Overview

Last seen: The most detailed sheriff-record-based account places Clifford Russell “Russ” Haux’s last known sighting on the night of November 26, 2003, in the Red Desert near Wamsutter, Wyoming. National missing-person databases generally use November 27, while Wyoming DCI lists November 28 and Rock Springs as the public missing-from location.

Main circumstances: Haux and a coworker were attempting to recover a previously stranded oilfield vehicle. After Haux could not cross a ditch in his pickup, he drove south searching for another crossing. His coworker watched his headlights disappear. A massive search failed to find him. His purple Ford Ranger was discovered about two years later, less than six miles away, stuck in a washed-out riverbank with evidence that someone had attempted to free it. Haux himself has never been found. Authorities currently say the evidence favors an accidental disappearance and have disclosed no evidence proving foul play. The case remains active and unresolved.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Clifford Russell Haux Missing Person Case: The 2003 Wyoming Red Desert Disappearance

Clifford Russell “Russ” Haux was 42 years old when he disappeared in Wyoming’s remote Red Desert in November 2003. More than two decades later, his whereabouts remain unknown, his remains have never been recovered, and the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office considers the case active and unresolved.

Public databases have long summarized Haux’s disappearance as a case in which he may have become lost in the desert during adverse conditions. A much more detailed account released in August 2026, however, provided information from sheriff’s records and Haux’s family about what happened before he vanished, the massive search that followed, the discovery of his truck two years later, and questions his daughters still have about the case.

Who Was Clifford Russell “Russ” Haux?

Haux was a husband, father of three and experienced oil-rig driller. At the time of his disappearance, he was approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed about 185 pounds. He had brown hair, hazel eyes and wore glasses. Public missing-person records describe his clothing as blue jeans, a black leather jacket and a baseball cap.

His daughters have described their father as an experienced outdoorsman who was comfortable in Wyoming’s rugged country. That experience is one reason his disappearance has continued to trouble them: they believe he knew how to survive outdoors and understood the danger of leaving shelter in extremely cold weather.

Trouble in the Red Desert Before Haux Disappeared

The circumstances leading to Haux’s disappearance began several days earlier.

According to information from the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office reported by Cowboy State Daily in August 2026, Haux and members of his oilfield crew had gotten a Suburban stuck in a mud bog on November 18, 2003. His coworkers eventually returned to camp during the early morning of November 19, while Haux reportedly remained with the stranded vehicle. He was rescued on November 20. His daughters understood that a search aircraft had been involved, although the sheriff’s records cited in the report did not specify exactly how he was recovered.

Days later, Haux and a coworker went back into the Red Desert to retrieve the stranded Suburban. They borrowed a forklift from their rig to assist with the recovery.

That second trip would become Haux’s final known journey.

The Last Known Sighting of Clifford Haux

The most detailed reconstruction currently available places Haux and his coworker in the Red Desert on the night of November 26, 2003.

While attempting to travel through the remote terrain, Haux encountered a ditch that his pickup could not cross. His coworker, who was operating the forklift, reportedly tried unsuccessfully to knock down part of the ditch bank so the pickup could pass.

Haux then drove south along the ditch in search of another crossing point.

His coworker watched the headlights of Haux’s pickup disappear into the darkness.

That was the last known sighting of him.

There is a notable date discrepancy among public records. The 2026 account based on Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office records places this final encounter on November 26. NamUs-linked records and The Charley Project generally identify November 27 as the missing date, while Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation’s public cold-case page states that Haux was last seen in Rock Springs on November 28. The difference appears to reflect how the disappearance was subsequently recorded rather than evidence that Haux was independently seen on each of those dates.

A Large Search Finds No Trace

When Haux could not be found, he was officially reported missing approximately two days after the final sighting described in the sheriff’s records.

Authorities launched an extensive search of the Red Desert. According to the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office information released in 2026, searchers used vehicles and four-wheelers and ultimately covered more than 1,000 miles of remote terrain. Ground and air searches were conducted before the organized effort was formally suspended on December 7, 2003.

Conditions were potentially dangerous. Historical weather information cited in the 2026 reporting showed temperatures around Rock Springs falling to approximately 10 degrees on the night Haux disappeared.

Despite the scale of the search, neither Haux nor his pickup was located.

Haux’s Purple Ford Ranger Is Found Two Years Later

The case changed dramatically approximately two years after Haux vanished.

A hunter discovered Haux’s 1993 purple Ford Ranger in the Adobe Town area of the Red Desert. The truck was reportedly less than six miles from the location where Haux had last been seen.

Its front wheels were stuck in a collapsed or washed-out riverbank. Investigators found a broken shovel and pieces of wood positioned beneath the tires, evidence consistent with someone having attempted to free the vehicle.

A red suitcase containing Haux’s clothing remained inside the unlocked truck.

Finding the Ranger provided investigators with Haux’s likely final location but did not answer the central question: what happened after he apparently abandoned the immobilized truck?

Additional searches were undertaken after the vehicle was found in 2005, but they did not locate Haux. According to the sheriff’s office’s 2026 statement, no further organized search operations had been conducted during the following 20 years.

Was Foul Play Involved?

There is currently no publicly disclosed evidence establishing that Clifford Haux was murdered or was the victim of another crime.

Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Jason Mower told Cowboy State Daily in 2026 that evidence associated with the recovered vehicle has led investigators to regard Haux’s disappearance as more consistent with an accident than foul play.

Investigators reported finding nothing at the vehicle scene suggesting violence or a criminal encounter. The sheriff’s office also said available evidence did not support speculation that Haux had encountered a methamphetamine lab or similar criminal activity while attempting to find help.

The coworker who was with Haux before he disappeared has not been identified by law enforcement as a person of interest. Sheriff’s records reportedly show that the interview with him was relatively brief, something Haux’s daughters continue to question, but authorities say they found no documentation indicating he was ever considered a suspect or person of interest.

Haux’s Family Still Has Questions

For Haux’s daughters, the accidental-disappearance theory has never resolved every question.

They have questioned how an experienced outdoorsman disappeared without leaving a trace and, particularly, how their father’s pickup remained undiscovered for approximately two years despite being found less than six miles from where he was reportedly last seen.

They have also wondered whether the last person known to have seen their father was questioned thoroughly enough.

Those concerns represent the family’s questions and should not be confused with evidence of wrongdoing. The daughters told Cowboy State Daily that they were not accusing the coworker of harming their father and had never personally spoken with him about what happened that night.

Experienced search-and-rescue personnel interviewed for the 2026 story also emphasized how deceptive the Red Desert can be. Washouts, draws, vast open distances and limited landmarks can make a vehicle or person exceptionally difficult to locate, particularly at night. Cellphone technology in 2003 also lacked the reliable mapping and location capabilities available today.

Latest Investigation Information

As of August 2026, Clifford Russell Haux remains missing.

The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation remains active and unresolved, but authorities have no new leads that they can publicly release.

Investigators continue to view an accidental disappearance as the explanation best supported by the evidence currently available. The working possibility is that after his Ford Ranger became immobilized, Haux left the pickup and attempted to walk through the Red Desert, where he may have become lost, injured or overcome by the cold and terrain.

His family has not stopped seeking answers. Nearly 23 years after his disappearance, his daughters publicly renewed attention to their father’s case and the unanswered questions surrounding the original search.

Haux’s case is listed in NamUs under MP20502 and was added to the Doe Network as 6330DMWY in August 2024.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last seen: The most detailed sheriff-record-based account places Clifford Russell “Russ” Haux’s last known sighting on the night of November 26, 2003, in the Red Desert near Wamsutter, Wyoming. National missing-person databases generally use November 27, while Wyoming DCI lists November 28 and Rock Springs as the public missing-from location.

Main circumstances: Haux and a coworker were attempting to recover a previously stranded oilfield vehicle. After Haux could not cross a ditch in his pickup, he drove south searching for another crossing. His coworker watched his headlights disappear. A massive search failed to find him. His purple Ford Ranger was discovered about two years later, less than six miles away, stuck in a washed-out riverbank with evidence that someone had attempted to free it. Haux himself has never been found. Authorities currently say the evidence favors an accidental disappearance and have disclosed no evidence proving foul play. The case remains active and unresolved.