Colorado Man Is Second to Die in Quest for Buried Treasure
Colorado Man Is Second to Die in Quest for Buried Treasure
AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Forrest Fenn at his home in Santa Fe last year. He estimated that 65,000 people have joined the search for the treasure, which he said he hid to give families a reason to “get off their couches.”Credit...Nick Cote for The New York TimesJune 21, 2017A modern-day quest for buried riches has already led to the deaths of at least two treasure hunters. But the man who claims to have hidden a stash of about $2 million says that he has no plans to put an end to the search.Forrest Fenn, an art dealer and a former Air Force fighter pilot, announced in a self-published 2010 memoir, “The Thrill of the Chase,” that he had buried a lockbox full of gold coins and nuggets, precious gems and ancient artifacts. He offered clues to its location, hidden in the 24 verses of a poem published in the memoir. Since then, he estimated, more than 65,000 people had joined the search.On Sunday, the authorities in New Mexico found the body of one of them. Paris Wallace, a pastor from Colorado, was reported missing last week after his family said he went searching for the treasure.Elizabeth Armijo, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico State Police, said on Tuesday that the state medical examiner had not yet made a positive identification of the body, but that officials believed all evidence indicated it was Mr. Wallace.Pete Kassetas, the chief of the New Mexico State Police, called on Mr. Fenn to end the hunt, saying that lives were being put at risk.In an email, Mr. Fenn said he had no plans to call it off.“It is always tragic when someone dies, and this latest loss hit me very hard,” he said on Tuesday, in response to questions about Mr. Wallace’s death.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT