searchers found a size seven coral trail runner at mile marker eleven that felt as if someone had just taken it off; the laces were pulled tight in a double knot though the last person to tie them had left only a single knot. What happened in the nine days between a limping hiker and a boot dug out of winter gravel, and who tied that knot?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Michelle Simmons leaving the Pelham County animal shelter to the discovery on Forest Road Seven-Echo, tracing witness accounts, search-and-rescue evidence, and the unresolved question of how that boot came to be double-knotted.

Person: Michelle Simmons
Date: June 14-19
Location: Coldspring Trail and Forest Road Seven-Echo, Pelham County
Status: Missing for four days before boot discovery; case spans nine days in the high country
Search coordinator: Megan Tillman

- Michelle Simmons was 28 years old, 5'4" and 130 pounds.
- She left the shelter at 10:17 AM on June 14 and signed the trail register at 8:41 AM for an ~11-mile north ridge loop.
- Dennis Prada encountered Michelle at ~2:15 PM, wrapped her right ankle with an elastic bandage, and relaced her boot with a single-knot pattern.
- Chris and Anne Fowler saw Michelle sitting on the trail at ~3:45 PM about two miles from the trailhead; her right boot was off and the ankle was swollen, and she declined help.
- At 7:52 AM on June 19, Richard Henderson found a warm, dry women's right trail runner (size 7, faded coral) buried in gravel at mile marker 11; the laces were tied in a tight double knot.

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.]]>1206falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-signal-in-the-culvert-how-a-beacon-led-her-home--73162346
A steady 457 kHz pulse - the universal avalanche-transceiver tone - was heard echoing from a corrugated culvert at 6,200 feet while the nearest snowpack was 1,300 feet above; what was broadcasting an avalanche beacon from a dirt drainage pipe, and how did it become the key to finding a missing backcountry skier? Who was sending that signal, and why had no one thought to look there?

In this episode, we follow the search for a missing skier and the unexpected clue that changed everything. You’ll hear how routine equipment checks, a pared-down gear decision, and a lineman’s curiosity converged to answer the question left by the pulsing tone in the culvert.

Person: Crystal Fleming
Date: May 7-14, 2019
Location: Vanner Cirque / Sill Creek drainage, Hollenbeck Range / Forest Service Road Seven-Bravo / Ridgecrest, Idaho
Event: Missing backcountry skier and subsequent search
Status: Signal detected in culvert led to breakthrough after seven days

- Crystal Fleming was 56 years old in May 2019 and had skied backcountry terrain in central Idaho for 20 years.
- The tone heard in the culvert was a 457 kilohertz pulse repeating every second, the frequency of avalanche rescue transceivers.
- The pulse was detected at 6,200 feet elevation while the nearest recorded snowpack was 1,300 feet higher.
- Crystal’s truck remained at the Sill Creek trailhead on the evening of May 7 with an orange emergency bivy bag and extra layers visible on the back seat.
- Alan Weaver heard the pulsing signal while inspecting a transmission line on Forest Service Road Seven-Bravo on the morning of May 14, 2019.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162346Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:37:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Signal in the Culvert: How a Beacon Led Her Home A steady 457 kHz pulse - the universal avalanche-transceiver tone - was heard echoing from a corrugated culvert at 6,200 feet while the nearest snowpack was 1,300 feet above; what was...
A steady 457 kHz pulse - the universal avalanche-transceiver tone - was heard echoing from a corrugated culvert at 6,200 feet while the nearest snowpack was 1,300 feet above; what was broadcasting an avalanche beacon from a dirt drainage pipe, and how did it become the key to finding a missing backcountry skier? Who was sending that signal, and why had no one thought to look there?

In this episode, we follow the search for a missing skier and the unexpected clue that changed everything. You’ll hear how routine equipment checks, a pared-down gear decision, and a lineman’s curiosity converged to answer the question left by the pulsing tone in the culvert.

Person: Crystal Fleming
Date: May 7-14, 2019
Location: Vanner Cirque / Sill Creek drainage, Hollenbeck Range / Forest Service Road Seven-Bravo / Ridgecrest, Idaho
Event: Missing backcountry skier and subsequent search
Status: Signal detected in culvert led to breakthrough after seven days

- Crystal Fleming was 56 years old in May 2019 and had skied backcountry terrain in central Idaho for 20 years.
- The tone heard in the culvert was a 457 kilohertz pulse repeating every second, the frequency of avalanche rescue transceivers.
- The pulse was detected at 6,200 feet elevation while the nearest recorded snowpack was 1,300 feet higher.
- Crystal’s truck remained at the Sill Creek trailhead on the evening of May 7 with an orange emergency bivy bag and extra layers visible on the back seat.
- Alan Weaver heard the pulsing signal while inspecting a transmission line on Forest Service Road Seven-Bravo on the morning of May 14, 2019.

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.]]>1112falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-walked-down-a-mountain-he-couldn-t-possibly-have-walked-down--73162345
A composition notebook, sealed in plastic and written in freezing temperatures, was found wedged beneath a trailhead kiosk miles from where a missing hiker with a fractured leg was last known to be - the final entry stops mid-sentence. How did Randy Sawyer, injured above 7,000 feet and immobile in subfreezing nights, get that notebook to the trailhead?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events, search operations, and the puzzling physical evidence gathered between April 9 and April 16, 2019, to explore the unresolved movement that baffled search-and-rescue teams. Can the field notes, boot prints, and a single fire ring explain who - or what - moved the notebook down the mountain?

Person: Randy Sawyer
Date: April 9-16, 2019
Location: Harrow Creek trailhead and Pelton Shelf, above 7,000 feet
Status: Missing; fractured left fibula and bivy shelter found on Pelton Shelf
Coordinator: Amanda Mueller

- The notebook was found at 6:15 AM on April 14, 2019, wedged beneath the log retaining wall at the Harrow Creek trailhead.
- Temperature had dropped to 28°F three nights prior to the notebook's discovery; pages were still legible inside a clear plastic bag.
- Randy Sawyer left his truck at Harrow Creek trailhead on April 7 with keys in the wheel well and a written itinerary under the windshield wiper.
- A signal fire with fresh ash and a single size 11 boot print was found on the northeast boulder field edge of Pelton Shelf by volunteer Frank Odum.
- Bloodhound Hector tracked scent 2.1 miles along the main Harrow Creek trail and stopped at a granite slab and rocky ford where the scent abruptly ended.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162345Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:37:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Walked Down a Mountain He Couldn't Possibly Have Walked Down A composition notebook, sealed in plastic and written in freezing temperatures, was found wedged beneath a trailhead kiosk miles from where a missing hiker with a fractured leg was...
A composition notebook, sealed in plastic and written in freezing temperatures, was found wedged beneath a trailhead kiosk miles from where a missing hiker with a fractured leg was last known to be - the final entry stops mid-sentence. How did Randy Sawyer, injured above 7,000 feet and immobile in subfreezing nights, get that notebook to the trailhead?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events, search operations, and the puzzling physical evidence gathered between April 9 and April 16, 2019, to explore the unresolved movement that baffled search-and-rescue teams. Can the field notes, boot prints, and a single fire ring explain who - or what - moved the notebook down the mountain?

Person: Randy Sawyer
Date: April 9-16, 2019
Location: Harrow Creek trailhead and Pelton Shelf, above 7,000 feet
Status: Missing; fractured left fibula and bivy shelter found on Pelton Shelf
Coordinator: Amanda Mueller

- The notebook was found at 6:15 AM on April 14, 2019, wedged beneath the log retaining wall at the Harrow Creek trailhead.
- Temperature had dropped to 28°F three nights prior to the notebook's discovery; pages were still legible inside a clear plastic bag.
- Randy Sawyer left his truck at Harrow Creek trailhead on April 7 with keys in the wheel well and a written itinerary under the windshield wiper.
- A signal fire with fresh ash and a single size 11 boot print was found on the northeast boulder field edge of Pelton Shelf by volunteer Frank Odum.
- Bloodhound Hector tracked scent 2.1 miles along the main Harrow Creek trail and stopped at a granite slab and rocky ford where the scent abruptly ended.

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© 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.]]>1248falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-a-note-pointing-up-found-alive-no-footprints-below--73162343
Cold and baffling: a sealed orange bivouac sack, a full water bottle, an energy bar and a pencil note timestamped 11:20 - all sitting on a granite shelf with unbroken snow in every direction. How did a meticulous 38-year-old GIS technician named Laura Powell leave gear at 9,100 feet with no footprints below, and why did her note tell searchers to look above the couloir?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from Laura Powell’s last known phone call through the twelve-day Kessler Range search, describing the scene found by Ruth Bowers, the initial field evidence, and the constraints that kept teams from reaching the upper boulder fields. What do the single boot print, a used hand-warmer, and the dogs quitting at the creek tell us about where Laura went?

Person: Laura Powell
Date: March 15-March 23
Location: Kessler Range, granite shelf at 9,100 feet
Status: Found alive after nine days alone in the cold
Occupation: GIS technician

- An orange bivouac sack was found sealed and unused on a flat rock shelf with no surrounding footprints.
- A folded pencil-written note in a zip-lock bag was timestamped 11:20 and instructed searchers to look above the couloir.
- Laura’s last outgoing phone call was to her sister on March 14 at 15:47 and lasted nine minutes.
- Search and Rescue recorded between 14 and 17 inches of new snow overnight before teams could reach upper terrain.
- Search dogs quit at the mile-three creek crossing, with handlers reporting scent channeled down the drainage and flowing into the creek.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162343Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:57 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Left a Note Pointing Up-Found Alive, No Footprints Below Cold and baffling: a sealed orange bivouac sack, a full water bottle, an energy bar and a pencil note timestamped 11:20 - all sitting on a granite shelf with unbroken snow in every...
Cold and baffling: a sealed orange bivouac sack, a full water bottle, an energy bar and a pencil note timestamped 11:20 - all sitting on a granite shelf with unbroken snow in every direction. How did a meticulous 38-year-old GIS technician named Laura Powell leave gear at 9,100 feet with no footprints below, and why did her note tell searchers to look above the couloir?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from Laura Powell’s last known phone call through the twelve-day Kessler Range search, describing the scene found by Ruth Bowers, the initial field evidence, and the constraints that kept teams from reaching the upper boulder fields. What do the single boot print, a used hand-warmer, and the dogs quitting at the creek tell us about where Laura went?

Person: Laura Powell
Date: March 15-March 23
Location: Kessler Range, granite shelf at 9,100 feet
Status: Found alive after nine days alone in the cold
Occupation: GIS technician

- An orange bivouac sack was found sealed and unused on a flat rock shelf with no surrounding footprints.
- A folded pencil-written note in a zip-lock bag was timestamped 11:20 and instructed searchers to look above the couloir.
- Laura’s last outgoing phone call was to her sister on March 14 at 15:47 and lasted nine minutes.
- Search and Rescue recorded between 14 and 17 inches of new snow overnight before teams could reach upper terrain.
- Search dogs quit at the mile-three creek crossing, with handlers reporting scent channeled down the drainage and flowing into the creek.

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.]]>1136falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-stones-flipped-themselves-how-she-came-back-frozen-alive--73162341
Cold, uncanny, and inexplicable: a 40-foot circle of basalt slabs on a mountainside were flipped pale-side up in still, -3°F air with no wind, and a 61-year-old geology professor who had vanished the night before was later found alive-how could the stones flip themselves and leave no trace of struggle?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Wednesday night phone call to the discovery at first light, laying out the documented observations, witness actions, and the physical scene on Brewer Slope to ask the question that drove the search: what happened on that northeast-facing talus at 9,200 feet that night?

Person: Amy Thorpe
Age: 61
Location: Brewer Slope, Cascabel Valley (approximately 9,200 feet)
Date: February 9, 2015
Observer: Clifford Taylor

- Every flat basalt slab inside a roughly circular 40-foot diameter area was flipped pale-side up.
- Overnight air temperature recorded as negative three degrees Fahrenheit with no wind or precipitation.
- Amy Thorpe was a 61-year-old geology professor, 5'4", 140 pounds, who routinely worked the Brewer Slope every February.
- Thorpe's Subaru was found at the turnout and her blue daypack was located on the slope before sunrise.
- Search-and-rescue coordinator Dean Hayes photographed the disturbed circle for about 40 minutes before allowing entry.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162341Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:54 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Stones Flipped Themselves: How She Came Back Frozen Alive Cold, uncanny, and inexplicable: a 40-foot circle of basalt slabs on a mountainside were flipped pale-side up in still, -3°F air with no wind, and a 61-year-old geology professor who had...
Cold, uncanny, and inexplicable: a 40-foot circle of basalt slabs on a mountainside were flipped pale-side up in still, -3°F air with no wind, and a 61-year-old geology professor who had vanished the night before was later found alive-how could the stones flip themselves and leave no trace of struggle?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Wednesday night phone call to the discovery at first light, laying out the documented observations, witness actions, and the physical scene on Brewer Slope to ask the question that drove the search: what happened on that northeast-facing talus at 9,200 feet that night?

Person: Amy Thorpe
Age: 61
Location: Brewer Slope, Cascabel Valley (approximately 9,200 feet)
Date: February 9, 2015
Observer: Clifford Taylor

- Every flat basalt slab inside a roughly circular 40-foot diameter area was flipped pale-side up.
- Overnight air temperature recorded as negative three degrees Fahrenheit with no wind or precipitation.
- Amy Thorpe was a 61-year-old geology professor, 5'4", 140 pounds, who routinely worked the Brewer Slope every February.
- Thorpe's Subaru was found at the turnout and her blue daypack was located on the slope before sunrise.
- Search-and-rescue coordinator Dean Hayes photographed the disturbed circle for about 40 minutes before allowing entry.

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.]]>1190falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-boot-on-the-granite-shelf-melissa-s-unanswered-footprint--73162335
Cold and deliberate: a dry, double-knotted hiking boot with a balled wool sock was found upright on a granite shelf above the river after two days of sleet - and it did not belong to Melissa Nelson. How does a lone, perfectly laced boot appear miles from any linked missing-person report and remain unresolved in an evidence locker?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Melissa vanished to the discovery that refuses to fit the survival story most people expect. You’ll hear what was found at the river, who searched, and why that single dry boot keeps the case open: what happened at the Stairsteps that winter day?

Person: Melissa Nelson
Age: 26
Location: Stairsteps on Coldwater Fork, Morrow County
Date: January (Saturday morning, 9:15 AM sighting)
Status: Boot held in Morrow County Sheriff’s evidence locker; unresolved

- Melissa’s fishing rod lay in the gravel at the river’s edge while her vest and both wading boots sat on the boulder beside it.
- Dave Pruitt saw the opposite bank empty at approximately 9:15 AM and reached a signal to call 911 at 10:04 AM.
- Scott Wallace arrived at the trailhead with eight personnel and two dog handlers at 11:30 AM and had coordinated search and rescue in Morrow County for more than eleven years.
- Four days after Melissa was pulled out of the wilderness alive, Lori Jensen found a single hiking boot upright on a granite shelf above the waterline; it was dry and double-knotted with a wool sock inside.
- Searchers checked five counties and could not match the dry boot to any missing-person report; the boot remains in evidence and unexplained.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162335Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Boot on the Granite Shelf: Melissa's Unanswered Footprint Cold and deliberate: a dry, double-knotted hiking boot with a balled wool sock was found upright on a granite shelf above the river after two days of sleet - and it did not belong to...
Cold and deliberate: a dry, double-knotted hiking boot with a balled wool sock was found upright on a granite shelf above the river after two days of sleet - and it did not belong to Melissa Nelson. How does a lone, perfectly laced boot appear miles from any linked missing-person report and remain unresolved in an evidence locker?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Melissa vanished to the discovery that refuses to fit the survival story most people expect. You’ll hear what was found at the river, who searched, and why that single dry boot keeps the case open: what happened at the Stairsteps that winter day?

Person: Melissa Nelson
Age: 26
Location: Stairsteps on Coldwater Fork, Morrow County
Date: January (Saturday morning, 9:15 AM sighting)
Status: Boot held in Morrow County Sheriff’s evidence locker; unresolved

- Melissa’s fishing rod lay in the gravel at the river’s edge while her vest and both wading boots sat on the boulder beside it.
- Dave Pruitt saw the opposite bank empty at approximately 9:15 AM and reached a signal to call 911 at 10:04 AM.
- Scott Wallace arrived at the trailhead with eight personnel and two dog handlers at 11:30 AM and had coordinated search and rescue in Morrow County for more than eleven years.
- Four days after Melissa was pulled out of the wilderness alive, Lori Jensen found a single hiking boot upright on a granite shelf above the waterline; it was dry and double-knotted with a wool sock inside.
- Searchers checked five counties and could not match the dry boot to any missing-person report; the boot remains in evidence and unexplained.

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.]]>1141falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/five-inch-handprints-one-missing-morning-the-aldama-riddle--73162333
Cold river silt held two fresh handprints, each 4.9 inches wide, with walls still sharp at 5:40 AM on December 4, 2019 - yet no child or adult was reported missing in Cibola County that morning. Two days later a 48-year-old geography teacher, Kent Perry, was found alive two-point-eight miles up a canyon with a core temperature of 89°F and no memory of the hours after parking at Mesita Ford - how do these two anomalies connect?

In this episode, we take you through the sequence of events from the first discovery on the Aldama River to the search that followed, laying out the physical record and the people who found it. What happened between Kent Perry’s parked truck and his appearance in Piedra Fría Canyon, and why were perfectly formed small handprints left on the same riverbank the same morning?

Person: Kent Perry
Date: December 4, 2019
Location: Aldama River / Mesita Ford / Piedra Fría Canyon
Status: Found alive with no memory
Reporter: Marvin Roberts (supplemental report dated January 2020)

- Two handprints in the western bank silt were found at 5:40 AM, each 4.9 inches wide with sharp impression walls and no frost crystals.
- Kent Perry, age 48, was found two days later, 2.8 miles up a canyon, with a core body temperature of 89°F.
- Perry had parked his truck at Mesita Ford with a topographic map opened to the Aldama corridor, a half-eaten bag of pretzels, and his school bag on the passenger seat.
- Marvin Roberts, an 11-year veteran of Cibola County search and rescue, documented the anomaly in a supplemental report dated January 2020 before the case was closed.
- The two bloodhounds ran approximately 0.25 miles south along the river western bank, stopped at a 30-foot-wide lava shelf with no soil, then sat because the trail ended.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162333Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:45 +0000Creator at ObomediaFive-inch Handprints, One Missing Morning: The Aldama Riddle Cold river silt held two fresh handprints, each 4.9 inches wide, with walls still sharp at 5:40 AM on December 4, 2019 - yet no child or adult was reported missing in Cibola County that...
Cold river silt held two fresh handprints, each 4.9 inches wide, with walls still sharp at 5:40 AM on December 4, 2019 - yet no child or adult was reported missing in Cibola County that morning. Two days later a 48-year-old geography teacher, Kent Perry, was found alive two-point-eight miles up a canyon with a core temperature of 89°F and no memory of the hours after parking at Mesita Ford - how do these two anomalies connect?

In this episode, we take you through the sequence of events from the first discovery on the Aldama River to the search that followed, laying out the physical record and the people who found it. What happened between Kent Perry’s parked truck and his appearance in Piedra Fría Canyon, and why were perfectly formed small handprints left on the same riverbank the same morning?

Person: Kent Perry
Date: December 4, 2019
Location: Aldama River / Mesita Ford / Piedra Fría Canyon
Status: Found alive with no memory
Reporter: Marvin Roberts (supplemental report dated January 2020)

- Two handprints in the western bank silt were found at 5:40 AM, each 4.9 inches wide with sharp impression walls and no frost crystals.
- Kent Perry, age 48, was found two days later, 2.8 miles up a canyon, with a core body temperature of 89°F.
- Perry had parked his truck at Mesita Ford with a topographic map opened to the Aldama corridor, a half-eaten bag of pretzels, and his school bag on the passenger seat.
- Marvin Roberts, an 11-year veteran of Cibola County search and rescue, documented the anomaly in a supplemental report dated January 2020 before the case was closed.
- The two bloodhounds ran approximately 0.25 miles south along the river western bank, stopped at a 30-foot-wide lava shelf with no soil, then sat because the trail ended.

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.]]>1015falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/camera-captures-a-missing-man-six-days-after-search-ends-the-edward-hughes-case--73162332
Cold trail-camera footage captured a living, bundled man on November 14 - six days after the formal search for Edward Hughes had been suspended - yet his GPS beacon died four minutes after its last ping near a 40-foot drop. How did a meticulous 31-year-old hydrology tech vanish between a parked truck and that lone camera frame?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline, the device logs, and the search-and-rescue responses that followed the disappearance to ask whether the technical evidence and witness accounts can reconcile what happened to Edward Hughes.

Person: Edward Hughes
Age: 31
Date: November 6-14 (search period referenced)
Location: Rimstone Corridor / Millgate Trailhead / Pinnacle Bench
Status: Missing (alive on camera frame at 14:44 Nov 14; Spot beacon last transmitted 23:47 Nov 7 then stopped at 23:51)

- A trail camera image timestamped 14:44 on November 14 shows a man in a dark green jacket walking through a ten-foot capture corridor.
- Hughes signed the trail register on the morning of November 6 and listed November 8 as his return date.
- Hughes' Spot personal locator beacon transmitted at 23:47 on November 7 from near Pinnacle Bench and then powered off at 23:51, a four-minute gap before permanent silence.
- The corridor saw 8-12 inches of snow and single-digit overnight temperatures during the storm on November 8.
- Hughes' truck remained parked at Millgate Trailhead with keys inside and was noticed by Ranger Rob Seaver on the afternoon of November 9.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162332Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:42 +0000Creator at ObomediaCamera Captures a Missing Man Six Days After Search Ends: The Edward Hughes Case Cold trail-camera footage captured a living, bundled man on November 14 - six days after the formal search for Edward Hughes had been suspended - yet his GPS beacon...
Cold trail-camera footage captured a living, bundled man on November 14 - six days after the formal search for Edward Hughes had been suspended - yet his GPS beacon died four minutes after its last ping near a 40-foot drop. How did a meticulous 31-year-old hydrology tech vanish between a parked truck and that lone camera frame?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline, the device logs, and the search-and-rescue responses that followed the disappearance to ask whether the technical evidence and witness accounts can reconcile what happened to Edward Hughes.

Person: Edward Hughes
Age: 31
Date: November 6-14 (search period referenced)
Location: Rimstone Corridor / Millgate Trailhead / Pinnacle Bench
Status: Missing (alive on camera frame at 14:44 Nov 14; Spot beacon last transmitted 23:47 Nov 7 then stopped at 23:51)

- A trail camera image timestamped 14:44 on November 14 shows a man in a dark green jacket walking through a ten-foot capture corridor.
- Hughes signed the trail register on the morning of November 6 and listed November 8 as his return date.
- Hughes' Spot personal locator beacon transmitted at 23:47 on November 7 from near Pinnacle Bench and then powered off at 23:51, a four-minute gap before permanent silence.
- The corridor saw 8-12 inches of snow and single-digit overnight temperatures during the storm on November 8.
- Hughes' truck remained parked at Millgate Trailhead with keys inside and was noticed by Ranger Rob Seaver on the afternoon of November 9.

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.]]>1205falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/one-boot-left-behind-the-disappearance-of-todd-crawford--73162331
The sight of a single men's leather hunting boot, standing upright and laced in a clean double-knot against a camp latrine, held a gold wedding ring inside its folded wool sock - and no owner. Who would deliberately leave a ring in a spare boot at a familiar elk camp and then vanish from the mountains before sundown?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and responses from the moment Julie Lawson photographed the boot to the activation of search and rescue, tracing the habits that made Todd Crawford predictable and the initial search actions that would shape the investigation. What did the upright boot and its contents tell the people left behind, and where was Todd?

Person: Todd Crawford
Date: October 14 (boot discovered); October 13 (last seen)
Location: Gallatin National Forest
Status: Missing
Witness: Julie Lawson

- The boot was a men's size eleven leather hunting boot, laced in a clean double-knot, placed upright against a plywood latrine platform.
- Inside the boot was a single wool sock folded once with a gold wedding ring resting on top engraved "T.C. and M.C., June eleventh."
- Todd Crawford, age fifty-two, had hunted the same Gallatin terrain for nineteen years and routinely stored his wedding ring inside his right spare boot each morning.
- On October 13 the three hunters split at a left-fork junction; Jim heard a single shot at approximately 9:15 AM and had no contact with Todd by 1:30 PM.
- Search and rescue was activated after Monica Crawford called the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office at 4:59 PM on October 13; Paul Phillips arrived with fourteen volunteers and two tracking dogs at 6:30 AM on October 14.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162331Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:38 +0000Creator at ObomediaOne Boot Left Behind: The Disappearance of Todd Crawford The sight of a single men's leather hunting boot, standing upright and laced in a clean double-knot against a camp latrine, held a gold wedding ring inside its folded wool sock - and no...
The sight of a single men's leather hunting boot, standing upright and laced in a clean double-knot against a camp latrine, held a gold wedding ring inside its folded wool sock - and no owner. Who would deliberately leave a ring in a spare boot at a familiar elk camp and then vanish from the mountains before sundown?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and responses from the moment Julie Lawson photographed the boot to the activation of search and rescue, tracing the habits that made Todd Crawford predictable and the initial search actions that would shape the investigation. What did the upright boot and its contents tell the people left behind, and where was Todd?

Person: Todd Crawford
Date: October 14 (boot discovered); October 13 (last seen)
Location: Gallatin National Forest
Status: Missing
Witness: Julie Lawson

- The boot was a men's size eleven leather hunting boot, laced in a clean double-knot, placed upright against a plywood latrine platform.
- Inside the boot was a single wool sock folded once with a gold wedding ring resting on top engraved "T.C. and M.C., June eleventh."
- Todd Crawford, age fifty-two, had hunted the same Gallatin terrain for nineteen years and routinely stored his wedding ring inside his right spare boot each morning.
- On October 13 the three hunters split at a left-fork junction; Jim heard a single shot at approximately 9:15 AM and had no contact with Todd by 1:30 PM.
- Search and rescue was activated after Monica Crawford called the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office at 4:59 PM on October 13; Paul Phillips arrived with fourteen volunteers and two tracking dogs at 6:30 AM on October 14.

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.]]>1130falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-pole-above-the-shelf-how-alice-s-trek-became-a-cliffside-puzzle--73162329
A blue trekking pole with the name Alice Chambers written on the grip was found lodged horizontally in a crack 230 feet above a canyon floor - two days after her last confirmed message and in the exact section her GPS track later showed climbing straight up a cliff. How did a methodical, experienced hiker with no climbing gear end up on a Grade V face in trail runners at 28°F, and what does the GPS record really mean?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from Alice’s meticulous planning and seven Garmin check-ins to the four-hour GPS gap and the startling vertical ascent recorded at 5:47 AM on September 12. We follow the initial search response, the discovery on Ardell Shelf, and the unresolved question of how her pole and track came to be where they were.

Person: Alice Chambers
Date: September 11-14, 2019
Location: Ardell Shelf, Kettrick backcountry
Status: Missing (last confirmed GPS message September 11 at 9:17 PM)
Equipment: 38-liter pack, trail runners, two trekking poles with name on grip

- Cheryl Cox photographed a single blue trekking pole lodged horizontally in a crack about 230 feet above the canyon floor on the morning of September 14.
- Alice sent seven check-in messages between September 6 and September 11, with the last confirmed GPS ping at 9:17 PM on September 11.
- Alice’s Garmin track shows a 4-hour 43-minute gap beginning just after 9:17 PM on September 11, then resumed at approximately 2:00 AM on September 12.
- According to the GPS record, between 5:47 AM and 6:04 AM on September 12 the track ascended roughly 240 feet up Ardell Shelf in 17 minutes.
- Ardell Shelf is rated Grade V and typically requires ropes, anchors, and a climbing partner; Alice was solo and carrying no climbing hardware.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162329Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:34 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Pole Above the Shelf: How Alice's Trek Became a Cliffside Puzzle A blue trekking pole with the name Alice Chambers written on the grip was found lodged horizontally in a crack 230 feet above a canyon floor - two days after her last confirmed...
A blue trekking pole with the name Alice Chambers written on the grip was found lodged horizontally in a crack 230 feet above a canyon floor - two days after her last confirmed message and in the exact section her GPS track later showed climbing straight up a cliff. How did a methodical, experienced hiker with no climbing gear end up on a Grade V face in trail runners at 28°F, and what does the GPS record really mean?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from Alice’s meticulous planning and seven Garmin check-ins to the four-hour GPS gap and the startling vertical ascent recorded at 5:47 AM on September 12. We follow the initial search response, the discovery on Ardell Shelf, and the unresolved question of how her pole and track came to be where they were.

Person: Alice Chambers
Date: September 11-14, 2019
Location: Ardell Shelf, Kettrick backcountry
Status: Missing (last confirmed GPS message September 11 at 9:17 PM)
Equipment: 38-liter pack, trail runners, two trekking poles with name on grip

- Cheryl Cox photographed a single blue trekking pole lodged horizontally in a crack about 230 feet above the canyon floor on the morning of September 14.
- Alice sent seven check-in messages between September 6 and September 11, with the last confirmed GPS ping at 9:17 PM on September 11.
- Alice’s Garmin track shows a 4-hour 43-minute gap beginning just after 9:17 PM on September 11, then resumed at approximately 2:00 AM on September 12.
- According to the GPS record, between 5:47 AM and 6:04 AM on September 12 the track ascended roughly 240 feet up Ardell Shelf in 17 minutes.
- Ardell Shelf is rated Grade V and typically requires ropes, anchors, and a climbing partner; Alice was solo and carrying no climbing hardware.

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© 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.]]>1174falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/steaming-mug-at-dawn-the-stranger-who-left-no-tracks--73162328
Cold air, a steaming white ceramic mug, and no footprints: at 4:43 AM on August 9, 2011 a delivery rider found a full, hot cup of coffee sitting on the concrete pad beside a locked gate with no car or person in sight - and Gregory Johnson had been missing in the backcountry for eight days. What could explain a fresh cup of coffee at an empty trailhead, a single ambiguous log entry, and a visitor nobody could identify?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of events recorded in cabin logs, ranger reports, and the search operation to lay out what happened before and after that morning discovery. Listen to learn how one misread direction, a two-week resupply rhythm, and a handwritten note create the question everyone on the search wanted answered: who left that mug and why?

Person: Gregory Johnson
Date: August 9, 2011
Location: Suttler National Forest, Dunfield Basin area
Event: Missing person and search operation
Person: Phil Cates

- Gregory was 28 years old when he took the caretaker position at Dunfield Basin cabin in winter 2010.
- The mug was found steaming at 4:43 AM in 58-degree air on August 9, 2011.
- Gregory had been missing for eight days by the time the mug appeared.
- Gregory made a final log entry at 6:15 AM on August 1, noting the visitor had returned heading south and left a mug at the gate.
- The forest around Dunfield Basin has two gates: the main trailhead gate 14 miles north and a jeep-track lower gate 12 miles south.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162328Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:30 +0000Creator at ObomediaSteaming Mug at Dawn: The Stranger Who Left No Tracks Cold air, a steaming white ceramic mug, and no footprints: at 4:43 AM on August 9, 2011 a delivery rider found a full, hot cup of coffee sitting on the concrete pad beside a locked gate with no...
Cold air, a steaming white ceramic mug, and no footprints: at 4:43 AM on August 9, 2011 a delivery rider found a full, hot cup of coffee sitting on the concrete pad beside a locked gate with no car or person in sight - and Gregory Johnson had been missing in the backcountry for eight days. What could explain a fresh cup of coffee at an empty trailhead, a single ambiguous log entry, and a visitor nobody could identify?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of events recorded in cabin logs, ranger reports, and the search operation to lay out what happened before and after that morning discovery. Listen to learn how one misread direction, a two-week resupply rhythm, and a handwritten note create the question everyone on the search wanted answered: who left that mug and why?

Person: Gregory Johnson
Date: August 9, 2011
Location: Suttler National Forest, Dunfield Basin area
Event: Missing person and search operation
Person: Phil Cates

- Gregory was 28 years old when he took the caretaker position at Dunfield Basin cabin in winter 2010.
- The mug was found steaming at 4:43 AM in 58-degree air on August 9, 2011.
- Gregory had been missing for eight days by the time the mug appeared.
- Gregory made a final log entry at 6:15 AM on August 1, noting the visitor had returned heading south and left a mug at the gate.
- The forest around Dunfield Basin has two gates: the main trailhead gate 14 miles north and a jeep-track lower gate 12 miles south.

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© 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.]]>1220falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boots-were-dry-everything-else-had-been-rained-on-the-boots-were-completely-dry--73162326
Wet everything but the boots: a burning stove, an unrolled sleeping bag, and a pair of women's hiking boots with red lacing placed heel-to-heel and not a drop on them - found at Site 14 in Aldermoor National Forest on the morning of July 9, 2019. How did a 54-year-old seasoned camper vanish barefoot into the dark while her camp stove burned through the night?

In this episode, we tell what was discovered at the campsite, the timeline of Darlene Murphy's routine visit, and the initial actions of the searchers and dogs; could those odd details be clues to how she escaped and where she went?

Person: Darlene Murphy
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: Site 14, Spur Ridge dispersed camping zone, Forest Route 7, Aldermoor National Forest
Status: Found alive five days later (hospitalized)
Topic: Missing camper and campsite evidence

- The boots were women's tan hiking boots with red lacing, placed heel-to-heel just outside the tent door and completely dry.
- The camp stove was still burning and its fuel canister was about 40% depleted when found at approximately 6:14 AM.
- The trailer dogs tracked northeast about a quarter mile to a granite shelf above Finch Run, then lost the trail within thirty feet of each other.
- Darlene arrived at Site 14 on July 7 and had visited the same site every July for eleven years with a printed itinerary kept by her neighbor.
- At about 8:00 PM on July 8, a white, heavyset, bearded man in his late 30s-40s approached her camp and shortly after she fled into the woods without boots, pack, phone, or light.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162326Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:26 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe boots were dry. Everything else had been rained on. The boots were completely dry Wet everything but the boots: a burning stove, an unrolled sleeping bag, and a pair of women's hiking boots with red lacing placed heel-to-heel and not a drop on...
Wet everything but the boots: a burning stove, an unrolled sleeping bag, and a pair of women's hiking boots with red lacing placed heel-to-heel and not a drop on them - found at Site 14 in Aldermoor National Forest on the morning of July 9, 2019. How did a 54-year-old seasoned camper vanish barefoot into the dark while her camp stove burned through the night?

In this episode, we tell what was discovered at the campsite, the timeline of Darlene Murphy's routine visit, and the initial actions of the searchers and dogs; could those odd details be clues to how she escaped and where she went?

Person: Darlene Murphy
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: Site 14, Spur Ridge dispersed camping zone, Forest Route 7, Aldermoor National Forest
Status: Found alive five days later (hospitalized)
Topic: Missing camper and campsite evidence

- The boots were women's tan hiking boots with red lacing, placed heel-to-heel just outside the tent door and completely dry.
- The camp stove was still burning and its fuel canister was about 40% depleted when found at approximately 6:14 AM.
- The trailer dogs tracked northeast about a quarter mile to a granite shelf above Finch Run, then lost the trail within thirty feet of each other.
- Darlene arrived at Site 14 on July 7 and had visited the same site every July for eleven years with a printed itinerary kept by her neighbor.
- At about 8:00 PM on July 8, a white, heavyset, bearded man in his late 30s-40s approached her camp and shortly after she fled into the woods without boots, pack, phone, or light.

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.]]>1315falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boots-at-tower-fourteen-why-she-walked-away-barefoot--73162324
A pair of women's size seven hiking boots, laced tight and double-knotted, sat upright and parallel on a sandstone ledge four point three miles from the nearest trailhead-no pack, no socks, no note. How did those boots get there, and why was a twenty-two-year-old environmental science student missing for days while her camp and three days of food were left intact?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Seco Rim trailhead sign-in through the discovery at tower fourteen and the first days of the search, reconstructing the sequence that made the boots the only obvious clue. What do the boots, the intact base camp, and a night-time cross-country scent line tell us about the last movements of Marcia Olson?

Person: Marcia Olson
Date: Friday, June 14, 2019
Location: Tower fourteen, Perdido Canyon transmission line
Status: Missing after six days from last confirmed contact
Case: Seco Rim trailhead sign-in/out irregularity

- Marcia signed into the Seco Rim trailhead on Friday, June 7 at 8:20 and wrote an out-date of Monday, June 10.
- Her last phone call to her mother was Tuesday, June 11 at 5:15 AM; the next Tuesday the call did not occur.
- Frank Burke found the boots at 6:52 AM on Friday, June 14, positioned upright, laced tight, double-knotted.
- Marcia's Cutter Arm base camp had a properly staked tent, a bear canister with three days of food, trekking poles, camp sandals, and her field notebook on the sleeping bag.
- Scent-tracking dogs followed Marcia's trail north from Cutter Arm for seven miles, including nine hundred feet of vertical relief and two dry-fall obstacles, indicating travel at night.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162324Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:22 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoots at Tower Fourteen: Why She Walked Away Barefoot A pair of women's size seven hiking boots, laced tight and double-knotted, sat upright and parallel on a sandstone ledge four point three miles from the nearest trailhead-no pack, no socks, no...
A pair of women's size seven hiking boots, laced tight and double-knotted, sat upright and parallel on a sandstone ledge four point three miles from the nearest trailhead-no pack, no socks, no note. How did those boots get there, and why was a twenty-two-year-old environmental science student missing for days while her camp and three days of food were left intact?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Seco Rim trailhead sign-in through the discovery at tower fourteen and the first days of the search, reconstructing the sequence that made the boots the only obvious clue. What do the boots, the intact base camp, and a night-time cross-country scent line tell us about the last movements of Marcia Olson?

Person: Marcia Olson
Date: Friday, June 14, 2019
Location: Tower fourteen, Perdido Canyon transmission line
Status: Missing after six days from last confirmed contact
Case: Seco Rim trailhead sign-in/out irregularity

- Marcia signed into the Seco Rim trailhead on Friday, June 7 at 8:20 and wrote an out-date of Monday, June 10.
- Her last phone call to her mother was Tuesday, June 11 at 5:15 AM; the next Tuesday the call did not occur.
- Frank Burke found the boots at 6:52 AM on Friday, June 14, positioned upright, laced tight, double-knotted.
- Marcia's Cutter Arm base camp had a properly staked tent, a bear canister with three days of food, trekking poles, camp sandals, and her field notebook on the sleeping bag.
- Scent-tracking dogs followed Marcia's trail north from Cutter Arm for seven miles, including nine hundred feet of vertical relief and two dry-fall obstacles, indicating travel at night.

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.]]>1190falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-shoe-on-the-trail-what-harker-creek-refused-to-explain--73162319
A single left Merrell Moab running shoe, size eight, sat tied in a double knot in the middle of Harker Creek Trail with three days of mud on its sole-and no clear explanation for how it got there. The shoe’s tongue was folded back, the inside dry, and it became the most contested evidence in the Pettit County search-and-rescue file; what happened between the bridge and the rock overhang remains unanswered. Who tied the shoe from the outside, and why was it left on the path while Cheryl Turner ended up two miles off-trail barely alive?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of events recorded by witnesses and rescuers, the physical clues found on the creek bank and in the woods, and the official search timeline to ask the question the report left open: how does one shoe on the trail refuse to fit with the rest of the evidence?

Person: Cheryl Turner
Date: May 11-14, 2019
Location: Harker Creek Trail, Pettit Range near Dellwood
Status: Found alive under a rock overhang after six days
Item: Left Merrell Moab running shoe, size 8, tied in a double knot

- Shoe found on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at 6:14 AM, left-foot Merrell Moab size 8, tongue folded back, inside dry.
- Cheryl Turner last signed trail register at 2:47 PM on Saturday, May 11, and was seen by Barbara and Neil Trent at ~3:15 PM wearing a coral jacket.
- Search-and-rescue notified at 7:42 AM Sunday; team assembled and moving by 9:00 AM the same day.
- Tracking dog Peso followed scent 2.5 miles then made a hard stop at the north bank of the creek bridge where a single left boot print was found ~40 feet from the bridge.
- One trekking pole found upright against a pine tree ~200 meters east of the trail on Monday, wrist loop unfastened; matching pair later confirmed in Cheryl’s apartment.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162319Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:18 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Shoe on the Trail: What Harker Creek Refused to Explain A single left Merrell Moab running shoe, size eight, sat tied in a double knot in the middle of Harker Creek Trail with three days of mud on its sole-and no clear explanation for how it...
A single left Merrell Moab running shoe, size eight, sat tied in a double knot in the middle of Harker Creek Trail with three days of mud on its sole-and no clear explanation for how it got there. The shoe’s tongue was folded back, the inside dry, and it became the most contested evidence in the Pettit County search-and-rescue file; what happened between the bridge and the rock overhang remains unanswered. Who tied the shoe from the outside, and why was it left on the path while Cheryl Turner ended up two miles off-trail barely alive?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of events recorded by witnesses and rescuers, the physical clues found on the creek bank and in the woods, and the official search timeline to ask the question the report left open: how does one shoe on the trail refuse to fit with the rest of the evidence?

Person: Cheryl Turner
Date: May 11-14, 2019
Location: Harker Creek Trail, Pettit Range near Dellwood
Status: Found alive under a rock overhang after six days
Item: Left Merrell Moab running shoe, size 8, tied in a double knot

- Shoe found on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at 6:14 AM, left-foot Merrell Moab size 8, tongue folded back, inside dry.
- Cheryl Turner last signed trail register at 2:47 PM on Saturday, May 11, and was seen by Barbara and Neil Trent at ~3:15 PM wearing a coral jacket.
- Search-and-rescue notified at 7:42 AM Sunday; team assembled and moving by 9:00 AM the same day.
- Tracking dog Peso followed scent 2.5 miles then made a hard stop at the north bank of the creek bridge where a single left boot print was found ~40 feet from the bridge.
- One trekking pole found upright against a pine tree ~200 meters east of the trail on Monday, wrist loop unfastened; matching pair later confirmed in Cheryl’s apartment.

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.]]>1169falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-stopped-in-the-meadow-thirty-one-hours-unanswered-in-blackthorn--73162317
A woman left a precise note on her car hood - "Back by three - keys in the wheel well" - and vanished from a trail after a scent trail followed four and a half miles stopped dead in the mud at the center of Tanner Meadow. Trained tracking dogs from two different teams both ended at the same point as if the trail simply ended; what happened next will not be solved by the usual answers. How can a practiced hiker with all ten essentials and a planned route disappear as if the world cut off at her footprints?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the search details, and the stubborn facts that refuse a tidy explanation. You'll hear who found the car, how the dogs tracked without hesitation, and why the meadow itself becomes the central mystery - could a medical episode, something environmental, or something else explain why the scent stopped?

Person: Crystal Marie Donnelly
Date: April 9-10
Location: Garnet Creek pullout; Tanner Meadow, Blackthorn National Forest, Decker County
Status: Missing after thirty-one hours of initial search coordinator: Douglas Hansen

- At 7:52 AM on April 9 a green 2009 Subaru was logged at the Garnet Creek pullout.
- A blue ballpoint note saying "Back by three - keys in the wheel well" was found on the hood by 2:15 PM.
- Deputy Frank Aldrich arrived at 4:05 PM and confirmed the keys in the wheel well and the registration matched.
- Two dog teams (bloodhound Harpo with Terri Voss and Belgian Malinois Rue with Carl Whiting) tracked Crystal's scent 4.5 miles to the center of Tanner Meadow.
- Both dogs stopped at the same exact point in soft mud and showed behavior handlers described as "the end" despite no sign of the person.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162317Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Stopped in the Meadow: Thirty-One Hours Unanswered in Blackthorn A woman left a precise note on her car hood - "Back by three - keys in the wheel well" - and vanished from a trail after a scent trail followed four and a half miles stopped dead...
A woman left a precise note on her car hood - "Back by three - keys in the wheel well" - and vanished from a trail after a scent trail followed four and a half miles stopped dead in the mud at the center of Tanner Meadow. Trained tracking dogs from two different teams both ended at the same point as if the trail simply ended; what happened next will not be solved by the usual answers. How can a practiced hiker with all ten essentials and a planned route disappear as if the world cut off at her footprints?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the search details, and the stubborn facts that refuse a tidy explanation. You'll hear who found the car, how the dogs tracked without hesitation, and why the meadow itself becomes the central mystery - could a medical episode, something environmental, or something else explain why the scent stopped?

Person: Crystal Marie Donnelly
Date: April 9-10
Location: Garnet Creek pullout; Tanner Meadow, Blackthorn National Forest, Decker County
Status: Missing after thirty-one hours of initial search coordinator: Douglas Hansen

- At 7:52 AM on April 9 a green 2009 Subaru was logged at the Garnet Creek pullout.
- A blue ballpoint note saying "Back by three - keys in the wheel well" was found on the hood by 2:15 PM.
- Deputy Frank Aldrich arrived at 4:05 PM and confirmed the keys in the wheel well and the registration matched.
- Two dog teams (bloodhound Harpo with Terri Voss and Belgian Malinois Rue with Carl Whiting) tracked Crystal's scent 4.5 miles to the center of Tanner Meadow.
- Both dogs stopped at the same exact point in soft mud and showed behavior handlers described as "the end" despite no sign of the person.

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.]]>1172falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-hiked-her-rule-found-near-a-boulder-three-stones-moved--73162313
The boots were upright on a granite ledge at 11,400 feet-laces tied, tongues folded, no snow beneath them while surrounding ground held 2-3 inches of packed overnight snow-and the owner was nowhere in sight; how did a woman who never went above 8,000 feet alone end up there, and why were three dinner-plate-sized stones moved into an unexplained arrangement?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the trailhead registration card to the discovery that launched a search-and-rescue operation, and we ask what the physical evidence and medical notes together - and apart - might mean for Paula Patterson’s sixty-hour disappearance.

Person: Paula Patterson
Date: March 9-11
Location: Carrin Wilderness, near a granite boulder at 11,400 feet
Status: Found alive with no memory of how she arrived
Case: Search-and-rescue operation initiated after boots were found

- Boots found upright on a granite ledge at 11,400 feet with laces tied and tongues folded neatly.
- Surrounding ground had two to three inches of consolidated overnight pack while no snow was beneath the boots.
- Paula’s rule: she did not go above 8,000 feet alone; she had kept that rule for 18 months.
- Trail registration card at Timberline Pullout listed destination Ridgeback Meadow at 9,200 feet, with expected return at 4:00 PM.
- Paula’s truck was parked at the Timberline Pullout with her registration card tucked under the wiper blade.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162313Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:09 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Hiked Her Rule - Found Near a Boulder, Three Stones Moved The boots were upright on a granite ledge at 11,400 feet-laces tied, tongues folded, no snow beneath them while surrounding ground held 2-3 inches of packed overnight snow-and the owner...
The boots were upright on a granite ledge at 11,400 feet-laces tied, tongues folded, no snow beneath them while surrounding ground held 2-3 inches of packed overnight snow-and the owner was nowhere in sight; how did a woman who never went above 8,000 feet alone end up there, and why were three dinner-plate-sized stones moved into an unexplained arrangement?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the trailhead registration card to the discovery that launched a search-and-rescue operation, and we ask what the physical evidence and medical notes together - and apart - might mean for Paula Patterson’s sixty-hour disappearance.

Person: Paula Patterson
Date: March 9-11
Location: Carrin Wilderness, near a granite boulder at 11,400 feet
Status: Found alive with no memory of how she arrived
Case: Search-and-rescue operation initiated after boots were found

- Boots found upright on a granite ledge at 11,400 feet with laces tied and tongues folded neatly.
- Surrounding ground had two to three inches of consolidated overnight pack while no snow was beneath the boots.
- Paula’s rule: she did not go above 8,000 feet alone; she had kept that rule for 18 months.
- Trail registration card at Timberline Pullout listed destination Ridgeback Meadow at 9,200 feet, with expected return at 4:00 PM.
- Paula’s truck was parked at the Timberline Pullout with her registration card tucked under the wiper blade.

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.]]>1052falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-vest-on-the-branch-and-the-lone-boot-toward-nothing--73162312
The vest hung thirty-one inches above the snowline, its middle button fastened and blaze orange “violent” against white, with a single right-foot boot print pressed four inches deep beside it - then nothing in any direction. How did a forty-eight-year-old hunter end up with her rifle gone, an ankle failed on hidden ice, and a trail that stops toward open mountain?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of observations and search actions that began when Heather Norris and her dog found the vest at 8:15 a.m. and stretched through a three-day search by Dunmore County teams; we lay out the physical traces and unanswered movements that frame the question of why Marie Stein’s path veered away from her planned route and toward the drainage where she was later found alive.

Person: Marie Stein
Date: February 13-15
Location: Copperline Trailhead / Owl Draw
Status: Found alive after three days
Responder: Dunmore County SAR (lead coordinator Ralph Miller)

- Vest hung on a branch stub exactly 31 inches above ground with the front facing outward and middle button fastened.
- One right-foot boot print pressed 4 inches into crusted snow immediately beside the vest; snow beyond was completely undisturbed.
- Marie signed the trail register at 4:45 a.m. listing Stand A and Stand B, Owl Draw as her destination.
- Stand A contained a hand-warmer wrapper, a boot-shaped compression at the ladder base, and a blaze-orange thread caught on a rung.
- Stand B, 400 yards from Stand A across steep side-slope above a 10-foot rock ledge, showed no compression, thread, or disturbance.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162312Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:06 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Vest on the Branch and the Lone Boot Toward Nothing The vest hung thirty-one inches above the snowline, its middle button fastened and blaze orange “violent” against white, with a single right-foot boot print pressed four inches deep beside it...
The vest hung thirty-one inches above the snowline, its middle button fastened and blaze orange “violent” against white, with a single right-foot boot print pressed four inches deep beside it - then nothing in any direction. How did a forty-eight-year-old hunter end up with her rifle gone, an ankle failed on hidden ice, and a trail that stops toward open mountain?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of observations and search actions that began when Heather Norris and her dog found the vest at 8:15 a.m. and stretched through a three-day search by Dunmore County teams; we lay out the physical traces and unanswered movements that frame the question of why Marie Stein’s path veered away from her planned route and toward the drainage where she was later found alive.

Person: Marie Stein
Date: February 13-15
Location: Copperline Trailhead / Owl Draw
Status: Found alive after three days
Responder: Dunmore County SAR (lead coordinator Ralph Miller)

- Vest hung on a branch stub exactly 31 inches above ground with the front facing outward and middle button fastened.
- One right-foot boot print pressed 4 inches into crusted snow immediately beside the vest; snow beyond was completely undisturbed.
- Marie signed the trail register at 4:45 a.m. listing Stand A and Stand B, Owl Draw as her destination.
- Stand A contained a hand-warmer wrapper, a boot-shaped compression at the ladder base, and a blaze-orange thread caught on a rung.
- Stand B, 400 yards from Stand A across steep side-slope above a 10-foot rock ledge, showed no compression, thread, or disturbance.

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© 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.]]>1318falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-that-led-her-nine-miles-the-wrong-way--73162307
A single women's size seven hiking boot, laces double-knotted and standing upright between granite shelves on the Silthorn River bank at 11°F, became the pivot of a search that deployed forty-one personnel, three dog teams, and a snowmobile unit - how did a woman with a concussion travel nine miles the wrong way and survive? The unanswered detail of that boot, photographed by a fisherman at 6:40 AM, opened a chain of discoveries no report could fully explain.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Vicki Dixon’s routine life and her Thursday rituals to the January 5 hike she took with her seven-year-old daughter and the search that began when they failed to return; we cover the trail register entry, the sluff on the south wall at Creel Hollow, and the odd behavior of a trained search dog that stalled one-and-a-half miles from the trailhead - what does each oddity mean for the question of how they ended up nine miles off course?

Person: Vicki Dixon
Date: January 5-6, 2019
Location: Creel Hollow / Pinyon Flat trailhead / Silthorn River
Status: Missing at time of search initiation; subject found after nine-mile displacement
Case: Search involved 41 personnel, 3 dog teams, and 1 snowmobile unit

- Vicki Dixon was 32 years old and worked as a property records clerk with an 11-year habit of occupying the same Thursday corner booth at Benny's Corner Café.
- Vicki and her daughter Iris signed into the Pinyon Flat trailhead at 9:52 AM on January 5 with an expected return of 2:30 PM for a 4-mile round trip.
- A wind-loaded sluff about 30 feet wide and 8 inches deep sat on the south wall of Creel Hollow, at a sluff threshold that displaced air against a rock face.
- At 5:17 PM on January 5, with winds at 22 mph, Kevin Pruitt called 9-1-1 after finding Vicki’s Subaru in the lot and no return signature in the register.
- At 6:40 AM on January 6, fisherman Ryan Chambers discovered a left women's hiking boot standing upright between two granite shelves on the Silthorn River bank; the temperature was 11°F.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162307Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:36:01 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot That Led Her Nine Miles the Wrong Way A single women's size seven hiking boot, laces double-knotted and standing upright between granite shelves on the Silthorn River bank at 11°F, became the pivot of a search that deployed forty-one...
A single women's size seven hiking boot, laces double-knotted and standing upright between granite shelves on the Silthorn River bank at 11°F, became the pivot of a search that deployed forty-one personnel, three dog teams, and a snowmobile unit - how did a woman with a concussion travel nine miles the wrong way and survive? The unanswered detail of that boot, photographed by a fisherman at 6:40 AM, opened a chain of discoveries no report could fully explain.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Vicki Dixon’s routine life and her Thursday rituals to the January 5 hike she took with her seven-year-old daughter and the search that began when they failed to return; we cover the trail register entry, the sluff on the south wall at Creel Hollow, and the odd behavior of a trained search dog that stalled one-and-a-half miles from the trailhead - what does each oddity mean for the question of how they ended up nine miles off course?

Person: Vicki Dixon
Date: January 5-6, 2019
Location: Creel Hollow / Pinyon Flat trailhead / Silthorn River
Status: Missing at time of search initiation; subject found after nine-mile displacement
Case: Search involved 41 personnel, 3 dog teams, and 1 snowmobile unit

- Vicki Dixon was 32 years old and worked as a property records clerk with an 11-year habit of occupying the same Thursday corner booth at Benny's Corner Café.
- Vicki and her daughter Iris signed into the Pinyon Flat trailhead at 9:52 AM on January 5 with an expected return of 2:30 PM for a 4-mile round trip.
- A wind-loaded sluff about 30 feet wide and 8 inches deep sat on the south wall of Creel Hollow, at a sluff threshold that displaced air against a rock face.
- At 5:17 PM on January 5, with winds at 22 mph, Kevin Pruitt called 9-1-1 after finding Vicki’s Subaru in the lot and no return signature in the register.
- At 6:40 AM on January 6, fisherman Ryan Chambers discovered a left women's hiking boot standing upright between two granite shelves on the Silthorn River bank; the temperature was 11°F.

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.]]>1165falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-survived-eight-days-but-who-kept-his-food-aloft--73162306
The food was still hanging nine feet off the ground: a mesh bag, four freeze-dried meals and two energy bars suspended by a knot tied by a man who had been missing for six weeks in a legally closed forest. How did Troy Boyd, a fifty-two-year-old fire behavior analyst fluent in the language of the land, leave behind a methodical campsite and a knot that kept food aloft after he seemingly vanished?

In this episode, we follow the search-and-rescue effort that began when Boyd's locked truck was found thirty yards outside the Dellhart closure gate and his scent trail ended abruptly on a granite outcrop; we trace the clues from a faded blue tarp and a journal that stopped mid-sentence to the hanging food and the cold fire ring, and we ask whether the terrain or something else explains how he survived and how his gear remained suspended.

Person: Troy Boyd
Age: 52
Location: Dellhart National Forest
Search team coordinator: Amy Osborne
Dog handler: Chris Pardee

- Food suspended nine feet off the ground in a mesh bag with paracord over a standing stub.
- Contents of the hanging bag: four freeze-dried meals and two energy bars.
- Truck found locked and parked thirty yards outside the Dellhart closure gate with no notes.
- Dellhart National Forest had been legally closed for six years covering four thousand acres of lodgepole pine.
- Scent trail ended on a granite outcrop eight feet wide and fifteen feet long where bloodhound Rook sat down and stopped.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162306Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:58 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Survived Eight Days - But Who Kept His Food Aloft? The food was still hanging nine feet off the ground: a mesh bag, four freeze-dried meals and two energy bars suspended by a knot tied by a man who had been missing for six weeks in a legally...
The food was still hanging nine feet off the ground: a mesh bag, four freeze-dried meals and two energy bars suspended by a knot tied by a man who had been missing for six weeks in a legally closed forest. How did Troy Boyd, a fifty-two-year-old fire behavior analyst fluent in the language of the land, leave behind a methodical campsite and a knot that kept food aloft after he seemingly vanished?

In this episode, we follow the search-and-rescue effort that began when Boyd's locked truck was found thirty yards outside the Dellhart closure gate and his scent trail ended abruptly on a granite outcrop; we trace the clues from a faded blue tarp and a journal that stopped mid-sentence to the hanging food and the cold fire ring, and we ask whether the terrain or something else explains how he survived and how his gear remained suspended.

Person: Troy Boyd
Age: 52
Location: Dellhart National Forest
Search team coordinator: Amy Osborne
Dog handler: Chris Pardee

- Food suspended nine feet off the ground in a mesh bag with paracord over a standing stub.
- Contents of the hanging bag: four freeze-dried meals and two energy bars.
- Truck found locked and parked thirty yards outside the Dellhart closure gate with no notes.
- Dellhart National Forest had been legally closed for six years covering four thousand acres of lodgepole pine.
- Scent trail ended on a granite outcrop eight feet wide and fifteen feet long where bloodhound Rook sat down and stopped.

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.]]>1224falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-with-his-coat-found-10-000-feet-above-her-home--73162304
Cold, isolated, and inexplicable: a woman who never missed a dog's feeding vanished from her house and was found 56 hours later on a talus slope at about 10,000 feet wearing a coat that had been confirmed in her closet when she left-how did she get there and why was Packet left behind? This episode turns on a phone call that cannot be explained and a tiled trail of concrete evidence that refuses to add up.

In this episode, we walk through the documented timeline, the search-and-rescue work, and the physical details left behind at the scene to lay out what is known and what remains unresolved. What do the car, the empty water bowl, the air-scent dog track, and the coat all add up to?

Person: Tracy Holt
Age: 46
Location: Fenwick Road; found near Setter Peak talus slope at roughly 10,000 feet
Date: discovered by Brenda Davis on Thursday, November 14; found on Sunday, November 17
Search team lead: Nicole Gardner, 17 years with Dunnard County teams

- Tracy Holt had lived on Fenwick Road for eleven years and worked as a billing coordinator.
- Packet, a nine-year-old border collie mix with a cardiac condition, had not been fed since at least Tuesday per the sticky note on the kibble bag.
- Brenda Davis discovered the open front door and Packet collapsed and dehydrated at about 7:55 AM on Thursday, November 14, and called 9-1-1 at 8:14 AM.
- Tracy's gray Subaru Forester was found at a pullout roughly fourteen miles north of town with a cold engine, locked doors, a thin dusting of snow, a folded fleece blanket, half-eaten crackers, and Packet's empty travel water dish.
- Tracy was found seated against a boulder on the western talus near Setter Peak at 10:41 AM on Sunday, November 17 with a fractured fibula, a clotted laceration on her left forearm, and critically low core temperature.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162304Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:53 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Left With His Coat-Found 10,000 Feet Above Her Home Cold, isolated, and inexplicable: a woman who never missed a dog's feeding vanished from her house and was found 56 hours later on a talus slope at about 10,000 feet wearing a coat that had...
Cold, isolated, and inexplicable: a woman who never missed a dog's feeding vanished from her house and was found 56 hours later on a talus slope at about 10,000 feet wearing a coat that had been confirmed in her closet when she left-how did she get there and why was Packet left behind? This episode turns on a phone call that cannot be explained and a tiled trail of concrete evidence that refuses to add up.

In this episode, we walk through the documented timeline, the search-and-rescue work, and the physical details left behind at the scene to lay out what is known and what remains unresolved. What do the car, the empty water bowl, the air-scent dog track, and the coat all add up to?

Person: Tracy Holt
Age: 46
Location: Fenwick Road; found near Setter Peak talus slope at roughly 10,000 feet
Date: discovered by Brenda Davis on Thursday, November 14; found on Sunday, November 17
Search team lead: Nicole Gardner, 17 years with Dunnard County teams

- Tracy Holt had lived on Fenwick Road for eleven years and worked as a billing coordinator.
- Packet, a nine-year-old border collie mix with a cardiac condition, had not been fed since at least Tuesday per the sticky note on the kibble bag.
- Brenda Davis discovered the open front door and Packet collapsed and dehydrated at about 7:55 AM on Thursday, November 14, and called 9-1-1 at 8:14 AM.
- Tracy's gray Subaru Forester was found at a pullout roughly fourteen miles north of town with a cold engine, locked doors, a thin dusting of snow, a folded fleece blanket, half-eaten crackers, and Packet's empty travel water dish.
- Tracy was found seated against a boulder on the western talus near Setter Peak at 10:41 AM on Sunday, November 17 with a fractured fibula, a clotted laceration on her left forearm, and critically low core temperature.

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.]]>1054falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-her-beacon-found-430-meters-and-43-stones-later--73162303
A woman who never missed a 6:15 a.m. call and never left her satellite emergency communicator behind went missing in a white caliche flat where forty-three basalt cairns appeared in a line - the nearest basalt source lay eleven miles away. How did a methodical GIS specialist vanish after leaving a parked, unlocked CR-V with her inReach still coiled beside it, and what does the hand-drawn map beneath the final stone mean?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the October 19 morning when Sherry Walker found the cairn line, through the Route 9 vehicle discovery, and into the initial six-day search that used dogs, helicopters, and human trackers to chase a scent three miles north before it ended on wind-scoured playa - what did the cairns intend to communicate?

Person: Sarah Rafferty
Date: October 19, 2017
Location: Harmon National Forest, Teller County, Nevada
Item: Garmin inReach (found on passenger seat, cased, charging cable coiled beside it)
Count: 43 basalt cairns

- Sarah Rafferty was 28 years old and worked as a GIS mapping specialist living in Sparks.
- The cairn line consisted of 43 stones made of dark basalt on white caliche, running on a bearing of approximately 340 degrees true north.
- The nearest natural source of basalt was 11 miles away inside a roadless wilderness corridor.
- Dogs followed a scent trail from the CR-V about 3 miles north before losing it on a flat, wind-scoured playa.
- A hand-drawn map was found tucked beneath the final cairn after six days.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162303Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Left Her Beacon-Found 430 Meters and 43 Stones Later A woman who never missed a 6:15 a.m. call and never left her satellite emergency communicator behind went missing in a white caliche flat where forty-three basalt cairns appeared in a line -...
A woman who never missed a 6:15 a.m. call and never left her satellite emergency communicator behind went missing in a white caliche flat where forty-three basalt cairns appeared in a line - the nearest basalt source lay eleven miles away. How did a methodical GIS specialist vanish after leaving a parked, unlocked CR-V with her inReach still coiled beside it, and what does the hand-drawn map beneath the final stone mean?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the October 19 morning when Sherry Walker found the cairn line, through the Route 9 vehicle discovery, and into the initial six-day search that used dogs, helicopters, and human trackers to chase a scent three miles north before it ended on wind-scoured playa - what did the cairns intend to communicate?

Person: Sarah Rafferty
Date: October 19, 2017
Location: Harmon National Forest, Teller County, Nevada
Item: Garmin inReach (found on passenger seat, cased, charging cable coiled beside it)
Count: 43 basalt cairns

- Sarah Rafferty was 28 years old and worked as a GIS mapping specialist living in Sparks.
- The cairn line consisted of 43 stones made of dark basalt on white caliche, running on a bearing of approximately 340 degrees true north.
- The nearest natural source of basalt was 11 miles away inside a roadless wilderness corridor.
- Dogs followed a scent trail from the CR-V about 3 miles north before losing it on a flat, wind-scoured playa.
- A hand-drawn map was found tucked beneath the final cairn after six days.

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.]]>1112falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-the-ledge-how-a-map-crane-saved-her-life--73162302
A solitary hiking boot stood upright on bare granite at 6:43 AM - laces tied, sock folded inside, and a tiny paper crane folded from a topographic map tucked within. That single impossible object triggered a seventy-two hour search that ended with a woman found alive on a ledge four miles from the boot; how did a boot become a message, and what linked the shoe to a rescue dogs’ baffling alerts?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Brenda Jensen found the boot on September 14, 2017, through the search-and-rescue operation that recovered Shannon Clark alive days later, asking how an organized hiker’s choices, a teenager’s discovery, and detection dogs’ signals combined to solve the mystery.

Person: Shannon Clark
Date: September 12-16, 2017
Location: Halcyon-Cobalt National Forest; Marmot Lake loop
Finder: Brenda Jensen
Director: Lori Bishop

- Boot found upright on granite shelf at 6:43 AM on September 14, 2017.
- Finder Brenda Jensen called the sheriff at 6:51 AM after stopping on her Spur 9 route.
- Shannon Clark had a handwritten note in her notebook: “Halcyon-Cobalt, September 12 through 16; Marmot Lake loop, full pack.”
- Shannon packed a personal locator beacon (PLB) but did not activate it after falling and deeply lacerating her right calf.
- Two detection dogs, Chester and Odette, gave confident alerts at the boot site and again 2.5 miles northeast at a debris field below Verrall Ridge.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162302Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:46 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on the Ledge: How a Map Crane Saved Her Life A solitary hiking boot stood upright on bare granite at 6:43 AM - laces tied, sock folded inside, and a tiny paper crane folded from a topographic map tucked within. That single impossible...
A solitary hiking boot stood upright on bare granite at 6:43 AM - laces tied, sock folded inside, and a tiny paper crane folded from a topographic map tucked within. That single impossible object triggered a seventy-two hour search that ended with a woman found alive on a ledge four miles from the boot; how did a boot become a message, and what linked the shoe to a rescue dogs’ baffling alerts?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Brenda Jensen found the boot on September 14, 2017, through the search-and-rescue operation that recovered Shannon Clark alive days later, asking how an organized hiker’s choices, a teenager’s discovery, and detection dogs’ signals combined to solve the mystery.

Person: Shannon Clark
Date: September 12-16, 2017
Location: Halcyon-Cobalt National Forest; Marmot Lake loop
Finder: Brenda Jensen
Director: Lori Bishop

- Boot found upright on granite shelf at 6:43 AM on September 14, 2017.
- Finder Brenda Jensen called the sheriff at 6:51 AM after stopping on her Spur 9 route.
- Shannon Clark had a handwritten note in her notebook: “Halcyon-Cobalt, September 12 through 16; Marmot Lake loop, full pack.”
- Shannon packed a personal locator beacon (PLB) but did not activate it after falling and deeply lacerating her right calf.
- Two detection dogs, Chester and Odette, gave confident alerts at the boot site and again 2.5 miles northeast at a debris field below Verrall Ridge.

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.]]>1128falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-came-down-nine-hundred-feet-the-poles-told-different--73162299
Cold silt, crossed trekking poles, and a young hiker found nine hundred feet below the rim with no footprints leading to her body-what does that mean for a careful, methodical woman who always checked her maps? The poles were the last handwritten note in the file: "Poles. No further explanation." How did Sharon Williams end up in four inches of standing water with her poles arranged over her chest?

In this episode, we tell what the on-record evidence confirms, what it cannot explain, and the single unresolved question that remains at the center of the case. You will hear the timeline from Sharon's signed trailhead entry through the summit and the wrong turn, to the storm, the descent into a debris chimney, and the discovery at Coldwater culvert-so how did she arrive there without a trace?

Person: Sharon Williams
Date: August 14 (found), signed register August 13
Location: Coldwater culvert at 6,200 feet, nine hundred feet below trailhead
Status: Case closed with handwritten note "Poles. No further explanation."
Event: Summit reached at approximately 2:15 PM on August 13, 9,100 feet

- Sharon signed the trail register at 6:52 AM on August 13 listing "Jasper summit via south ridge - day hike, out by dark," an 11-mile round trip with 2,200 feet of gain.
- She reached Jasper Peak summit at approximately 2:15 PM on August 13 at 9,100 feet and began a descent that missed the south ridge junction.
- Search and rescue found her body on the morning of August 14 lying flat on her back in four inches of standing water at the base of the Coldwater culvert.
- The silt field around her body measured a sixty-foot radius of undisturbed wet clay with no footprints, compressions, or disturbances documented by tracker Pete Holloway.
- The official file closes with four handwritten words by the lead investigator: "Poles. No further explanation."

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162299Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:42 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Came Down Nine Hundred Feet. The Poles Told Different Cold silt, crossed trekking poles, and a young hiker found nine hundred feet below the rim with no footprints leading to her body-what does that mean for a careful, methodical woman who...
Cold silt, crossed trekking poles, and a young hiker found nine hundred feet below the rim with no footprints leading to her body-what does that mean for a careful, methodical woman who always checked her maps? The poles were the last handwritten note in the file: "Poles. No further explanation." How did Sharon Williams end up in four inches of standing water with her poles arranged over her chest?

In this episode, we tell what the on-record evidence confirms, what it cannot explain, and the single unresolved question that remains at the center of the case. You will hear the timeline from Sharon's signed trailhead entry through the summit and the wrong turn, to the storm, the descent into a debris chimney, and the discovery at Coldwater culvert-so how did she arrive there without a trace?

Person: Sharon Williams
Date: August 14 (found), signed register August 13
Location: Coldwater culvert at 6,200 feet, nine hundred feet below trailhead
Status: Case closed with handwritten note "Poles. No further explanation."
Event: Summit reached at approximately 2:15 PM on August 13, 9,100 feet

- Sharon signed the trail register at 6:52 AM on August 13 listing "Jasper summit via south ridge - day hike, out by dark," an 11-mile round trip with 2,200 feet of gain.
- She reached Jasper Peak summit at approximately 2:15 PM on August 13 at 9,100 feet and began a descent that missed the south ridge junction.
- Search and rescue found her body on the morning of August 14 lying flat on her back in four inches of standing water at the base of the Coldwater culvert.
- The silt field around her body measured a sixty-foot radius of undisturbed wet clay with no footprints, compressions, or disturbances documented by tracker Pete Holloway.
- The official file closes with four handwritten words by the lead investigator: "Poles. No further explanation."

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.]]>1199falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-boot-at-ember-flat-why-he-climbed-the-tower-alone--73162298
The image that starts this story is brutal in its simplicity: a single dry, size ten hiking boot, double-knotted and perfectly clean, sitting beneath a fire lookout ladder with no other sign of a person. Ember Flat’s sixty-two-foot tower would draw a 22-person search-and-rescue mobilization, two dogs, and a map left under the Osborne Fire Finder - but why did a methodical man walk away from his map and vanish in terrain that can kill by noon? What happened between the tower and the empty boot?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Jerry Bauer’s permited solo loop to the moment Dale Brown found the boot between six and seven on July 9, 2019. We trace Jerry’s shortcut across the eastern mesa, his rescue at the tower around four on July 8, and the baffling decision to leave his map before descending into a landscape that becomes treacherous at dusk. How did a careful, ten-year veteran of these routes end up missing?

Person: Jerry Bauer
Date: July 6-10, 2019
Location: Ember Flat, Marengo backcountry
Event: Solo hiking trip; search-and-rescue deployment
Person: Dale Brown

- The boot was discovered between six and seven in the morning on July 9, 2019, dry and size ten.
- Jerry Bauer reached the Ember Flat lookout tower around 4:00 PM on July 8 and spoke with tower observer Sandra Kellner for roughly twenty minutes.
- Jerry had filed a permit for a four-day solo loop starting July 6 with an expected return date of July 10.
- Dale Brown parked at the base of the fire lookout tower, noticed the boot, and called it in, triggering the search.
- The tower is sixty-two feet tall and contained Jerry’s commercial topo map tucked under the Osborne Fire Finder when Kevin Sosa climbed it two days later.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162298Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:37 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Boot at Ember Flat: Why He Climbed the Tower Alone The image that starts this story is brutal in its simplicity: a single dry, size ten hiking boot, double-knotted and perfectly clean, sitting beneath a fire lookout ladder with no other...
The image that starts this story is brutal in its simplicity: a single dry, size ten hiking boot, double-knotted and perfectly clean, sitting beneath a fire lookout ladder with no other sign of a person. Ember Flat’s sixty-two-foot tower would draw a 22-person search-and-rescue mobilization, two dogs, and a map left under the Osborne Fire Finder - but why did a methodical man walk away from his map and vanish in terrain that can kill by noon? What happened between the tower and the empty boot?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Jerry Bauer’s permited solo loop to the moment Dale Brown found the boot between six and seven on July 9, 2019. We trace Jerry’s shortcut across the eastern mesa, his rescue at the tower around four on July 8, and the baffling decision to leave his map before descending into a landscape that becomes treacherous at dusk. How did a careful, ten-year veteran of these routes end up missing?

Person: Jerry Bauer
Date: July 6-10, 2019
Location: Ember Flat, Marengo backcountry
Event: Solo hiking trip; search-and-rescue deployment
Person: Dale Brown

- The boot was discovered between six and seven in the morning on July 9, 2019, dry and size ten.
- Jerry Bauer reached the Ember Flat lookout tower around 4:00 PM on July 8 and spoke with tower observer Sandra Kellner for roughly twenty minutes.
- Jerry had filed a permit for a four-day solo loop starting July 6 with an expected return date of July 10.
- Dale Brown parked at the base of the fire lookout tower, noticed the boot, and called it in, triggering the search.
- The tower is sixty-two feet tall and contained Jerry’s commercial topo map tucked under the Osborne Fire Finder when Kevin Sosa climbed it two days later.

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© 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.]]>1189falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-mountain-kept-her-one-boot-three-days-no-explanation--73162296
A lone hiking boot stood upright in an empty parking lot, laces tucked and tongue folded, with red clay in its lugs traced to a trail four and a half miles uphill - and no matching footprint leading away. The mountain kept a sixty-two-year-old woman for three days while a bloodhound lost her scent and witnesses put her in opposite directions an hour apart; how did one boot arrive with no logical explanation?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and the people involved to lay out what was found at the trailhead, on the mountain, and in Cynthia Ward’s life, and ask whether the physical evidence and witness accounts can be reconciled into any single picture of what happened.

Person: Cynthia Ward
Date: June 17-19
Location: Thorngate bench trail and trailhead parking lot
Status: Missing (after three days of search activity)
Witness: Angela Lawson (found boot), Pamela Berry (SAR leader), Jo Spence (bloodhound handler)

- Cynthia Ward was 62 years old and had camped at the Thorngate bench at approximately 6,200 feet on the evening of June 18.
- A single right trail boot, size seven, stood upright in the trailhead parking lot with red clay in its lugs traced to four and a half miles up the mountain.
- Cynthia filed a trip plan with her daughter Trish and was expected back at the trailhead by noon on June 19; her last message to Trish was a 7:30 p.m. photo on June 18.
- Deputy Tom Gruca photographed Cynthia’s sedan at 7:10 a.m. on June 19 parked beside the single upright boot; the car had not moved.
- Bloodhound Keeper tracked a fresh scent for 1.5 miles up Thorngate Main Trail and then stopped and lost the scent abruptly at the one-and-a-half-mile mark.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162296Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:33 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Mountain Kept Her: One Boot, Three Days, No Explanation A lone hiking boot stood upright in an empty parking lot, laces tucked and tongue folded, with red clay in its lugs traced to a trail four and a half miles uphill - and no matching...
A lone hiking boot stood upright in an empty parking lot, laces tucked and tongue folded, with red clay in its lugs traced to a trail four and a half miles uphill - and no matching footprint leading away. The mountain kept a sixty-two-year-old woman for three days while a bloodhound lost her scent and witnesses put her in opposite directions an hour apart; how did one boot arrive with no logical explanation?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and the people involved to lay out what was found at the trailhead, on the mountain, and in Cynthia Ward’s life, and ask whether the physical evidence and witness accounts can be reconciled into any single picture of what happened.

Person: Cynthia Ward
Date: June 17-19
Location: Thorngate bench trail and trailhead parking lot
Status: Missing (after three days of search activity)
Witness: Angela Lawson (found boot), Pamela Berry (SAR leader), Jo Spence (bloodhound handler)

- Cynthia Ward was 62 years old and had camped at the Thorngate bench at approximately 6,200 feet on the evening of June 18.
- A single right trail boot, size seven, stood upright in the trailhead parking lot with red clay in its lugs traced to four and a half miles up the mountain.
- Cynthia filed a trip plan with her daughter Trish and was expected back at the trailhead by noon on June 19; her last message to Trish was a 7:30 p.m. photo on June 18.
- Deputy Tom Gruca photographed Cynthia’s sedan at 7:10 a.m. on June 19 parked beside the single upright boot; the car had not moved.
- Bloodhound Keeper tracked a fresh scent for 1.5 miles up Thorngate Main Trail and then stopped and lost the scent abruptly at the one-and-a-half-mile mark.

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© 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.]]>1164falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/blinking-beacon-on-a-desert-road-where-the-skier-vanished--73162295
A blinking Mammut Barryvox transceiver was found transmitting in the high desert nine miles from the nearest snowpack, four thousand two hundred feet above sea level - but there were no tracks, no gear, and no skier. How did a beacon travel across twelve hundred feet of canyon drops and cliff bands to sit intact at a pump house, and what did the math the tracker kept rechecking actually mean?

In this episode, we follow the discovery that set six hours of search in motion and the two-month effort that followed involving a retired Army sergeant and a meticulous tracker. We lay out the timeline from Jerry Keller leaving the Bench Lot to the tracks that simply stopped on bare rock, and ask whether human choice or an unseen force explains his disappearance.

Person: Jerry Keller
Date: May 11, 2019
Location: Forest Route Seven-Bravo / Bench Lot / Nevado Bench / Pozo Seco Wash
Status: Missing; last known tracks ended on bare rock
Device: Mammut Barryvox avalanche transceiver found blinking green at pump house

- Beacon found at base of a pump house on Forest Route Seven-Bravo at 4,200 feet above sea level.
- Nearest snowpack was nine miles to the northeast of the beacon location.
- Jerry Keller was 25 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall, and weighed 170 pounds in spring 2019.
- First confirmed skis tracks were found at approximately 5,200 feet on the eastern shoulder and ended abruptly on bare rock.
- A single ski pole with no basket and a dried smear of blood on the grip was found in Pozo Seco Wash at roughly 4,800 feet.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162295Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:30 +0000Creator at ObomediaBlinking Beacon on a Desert Road: Where the Skier Vanished A blinking Mammut Barryvox transceiver was found transmitting in the high desert nine miles from the nearest snowpack, four thousand two hundred feet above sea level - but there were no...
A blinking Mammut Barryvox transceiver was found transmitting in the high desert nine miles from the nearest snowpack, four thousand two hundred feet above sea level - but there were no tracks, no gear, and no skier. How did a beacon travel across twelve hundred feet of canyon drops and cliff bands to sit intact at a pump house, and what did the math the tracker kept rechecking actually mean?

In this episode, we follow the discovery that set six hours of search in motion and the two-month effort that followed involving a retired Army sergeant and a meticulous tracker. We lay out the timeline from Jerry Keller leaving the Bench Lot to the tracks that simply stopped on bare rock, and ask whether human choice or an unseen force explains his disappearance.

Person: Jerry Keller
Date: May 11, 2019
Location: Forest Route Seven-Bravo / Bench Lot / Nevado Bench / Pozo Seco Wash
Status: Missing; last known tracks ended on bare rock
Device: Mammut Barryvox avalanche transceiver found blinking green at pump house

- Beacon found at base of a pump house on Forest Route Seven-Bravo at 4,200 feet above sea level.
- Nearest snowpack was nine miles to the northeast of the beacon location.
- Jerry Keller was 25 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall, and weighed 170 pounds in spring 2019.
- First confirmed skis tracks were found at approximately 5,200 feet on the eastern shoulder and ended abruptly on bare rock.
- A single ski pole with no basket and a dried smear of blood on the grip was found in Pozo Seco Wash at roughly 4,800 feet.

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.]]>1354falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-her-pack-came-back-what-hunted-erin-anderson-in-hollow-spruce--73162293
A woman left a fully loaded 65-liter pack at a trailhead and walked back into the Hollow Spruce Wilderness wearing only the clothes on her back - she survived nine days but some evidence, like a journal found eleven miles from where she was found, refuses a tidy explanation. What moved Erin to abandon gear, return to the trees, and leave behind a trail that simply stops?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline of Erin Anderson's trip and the search that unfolded, from her signed float plan and methodical gear to the anomalous trail register entries and items discovered off-trail; can those facts explain why she left her pack and came back?

Person: Erin Anderson
Date: April 7-14
Location: Hollow Spruce Wilderness; Aldgate Trailhead; Fenwick Creek drainage; Greer Pass
Status: Missing for six days, survived nine days
Observer: Monica Tillman

- At 9:17 a.m. on April 14, Monica Tillman found a journal in a drainage ditch beside Forest Service Road 118, eleven miles from where Erin would be found.
- Erin signed the Aldgate Trailhead register at approximately 2:17 p.m. on April 7 and intended a three- to four-day loop toward Aspen Basin via Greer Pass (about 8,400 ft).
- On the morning of April 10, Rachel Mora found Erin's fully loaded 65-liter pack abandoned against a log with tent, sleeping bag, sealed bear canister containing three days of food, first-aid kit, water filter, headlamp, emergency bivy, and folded topo maps.
- Missing from the pack were Erin’s journal, hiking poles, water bottle, and the clothing she had been wearing when she signed in.
- A trail register entry dated April 8 signed "M. Greer" appeared between Erin's April 7 sign-in and two day-hikers on April 9, written in a pen that was not Erin's and by someone who never came forward.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162293Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:25 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Her Pack, Came Back: What Hunted Erin Anderson in Hollow Spruce A woman left a fully loaded 65-liter pack at a trailhead and walked back into the Hollow Spruce Wilderness wearing only the clothes on her back - she survived nine days but some...
A woman left a fully loaded 65-liter pack at a trailhead and walked back into the Hollow Spruce Wilderness wearing only the clothes on her back - she survived nine days but some evidence, like a journal found eleven miles from where she was found, refuses a tidy explanation. What moved Erin to abandon gear, return to the trees, and leave behind a trail that simply stops?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline of Erin Anderson's trip and the search that unfolded, from her signed float plan and methodical gear to the anomalous trail register entries and items discovered off-trail; can those facts explain why she left her pack and came back?

Person: Erin Anderson
Date: April 7-14
Location: Hollow Spruce Wilderness; Aldgate Trailhead; Fenwick Creek drainage; Greer Pass
Status: Missing for six days, survived nine days
Observer: Monica Tillman

- At 9:17 a.m. on April 14, Monica Tillman found a journal in a drainage ditch beside Forest Service Road 118, eleven miles from where Erin would be found.
- Erin signed the Aldgate Trailhead register at approximately 2:17 p.m. on April 7 and intended a three- to four-day loop toward Aspen Basin via Greer Pass (about 8,400 ft).
- On the morning of April 10, Rachel Mora found Erin's fully loaded 65-liter pack abandoned against a log with tent, sleeping bag, sealed bear canister containing three days of food, first-aid kit, water filter, headlamp, emergency bivy, and folded topo maps.
- Missing from the pack were Erin’s journal, hiking poles, water bottle, and the clothing she had been wearing when she signed in.
- A trail register entry dated April 8 signed "M. Greer" appeared between Erin's April 7 sign-in and two day-hikers on April 9, written in a pen that was not Erin's and by someone who never came forward.

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.]]>1094falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/nineteen-days-on-duchamp-plateau-how-ruth-survived-the-impossible--73162292
A woman with a broken leg, no phone, and a named sleeping pad survived nineteen days on a snowbound plateau where outside temperatures were as low as -5.5°C and a bottle of water beside her did not freeze; how did she avoid leaving a single footprint in the 15 cm of consolidated snow that covered every approach? What allowed Ruth Sawyer to live long enough to be found by a beagle and a dog groomer who had no business in a search area?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events, eyewitness details, and the puzzling physical evidence from Duchamp Plateau to show where Ruth was, what she had with her, and the unanswered question that drove the three-week search: how did she survive, and where did she shelter?

Person: Ruth Sawyer
Date: February 24-March 14 (nineteen days)
Location: Duchamp Plateau, Rimline Cutoff trail / Duchamp overlook
Temperature: negative five and a half degrees Celsius (outside)
Evidence: sleeping pad labeled "Ruth Sawyer", mylar blanket, two trekking poles, unfrozen bottle of water

- Ruth texted neighbor Pat Elmore on the evening of February 23 to arrange care for her diabetic cat for the morning of February 24.
- Receipt timestamp shows Ruth picked up a fresh vial of insulin at 6:11 AM on February 24 and reached the Fenwick Basin trailhead 14 minutes later.
- Pat administered the 6:00 PM insulin on February 24 and then could not reach Ruth; calls to Brian Ott and sheriff's dispatch followed by 9:00 PM.
- The shelter was discovered on March 14 by Megan Porter and Lou Garner after a beagle named Hector pulled toward a rock shelf.
- The approach slope to the shelter had 15 centimeters of consolidated snow from the February 25 storm with no footprints in or out.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162292Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:22 +0000Creator at ObomediaNineteen Days on Duchamp Plateau: How Ruth Survived the Impossible A woman with a broken leg, no phone, and a named sleeping pad survived nineteen days on a snowbound plateau where outside temperatures were as low as -5.5°C and a bottle of water...
A woman with a broken leg, no phone, and a named sleeping pad survived nineteen days on a snowbound plateau where outside temperatures were as low as -5.5°C and a bottle of water beside her did not freeze; how did she avoid leaving a single footprint in the 15 cm of consolidated snow that covered every approach? What allowed Ruth Sawyer to live long enough to be found by a beagle and a dog groomer who had no business in a search area?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events, eyewitness details, and the puzzling physical evidence from Duchamp Plateau to show where Ruth was, what she had with her, and the unanswered question that drove the three-week search: how did she survive, and where did she shelter?

Person: Ruth Sawyer
Date: February 24-March 14 (nineteen days)
Location: Duchamp Plateau, Rimline Cutoff trail / Duchamp overlook
Temperature: negative five and a half degrees Celsius (outside)
Evidence: sleeping pad labeled "Ruth Sawyer", mylar blanket, two trekking poles, unfrozen bottle of water

- Ruth texted neighbor Pat Elmore on the evening of February 23 to arrange care for her diabetic cat for the morning of February 24.
- Receipt timestamp shows Ruth picked up a fresh vial of insulin at 6:11 AM on February 24 and reached the Fenwick Basin trailhead 14 minutes later.
- Pat administered the 6:00 PM insulin on February 24 and then could not reach Ruth; calls to Brian Ott and sheriff's dispatch followed by 9:00 PM.
- The shelter was discovered on March 14 by Megan Porter and Lou Garner after a beagle named Hector pulled toward a rock shelf.
- The approach slope to the shelter had 15 centimeters of consolidated snow from the February 25 storm with no footprints in or out.

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.]]>1183falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/half-a-mile-wrong-the-ellipse-that-hid-a-woman-alive--73162290
The morning a woman found hundreds of stones flipped dark-side-up in a perfect ellipse, a fifty-three-year-old geology professor lay alive and injured between two boulders less than forty feet from a stream - and every search team was looking half a mile away. That inexplicable ellipse, a closed carabiner found months later, and a satellite signal that placed her in the wrong drainage raise one central question: how did the wilderness hide Vicki Sharp from every searcher for days?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the moment the stones were discovered to the delayed rescue, tracing what equipment was carried, what went missing, and how the satellite locator placed her the wrong half-mile - could a device, terrain, or human error explain the gap?

Person: Vicki Sharp
Age: 53
Date first reported missing call: February 17
Device transmit duration: approximately 11 hours
Distance mislocated: approximately half a mile northeast

- Sharp texted her sister three times on February 15 at 8:10, 12:40, and 16:50.
- Sharp crossed onto the south face talus field around 10:40 on February 16 and fractured her left ankle in two clean breaks.
- Sharp activated her personal locator beacon at night; its signal transmitted for about 11 hours before battery loss.
- Search teams deployed within four hours of the February 17 call and searched Palo Seco Wash through February 17-18 without finding Sharp.
- The satellite network logged coordinates placing Sharp roughly half a mile northeast of her actual location on the south face, less than 40 feet from the stream bank.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162290Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:18 +0000Creator at ObomediaHalf a Mile Wrong: The Ellipse That Hid a Woman Alive The morning a woman found hundreds of stones flipped dark-side-up in a perfect ellipse, a fifty-three-year-old geology professor lay alive and injured between two boulders less than forty feet...
The morning a woman found hundreds of stones flipped dark-side-up in a perfect ellipse, a fifty-three-year-old geology professor lay alive and injured between two boulders less than forty feet from a stream - and every search team was looking half a mile away. That inexplicable ellipse, a closed carabiner found months later, and a satellite signal that placed her in the wrong drainage raise one central question: how did the wilderness hide Vicki Sharp from every searcher for days?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the moment the stones were discovered to the delayed rescue, tracing what equipment was carried, what went missing, and how the satellite locator placed her the wrong half-mile - could a device, terrain, or human error explain the gap?

Person: Vicki Sharp
Age: 53
Date first reported missing call: February 17
Device transmit duration: approximately 11 hours
Distance mislocated: approximately half a mile northeast

- Sharp texted her sister three times on February 15 at 8:10, 12:40, and 16:50.
- Sharp crossed onto the south face talus field around 10:40 on February 16 and fractured her left ankle in two clean breaks.
- Sharp activated her personal locator beacon at night; its signal transmitted for about 11 hours before battery loss.
- Search teams deployed within four hours of the February 17 call and searched Palo Seco Wash through February 17-18 without finding Sharp.
- The satellite network logged coordinates placing Sharp roughly half a mile northeast of her actual location on the south face, less than 40 feet from the stream 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.]]>1219falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-across-a-ridge-no-human-path-could-explain--73162289
A fly rod stood upright, wedged between two river stones on a frozen bank with its line frozen to the ice - and no footprints in the snow. The rod bore a red-thread repair wrap made by the missing angler herself, and one anchor stone had been deliberately rotated lichen-side down; who placed it, and why, vanishes into the cold. What exactly happened to April Stroud on January 12-14, 2019?

In this episode, we lay out the observable facts from the field reports, witness accounts, and the search records to show what was found and what remains unexplained. Listen to hear how a routine survey, a rotated stone, and a lost scent line frame the central mystery.

Person: April Stroud
Date: January 12-14, 2019
Location: Sawyer Fork, Creswick County
Finder: Kenneth Bell
Investigator: Scott Vreeland

- At 9:17 AM on January 14, 2019 surveyor Kenneth Bell found a nine-foot graphite fly rod standing upright between two river stones on the north bank of Sawyer Fork.
- The rod had a red-thread wrap over a crack repair that April Stroud had done herself the previous spring.
- The rod’s trailing line extended downstream into the current with its final inches frozen to the edge of the ice.
- Crime scene technician Scott Vreeland documented that one of the two stones anchoring the rod had been rotated with lichen side down.
- A trailing dog followed a scent east upstream for roughly 60 yards before losing the trail on a granite shelf at the river’s edge.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162289Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Across a Ridge No Human Path Could Explain A fly rod stood upright, wedged between two river stones on a frozen bank with its line frozen to the ice - and no footprints in the snow. The rod bore a red-thread repair wrap made by the...
A fly rod stood upright, wedged between two river stones on a frozen bank with its line frozen to the ice - and no footprints in the snow. The rod bore a red-thread repair wrap made by the missing angler herself, and one anchor stone had been deliberately rotated lichen-side down; who placed it, and why, vanishes into the cold. What exactly happened to April Stroud on January 12-14, 2019?

In this episode, we lay out the observable facts from the field reports, witness accounts, and the search records to show what was found and what remains unexplained. Listen to hear how a routine survey, a rotated stone, and a lost scent line frame the central mystery.

Person: April Stroud
Date: January 12-14, 2019
Location: Sawyer Fork, Creswick County
Finder: Kenneth Bell
Investigator: Scott Vreeland

- At 9:17 AM on January 14, 2019 surveyor Kenneth Bell found a nine-foot graphite fly rod standing upright between two river stones on the north bank of Sawyer Fork.
- The rod had a red-thread wrap over a crack repair that April Stroud had done herself the previous spring.
- The rod’s trailing line extended downstream into the current with its final inches frozen to the edge of the ice.
- Crime scene technician Scott Vreeland documented that one of the two stones anchoring the rod had been rotated with lichen side down.
- A trailing dog followed a scent east upstream for roughly 60 yards before losing the trail on a granite shelf at the river’s edge.

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.]]>1221falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/two-child-sized-handprints-in-mud-no-tracks-no-exit--73162287
Fresh child-sized handprints in creek mud, eleven miles from town, with no footprints, no scuffs and water six inches below them - what could leave two perfect palms and then nothing? The prints matched the palm measurements of a missing 28-year-old woman, but one documented gap in the evidence still resists explanation: how did a scent trail, followed by three dog teams, disappear at a shallow ford?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from the last known moments through the search operations and the discovery on the bank, and the episode follows that unresolved question: how could a trail end and two handprints appear with no other trace?

Person: Michelle Walsh
Age: 28
Location: Currant Creek, upper drainage
Date: late November, disappearance noted Thanksgiving Day
Responders: three dog teams and search-and-rescue coordinator James Novak

- Two handprints pressed side by side in fresh creek mud, right palm about four inches wide and left slightly smaller.
- Prints found on a Tuesday morning in early December, with creek water level six inches below the impressions.
- Michelle had been missing for six days when the prints were discovered; search teams had already spent forty-eight hours in the drainage.
- Three separate dog teams lost the scent simultaneously at a shallow ford approximately a quarter mile from the trailhead.
- Michelle left her grandmother’s house around 9:15 PM without her border collie Sprout; her truck was later found at the Currant Creek Trailhead with the access gate padlock unlatched and no signs of force.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162287Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:10 +0000Creator at ObomediaTwo Child-Sized Handprints in Mud - No Tracks, No Exit Fresh child-sized handprints in creek mud, eleven miles from town, with no footprints, no scuffs and water six inches below them - what could leave two perfect palms and then nothing? The...
Fresh child-sized handprints in creek mud, eleven miles from town, with no footprints, no scuffs and water six inches below them - what could leave two perfect palms and then nothing? The prints matched the palm measurements of a missing 28-year-old woman, but one documented gap in the evidence still resists explanation: how did a scent trail, followed by three dog teams, disappear at a shallow ford?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from the last known moments through the search operations and the discovery on the bank, and the episode follows that unresolved question: how could a trail end and two handprints appear with no other trace?

Person: Michelle Walsh
Age: 28
Location: Currant Creek, upper drainage
Date: late November, disappearance noted Thanksgiving Day
Responders: three dog teams and search-and-rescue coordinator James Novak

- Two handprints pressed side by side in fresh creek mud, right palm about four inches wide and left slightly smaller.
- Prints found on a Tuesday morning in early December, with creek water level six inches below the impressions.
- Michelle had been missing for six days when the prints were discovered; search teams had already spent forty-eight hours in the drainage.
- Three separate dog teams lost the scent simultaneously at a shallow ford approximately a quarter mile from the trailhead.
- Michelle left her grandmother’s house around 9:15 PM without her border collie Sprout; her truck was later found at the Currant Creek Trailhead with the access gate padlock unlatched and no signs of force.

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.]]>1220falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/found-alive-barefoot-the-woman-the-wilderness-should-have-killed--73162286
Cold, isolated, and impossible to reconcile: a woman walked past a wildlife camera barefoot with no backpack after six days missing in a November storm that plunged overnight to 4°F - how did she survive a broken leg, no shelter, and no fire? What happened in the eleven days between that image and the moment she could finally speak?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Amy Fitzgerald’s November 6th trailhead sign-in through the six days of searching, the puzzling evidence the team found, and the questions search coordinator Erin Reed could not fully answer. We trace the facts and close on the same unresolved question that drove the search: how did Amy live?

Person: Amy Fitzgerald
Date: November 6-22, 2019
Location: Ochre Basin / Pinnacle National Forest / Whetstone Gulch
Status: Found alive after being presumed dead
Coordinator: Erin Reed

- Amy signed the trail register at 7:53 AM on November 6, 2019 for the 22-mile Ochre Basin Loop.
- At approximately 4:00 PM on November 16 she slipped and fractured her left fibula above treeline.
- By November 18-19 the overnight temperature in the area dropped to 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
- A wildlife camera photographed a woman in a red jacket walking north through Pinnacle National Forest at 9:47 AM on November 22.
- Two trekking poles belonging to Amy were found planted vertically in ice at the edge of a creek crossing in Whetstone Gulch about six miles from the trailhead.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162286Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaFound Alive, Barefoot: The Woman the Wilderness Should Have Killed Cold, isolated, and impossible to reconcile: a woman walked past a wildlife camera barefoot with no backpack after six days missing in a November storm that plunged overnight to 4°F...
Cold, isolated, and impossible to reconcile: a woman walked past a wildlife camera barefoot with no backpack after six days missing in a November storm that plunged overnight to 4°F - how did she survive a broken leg, no shelter, and no fire? What happened in the eleven days between that image and the moment she could finally speak?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Amy Fitzgerald’s November 6th trailhead sign-in through the six days of searching, the puzzling evidence the team found, and the questions search coordinator Erin Reed could not fully answer. We trace the facts and close on the same unresolved question that drove the search: how did Amy live?

Person: Amy Fitzgerald
Date: November 6-22, 2019
Location: Ochre Basin / Pinnacle National Forest / Whetstone Gulch
Status: Found alive after being presumed dead
Coordinator: Erin Reed

- Amy signed the trail register at 7:53 AM on November 6, 2019 for the 22-mile Ochre Basin Loop.
- At approximately 4:00 PM on November 16 she slipped and fractured her left fibula above treeline.
- By November 18-19 the overnight temperature in the area dropped to 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
- A wildlife camera photographed a woman in a red jacket walking north through Pinnacle National Forest at 9:47 AM on November 22.
- Two trekking poles belonging to Amy were found planted vertically in ice at the edge of a creek crossing in Whetstone Gulch about six miles from the trailhead.

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.]]>1165falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boot-standing-upright-the-mountain-returned-her-but-why--73162284
A single boot standing upright on a gravel shoulder, dry outside but warm and damp inside, greets a fourteen-year-old paper carrier at 7:41 a.m. on October 8, 2019 - and by nightfall a massive search has begun for Michelle Bailey. How did a careful, experienced hunter vanish from a tracked trail that ends in a straight-line scent loss across eight feet of granite, leaving only a mysterious smear of orange clay at shoulder height?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Denise Weaver finds the boot through the first 48 hours of search and rescue operations, detailing the people involved, the hunting plan, and the baffling tracking evidence that stalled on a rock slab. What did the mountain give back, and what questions does the scene still leave unanswered?

Person: Michelle Bailey
Date: October 8, 2019
Location: Dunmore drainage, County Road 7 trailhead
Status: Missing after scent trail stopped on granite slab
Case: Hunting party separated at Benchland Fork at 6:15 a.m.

- Boot found standing upright on the gravel shoulder at 7:41 a.m., toe pointed south toward town.
- Michelle Bailey was 22 years old and had hunted the Dunmore drainage for three years before drawing a tag in 2019.
- Hunting plan split three people at Benchland Fork: Doug Perrin (east corridor), Aaron Goss (gravel bar), Michelle to continue 300 yards up the west fork.
- Search dogs followed Michelle’s scent north past Benchland Fork up toward the saddle, then scent stopped in a straight line across eight feet of granite.
- Tracker Roy Cutler found a smear of orange clay at shoulder height on a boulder near the saddle on the second day of the search.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162284Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:35:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoot Standing Upright: The Mountain Returned Her, But Why? A single boot standing upright on a gravel shoulder, dry outside but warm and damp inside, greets a fourteen-year-old paper carrier at 7:41 a.m. on October 8, 2019 - and by nightfall a...
A single boot standing upright on a gravel shoulder, dry outside but warm and damp inside, greets a fourteen-year-old paper carrier at 7:41 a.m. on October 8, 2019 - and by nightfall a massive search has begun for Michelle Bailey. How did a careful, experienced hunter vanish from a tracked trail that ends in a straight-line scent loss across eight feet of granite, leaving only a mysterious smear of orange clay at shoulder height?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Denise Weaver finds the boot through the first 48 hours of search and rescue operations, detailing the people involved, the hunting plan, and the baffling tracking evidence that stalled on a rock slab. What did the mountain give back, and what questions does the scene still leave unanswered?

Person: Michelle Bailey
Date: October 8, 2019
Location: Dunmore drainage, County Road 7 trailhead
Status: Missing after scent trail stopped on granite slab
Case: Hunting party separated at Benchland Fork at 6:15 a.m.

- Boot found standing upright on the gravel shoulder at 7:41 a.m., toe pointed south toward town.
- Michelle Bailey was 22 years old and had hunted the Dunmore drainage for three years before drawing a tag in 2019.
- Hunting plan split three people at Benchland Fork: Doug Perrin (east corridor), Aaron Goss (gravel bar), Michelle to continue 300 yards up the west fork.
- Search dogs followed Michelle’s scent north past Benchland Fork up toward the saddle, then scent stopped in a straight line across eight feet of granite.
- Tracker Roy Cutler found a smear of orange clay at shoulder height on a boulder near the saddle on the second day of the search.

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.]]>1230falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-walked-the-rim-twenty-two-minutes-the-mountain-kept-silent--73162283
A man’s GPS logged a twenty-two minute descent from fifteen feet back of a twelve-hundred-foot basalt escarpment and then went silent - the device reappeared two days later cracked on a roadside, and the man was found alive eight days after the signal stopped with no memory of any of it. What happened in those missing hours on the Ragged Wall that left a seasoned hiker alive but with an eight-day blackout?

In this episode, we follow the timeline recorded by the hiker’s inReach device, the discovery that launched a search, and the field evidence that both explains and deepens the mystery. Which details in the official record point to an accidental fall, and which detail in the report Amy Taylor left unresolved keeps the question open?

Person: Marvin Baker
Date: September 17, 2017
Location: Ragged Wall (Ridgeback Circuit), Denton County
Status: Found alive eight days after GPS stopped
Responder: Amy Taylor, 16-year wilderness search-and-rescue veteran

- The inReach activated at 6:44 AM on September 15 and logged a final series of points starting at 9:47 AM on September 17.
- Twenty-two GPS data points recorded over twenty-two minutes showing descent from about 15 feet back of the rim to roughly 550 feet below.
- The device stopped transmitting at approximately 10:10 AM on September 17 and remained silent for 36 hours.
- The inReach unit was found by Vicki Holt on the morning of September 19 lodged against a roadside boulder with a cracked screen.
- Three partial boot prints were found about 12 feet from the rim: men’s size 11, two pointing toward the wall, one at the very edge with toe depth roughly twice heel depth indicating forward momentum.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162283Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:34:58 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Walked the Rim - Twenty-Two Minutes the Mountain Kept Silent A man’s GPS logged a twenty-two minute descent from fifteen feet back of a twelve-hundred-foot basalt escarpment and then went silent - the device reappeared two days later cracked on...
A man’s GPS logged a twenty-two minute descent from fifteen feet back of a twelve-hundred-foot basalt escarpment and then went silent - the device reappeared two days later cracked on a roadside, and the man was found alive eight days after the signal stopped with no memory of any of it. What happened in those missing hours on the Ragged Wall that left a seasoned hiker alive but with an eight-day blackout?

In this episode, we follow the timeline recorded by the hiker’s inReach device, the discovery that launched a search, and the field evidence that both explains and deepens the mystery. Which details in the official record point to an accidental fall, and which detail in the report Amy Taylor left unresolved keeps the question open?

Person: Marvin Baker
Date: September 17, 2017
Location: Ragged Wall (Ridgeback Circuit), Denton County
Status: Found alive eight days after GPS stopped
Responder: Amy Taylor, 16-year wilderness search-and-rescue veteran

- The inReach activated at 6:44 AM on September 15 and logged a final series of points starting at 9:47 AM on September 17.
- Twenty-two GPS data points recorded over twenty-two minutes showing descent from about 15 feet back of the rim to roughly 550 feet below.
- The device stopped transmitting at approximately 10:10 AM on September 17 and remained silent for 36 hours.
- The inReach unit was found by Vicki Holt on the morning of September 19 lodged against a roadside boulder with a cracked screen.
- Three partial boot prints were found about 12 feet from the rim: men’s size 11, two pointing toward the wall, one at the very edge with toe depth roughly twice heel depth indicating forward momentum.

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.]]>1189falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-the-locker-how-nine-miles-became-a-riddle--73162281
A single Danner Mountain Light, size eleven, laces double-knotted and standing upright on a green metal locker five feet off the ground, with undisturbed dirt beneath it - and the man who owned it was lying injured nine miles away for four days. How did a boot travel nine miles away from an intact camp while the ground around the locker showed no footprints?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Frank Simpson’s last confirmed sighting at mile six to the discovery of his tent at mile nine and the boot on Forest Road Seven-Bravo, asking how rescue procedures, witness logs, and search patterns intersected with that impossible transfer. What combination of wilderness, timing, and unknown movement could explain the boot transport, origin unknown?

Person: Frank Simpson
Date: August 14-22 (permit dated August 14; found after August 22)
Location: Pelham Range (mile markers referenced: mile six, mile nine, Forest Road Seven-Bravo)
Status: Found injured; camp intact; boot discovered separately
Coordinator: Troy Hoffman

- Boot: Danner Mountain Light, size eleven, with cobbler's repair on left heel, laces tied in a double knot, tongue folded inward.
- Discovery of boot: on top of a green metal locker five feet off the ground; dirt beneath undisturbed; reported by lineman Gregory Rogers on morning of August 21.
- Last confirmed sighting: Agnes Vogel’s log at Holt Creek Patrol Cabin, entry August 16, solo male, early sixties, gray beard, green pack, heading toward Copper Pass at approximately 2 p.m.
- Camp found: at mile nine with tent standing, sleeping bag and headlamp inside, novel bookmarked at page 112, camp stove with roughly one cup of desiccated oatmeal.
- Search deployment: Troy Hoffman sent eight teams on morning of August 22; tracking dogs followed scent northeast to mile 4.5 then stopped.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162281Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:34:54 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on the Locker: How Nine Miles Became a Riddle A single Danner Mountain Light, size eleven, laces double-knotted and standing upright on a green metal locker five feet off the ground, with undisturbed dirt beneath it - and the man who owned...
A single Danner Mountain Light, size eleven, laces double-knotted and standing upright on a green metal locker five feet off the ground, with undisturbed dirt beneath it - and the man who owned it was lying injured nine miles away for four days. How did a boot travel nine miles away from an intact camp while the ground around the locker showed no footprints?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Frank Simpson’s last confirmed sighting at mile six to the discovery of his tent at mile nine and the boot on Forest Road Seven-Bravo, asking how rescue procedures, witness logs, and search patterns intersected with that impossible transfer. What combination of wilderness, timing, and unknown movement could explain the boot transport, origin unknown?

Person: Frank Simpson
Date: August 14-22 (permit dated August 14; found after August 22)
Location: Pelham Range (mile markers referenced: mile six, mile nine, Forest Road Seven-Bravo)
Status: Found injured; camp intact; boot discovered separately
Coordinator: Troy Hoffman

- Boot: Danner Mountain Light, size eleven, with cobbler's repair on left heel, laces tied in a double knot, tongue folded inward.
- Discovery of boot: on top of a green metal locker five feet off the ground; dirt beneath undisturbed; reported by lineman Gregory Rogers on morning of August 21.
- Last confirmed sighting: Agnes Vogel’s log at Holt Creek Patrol Cabin, entry August 16, solo male, early sixties, gray beard, green pack, heading toward Copper Pass at approximately 2 p.m.
- Camp found: at mile nine with tent standing, sleeping bag and headlamp inside, novel bookmarked at page 112, camp stove with roughly one cup of desiccated oatmeal.
- Search deployment: Troy Hoffman sent eight teams on morning of August 22; tracking dogs followed scent northeast to mile 4.5 then stopped.

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.]]>1107falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-stove-on-the-rock-a-solo-hiker-vanishes-spork-left-behind--73162280
A single orange spork left perfectly across a pot lid on a flat granite rock - no tent, no pack, no person. A lab technician who runs the same trail for eleven years found that stove eleven miles into the Dellwood Wilderness on July 14, 2019; what did that arranged scene mean and why was the spork never explained?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Chad Carlson’s meticulous seven-night solo trip into Dellwood to the photograph Lisa Hensley took at 6:47 a.m. on July 14, 2019, and the two-day search-and-rescue that followed. We trace how a casual backcountry encounter with a man calling himself Kevin (Kenneth) Pratt shifted into theft, isolation, and a baffling staged campsite - and we ask what the spork reveals about the pattern investigators found.

Person: Lisa Hensley
Date: July 14, 2019
Location: Dellwood Wilderness, eleven miles in, flat granite rock forty feet from nearest campsite
Person: Chad Carlson
Person: Kenneth Pratt

- Lisa Hensley photographed the stove at 6:47 a.m. on July 14, 2019 after running the same trail loop for eleven years.
- The pot on the stove contained noodles that had bloomed then dried, and an orange plastic spork lay across the lid.
- Chad Carlson was 26 years old with ten years of solo wilderness experience and a planned seven-night trip starting July 6, 2019.
- Chad’s roommate Pete arranged for a coworker, Janet Pruett, to feed his corn-yellow ball python Wendell on July 8 and July 18.
- On the night of July 12, Pratt searched Chad’s pack while Chad slept; by morning Chad’s wallet and truck key were missing and Pratt had walked away into the dark.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162280Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:34:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Stove on the Rock: A Solo Hiker Vanishes-Spork Left Behind A single orange spork left perfectly across a pot lid on a flat granite rock - no tent, no pack, no person. A lab technician who runs the same trail for eleven years found that stove...
A single orange spork left perfectly across a pot lid on a flat granite rock - no tent, no pack, no person. A lab technician who runs the same trail for eleven years found that stove eleven miles into the Dellwood Wilderness on July 14, 2019; what did that arranged scene mean and why was the spork never explained?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Chad Carlson’s meticulous seven-night solo trip into Dellwood to the photograph Lisa Hensley took at 6:47 a.m. on July 14, 2019, and the two-day search-and-rescue that followed. We trace how a casual backcountry encounter with a man calling himself Kevin (Kenneth) Pratt shifted into theft, isolation, and a baffling staged campsite - and we ask what the spork reveals about the pattern investigators found.

Person: Lisa Hensley
Date: July 14, 2019
Location: Dellwood Wilderness, eleven miles in, flat granite rock forty feet from nearest campsite
Person: Chad Carlson
Person: Kenneth Pratt

- Lisa Hensley photographed the stove at 6:47 a.m. on July 14, 2019 after running the same trail loop for eleven years.
- The pot on the stove contained noodles that had bloomed then dried, and an orange plastic spork lay across the lid.
- Chad Carlson was 26 years old with ten years of solo wilderness experience and a planned seven-night trip starting July 6, 2019.
- Chad’s roommate Pete arranged for a coworker, Janet Pruett, to feed his corn-yellow ball python Wendell on July 8 and July 18.
- On the night of July 12, Pratt searched Chad’s pack while Chad slept; by morning Chad’s wallet and truck key were missing and Pratt had walked away into the dark.

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.]]>1116falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-the-post-why-susan-walked-into-silence--73162279
A dry hiking boot, laced and perfectly balanced on a sandstone fence post behind her house, changed everything about a missing-person search that should have followed rules of wilderness behavior and rescue. Susan Whitfield, a careful 48-year-old hiker who knew Linwood Canyon “in her sleep,” vanished after a routine walk - so why was a pristine boot planted where no footsteps led?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of confirmed details from Susan’s last known day and the baffling evidence that followed, from a snapped fibula on loose shale to a backpack found miles from any planned route; could a few inches of soil and a single boot rewrite what we think we know about disappearance in the high desert?

Person: Susan Whitfield
Date: June 7, 2013
Location: Linwood Canyon, Merna, Nevada
Injury: left fibula fracture
Duration missing before trail found: six days

- Susan had lived in Merna since 1994 and was described as careful and self-sufficient with a precise job as a medical transcriptionist.
- She spoke a routine 22-minute Wednesday morning call with her daughter and did not miss calls for four years prior.
- On June 7, 2013 her phone rang at 6:12 AM for 41 seconds and she departed around 7:00 AM without leaving a float plan.
- While on the trail at ~1.5 kilometers she stepped on loose shale and snapped her left fibula; she could not stand and was immobile for five hours.
- A dry, clean hiking boot, lace tied and standing upright on a sandstone fence post behind her house, showed no surrounding footprints and forensic examination found no anomalous material.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162279Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:34:46 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on the Post: Why Susan Walked Into Silence A dry hiking boot, laced and perfectly balanced on a sandstone fence post behind her house, changed everything about a missing-person search that should have followed rules of wilderness behavior...
A dry hiking boot, laced and perfectly balanced on a sandstone fence post behind her house, changed everything about a missing-person search that should have followed rules of wilderness behavior and rescue. Susan Whitfield, a careful 48-year-old hiker who knew Linwood Canyon “in her sleep,” vanished after a routine walk - so why was a pristine boot planted where no footsteps led?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of confirmed details from Susan’s last known day and the baffling evidence that followed, from a snapped fibula on loose shale to a backpack found miles from any planned route; could a few inches of soil and a single boot rewrite what we think we know about disappearance in the high desert?

Person: Susan Whitfield
Date: June 7, 2013
Location: Linwood Canyon, Merna, Nevada
Injury: left fibula fracture
Duration missing before trail found: six days

- Susan had lived in Merna since 1994 and was described as careful and self-sufficient with a precise job as a medical transcriptionist.
- She spoke a routine 22-minute Wednesday morning call with her daughter and did not miss calls for four years prior.
- On June 7, 2013 her phone rang at 6:12 AM for 41 seconds and she departed around 7:00 AM without leaving a float plan.
- While on the trail at ~1.5 kilometers she stepped on loose shale and snapped her left fibula; she could not stand and was immobile for five hours.
- A dry, clean hiking boot, lace tied and standing upright on a sandstone fence post behind her house, showed no surrounding footprints and forensic examination found no anomalous material.

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.]]>1102falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-left-the-trail-the-car-that-waited-with-its-door-open--73162277
A running Subaru sat at the Tillman Creek trailhead with its driver's door ajar at exactly ninety degrees and no one inside, engine idling until the tank ran dry; a bloodhound followed a scent two point three miles to a creek where the trail vanished into cold, fast water - what happened to Clifford Zimmerman that afternoon? The open door, the precise handwriting in the register, and three fresh lichen scrapes on a granite shelf refuse to add up.

In this episode, we walk the timeline from Clifford's seven thirty-eight sign-in to the discovery of an empty car at two thirty and the hours-long search that followed, laying out the evidence found at the scene and the puzzling gaps that remain. How do a level parking lot, a ninety-degree door, a scent that stops at a creek, and fresh scrapes on high rock fit together?

Person: Clifford Zimmerman
Date: May 13, 2019
Location: Tillman Creek trailhead, Haraden National Forest
Status: Missing
Search coordinator: Angela Dempsey

- Clifford signed the trail register at 7:38 a.m. and estimated return at 2:00 p.m.
- The Subaru Outback was first observed idling at approximately 2:30 p.m.; the engine died at 3:26 p.m. when the fuel ran out.
- The driver's door was open at exactly ninety degrees and the parking area was level with no significant wind that afternoon.
- The bloodhound Otto followed scent east along Tillman Creek for 2.3 miles and stopped at a fast, cold creek crossing where scent was dispersed.
- On day two, three ascending fresh lichen scrapes were found on a granite shelf about 200 feet above the trail.

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© 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162277Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:34:41 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Left the Trail - The Car That Waited With Its Door Open A running Subaru sat at the Tillman Creek trailhead with its driver's door ajar at exactly ninety degrees and no one inside, engine idling until the tank ran dry; a bloodhound followed a...
A running Subaru sat at the Tillman Creek trailhead with its driver's door ajar at exactly ninety degrees and no one inside, engine idling until the tank ran dry; a bloodhound followed a scent two point three miles to a creek where the trail vanished into cold, fast water - what happened to Clifford Zimmerman that afternoon? The open door, the precise handwriting in the register, and three fresh lichen scrapes on a granite shelf refuse to add up.

In this episode, we walk the timeline from Clifford's seven thirty-eight sign-in to the discovery of an empty car at two thirty and the hours-long search that followed, laying out the evidence found at the scene and the puzzling gaps that remain. How do a level parking lot, a ninety-degree door, a scent that stops at a creek, and fresh scrapes on high rock fit together?

Person: Clifford Zimmerman
Date: May 13, 2019
Location: Tillman Creek trailhead, Haraden National Forest
Status: Missing
Search coordinator: Angela Dempsey

- Clifford signed the trail register at 7:38 a.m. and estimated return at 2:00 p.m.
- The Subaru Outback was first observed idling at approximately 2:30 p.m.; the engine died at 3:26 p.m. when the fuel ran out.
- The driver's door was open at exactly ninety degrees and the parking area was level with no significant wind that afternoon.
- The bloodhound Otto followed scent east along Tillman Creek for 2.3 miles and stopped at a fast, cold creek crossing where scent was dispersed.
- On day two, three ascending fresh lichen scrapes were found on a granite shelf about 200 feet above the trail.

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.]]>1139falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-took-his-boots-off-something-waited-at-the-meadow-edge--73162276
A lone, double-knotted boot sat on a granite ledge at Sutter Meadow with a dry wool sock folded inside while frost glazed every surface for a hundred yards-yet the owner was gone. A methodical, experienced surveyor vanished after standing up without his boots when something large moved at the meadow edge; what drew him out and where he went remain unanswered.

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the trailhead register to the search response and interviews, laying out the timeline, terrain, and decisions that preceded the disappearance. What caused Mark Boyd to rise, barefoot, into freezing dark and never return to his bivy?

Person: Mark Boyd
Date: April 12-13
Location: Sutter Meadow; granite shelf at the north edge; north of Dunmore Divide
Status: Missing; last known movement downhill from meadow edge
Search dog: Rex, handled by Pam Okafor

- Mark signed the Calico Creek trailhead register at 4:47 p.m. listing Sutter Meadow and an expected return by noon on April 13.
- Sunset that evening was approximately 7:58 p.m., giving roughly three hours of daylight after he signed the register.
- The trail to Sutter Meadow is 6.5 miles one way; the last two miles gain significant elevation over loose duff and open granite.
- Temperatures dropped to 22 degrees Fahrenheit before dawn while Mark slept with his boots inside his bivy sleeping bag.
- Rex, an 8-year-old bloodhound, crossed the meadow from the trailhead, reached the granite shelf, circled twice, and sat-indicating the last readable scent at that ledge.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162276Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:34:38 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Took His Boots Off - Something Waited at the Meadow Edge A lone, double-knotted boot sat on a granite ledge at Sutter Meadow with a dry wool sock folded inside while frost glazed every surface for a hundred yards-yet the owner was gone. A...
A lone, double-knotted boot sat on a granite ledge at Sutter Meadow with a dry wool sock folded inside while frost glazed every surface for a hundred yards-yet the owner was gone. A methodical, experienced surveyor vanished after standing up without his boots when something large moved at the meadow edge; what drew him out and where he went remain unanswered.

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the trailhead register to the search response and interviews, laying out the timeline, terrain, and decisions that preceded the disappearance. What caused Mark Boyd to rise, barefoot, into freezing dark and never return to his bivy?

Person: Mark Boyd
Date: April 12-13
Location: Sutter Meadow; granite shelf at the north edge; north of Dunmore Divide
Status: Missing; last known movement downhill from meadow edge
Search dog: Rex, handled by Pam Okafor

- Mark signed the Calico Creek trailhead register at 4:47 p.m. listing Sutter Meadow and an expected return by noon on April 13.
- Sunset that evening was approximately 7:58 p.m., giving roughly three hours of daylight after he signed the register.
- The trail to Sutter Meadow is 6.5 miles one way; the last two miles gain significant elevation over loose duff and open granite.
- Temperatures dropped to 22 degrees Fahrenheit before dawn while Mark slept with his boots inside his bivy sleeping bag.
- Rex, an 8-year-old bloodhound, crossed the meadow from the trailhead, reached the granite shelf, circled twice, and sat-indicating the last readable scent at that ledge.

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.]]>1259falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boots-on-a-dry-boulder-the-walker-disappearance-in-colton-canyon--73162275
He walked the same trail every morning at 6:15 and never missed his monthly Saturday visit with his daughter, yet two boots were found, toe-out and heels touching, on a bone-dry granite boulder that had been rimed in snow - the man had been dead for two weeks. How did Thomas Walker vanish from a snow‑sealed canyon and leave footprints that were mysteriously too light for a 175‑pound man?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of Thomas Walker's last known movements, the delayed missing‑person report, and the multi-team search that homed in on contradictory physical evidence; what could explain a dry rock amid fresh snow, a faint boot print at mile seven, and a body discovered two weeks later?

Person: Thomas Walker
Date: February 28 (last seen), March 4 (boots found), March 14 (boots reported)
Location: Colton Canyon, Meander River north bank
Status: Missing turned deceased (body found after two weeks)
Search teams: Four teams over six days; tracker found boot print at mile seven

- Walker's routine: on the Meander River trail every morning from 6:15 to 7:45 without exception.
- On February 28 Walker asked if the upper Colton Canyon gate was locked, then parked at the Colton Canyon trailhead; no one saw him again.
- His daughter, Sophie, tried to reach him on March 1-3; missing persons report filed on March 4, a four‑day gap.
- Search: four teams including two with dogs searched six days; dogs lost the scent before the forest boundary.
- On March 14 Carl Hill found two boots on a flat boulder four feet above the waterline; surrounding surfaces had snow rime but the granite under the boots was dry and overnight low had been 22°F.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73162275Sat, 25 Jul 2026 03:34:34 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoots on a Dry Boulder: The Walker Disappearance in Colton Canyon He walked the same trail every morning at 6:15 and never missed his monthly Saturday visit with his daughter, yet two boots were found, toe-out and heels touching, on a bone-dry...
He walked the same trail every morning at 6:15 and never missed his monthly Saturday visit with his daughter, yet two boots were found, toe-out and heels touching, on a bone-dry granite boulder that had been rimed in snow - the man had been dead for two weeks. How did Thomas Walker vanish from a snow‑sealed canyon and leave footprints that were mysteriously too light for a 175‑pound man?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of Thomas Walker's last known movements, the delayed missing‑person report, and the multi-team search that homed in on contradictory physical evidence; what could explain a dry rock amid fresh snow, a faint boot print at mile seven, and a body discovered two weeks later?

Person: Thomas Walker
Date: February 28 (last seen), March 4 (boots found), March 14 (boots reported)
Location: Colton Canyon, Meander River north bank
Status: Missing turned deceased (body found after two weeks)
Search teams: Four teams over six days; tracker found boot print at mile seven

- Walker's routine: on the Meander River trail every morning from 6:15 to 7:45 without exception.
- On February 28 Walker asked if the upper Colton Canyon gate was locked, then parked at the Colton Canyon trailhead; no one saw him again.
- His daughter, Sophie, tried to reach him on March 1-3; missing persons report filed on March 4, a four‑day gap.
- Search: four teams including two with dogs searched six days; dogs lost the scent before the forest boundary.
- On March 14 Carl Hill found two boots on a flat boulder four feet above the waterline; surrounding surfaces had snow rime but the granite under the boots was dry and overnight low had been 22°F.

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.]]>1316falsefull