Hiker dies in search of mythical treasure

Illinois man fell 150 metres hunting for stash of gold in Yellowstone Park

BILLINGS, MONT.— A 53-year-old Illinois man who fell to his death in Yellowstone National Park last year was looking for a supposed hidden cache of gold and jewels that has inspired thousands to hunt in vain across remote corners of the Western U.S., according to a report by park authorities.

Billings, Mont., news station KULR-TV reports that Jeff Murphy of Batavia, Ill., was looking for the treasure that antiquities dealer and author Forrest Fenn said he stashed somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

The investigation by Yellowstone officials into Murphy’s death was kept private, but KULR obtained it through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The investigative report reveals Murphy’s wife told park authorities that Murphy was looking for the treasure when she called to report him missing.

Murphy’s body was found June 9, 2017. He had fallen about 150 metres down a steep slope. The report ruled the death an accident.

The lure of the treasure, which is said to be worth nearly $2 million (U.S.), has prompted thousands to comb areas of New Mexico, Yellowstone National Park and elsewhere.

The deaths have led some to call for an end the treasure hunt. Besides the danger, they note that search-andrescue efforts for missing treasure hunters are costly.

Fenn dropped clues to the chest’s whereabouts in a cryptic poem in his memoir, The Thrill of the Chase.