Fourth treasure hunter dies trying to find $1m haul

A FOURTH fortune hunter has died in the pursuit of a treasure chest containing more than $1 million (£714,000) worth of gold coins and jewels which he believed was hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

Jeff Murphy, 53, perished in June but the details of his death were only revealed eight months later.

He was looking for Fenn’s Treasure and died after going hiking up a trail within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park and falling 500ft down a rocky slope.

Fenn’s Treasure is said to have been deposited in 2010 by Forrest Fenn, an octogenarian millionaire art dealer and former Vietnam fighter pilot. Mr Fenn, who is still alive, said he set the task of finding it in order to encourage people to “get off the couch” and see nature.

According to him the bounty is inside a 22lb Romanesque bronze chest and includes 265 gold coins, diamonds, emeralds and ancient Chinese figurines. He published a 24-line poem which contains the clues to locating it.

Over the last eight years tens of thousands of people are believed to have searched for the loot, mostly in New Mexico where clues have pointed.

However, Mr Murphy had headed for the Wyoming-montana border area. When he went missing a huge search operation was launched including rescuers on horseback, others with dogs, and a helicopter. Erica Murphy, his widow, said he had first read about Fenn’s Treasure in an aeroplane magazine. He then read Mr Fenn’s book The Thrill of the Chase, which contains the full 24-line poem.

The poem includes lines like “Begin it where warm waters halt. And take it in the canyon down”.

Mrs Murphy told the Albuquerque Journal: “It was his pastime. He loved anything that caused him to use his brain, and he loved being out in nature.” The death was expected to lead to renewed calls to end the hunt. But Mrs Murphy said she did not blame Mr Fenn, and her husband knew the risks.

According to a report by Yellowstone National Park into his death, Mr Murphy emailed Mr Fenn before setting out. When he went missing Mr Fenn then offered to pay for a helicopter to look for him.

Mr Fenn also said he had never been to the area where Mr Murphy was searching, so he was looking in the wrong place. Last summer, fortune hunter Paris Wallace, 52, a pastor from Colorado, was found dead north of Santa Fe, New Mexico after trying to cross a river.

Separately, Eric Ashby, 31, died after his raft overturned on the Arkansas River. In 2016, Randy Bilyeu, 54, died on the Rio Grande while looking for the treasure. Linda Bilyeu, his former wife, has called the hunt “madness”.

Mr Fenn has previously indicated the treasure is hidden somewhere not hard to reach.