Is treasure hunt losing its luster?
2nd death generates debate on whether Fenn should call it off
SANTA FE — The apparent death of a Colorado man last week has put Forrest Fenn’s treasure hunt in the national spotlight again, and there’s vigorous debate about whether Fenn should end the hunt to save lives.
This week The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and national television networks have featured stories about 52-year-old Paris Wallace, a Colorado pastor who was reported missing by his wife June 14 after he came to northern New Mexico to look for Fenn’s treasure chest — said to contain over $1 million in gold coins, jewels and artifacts.
Fenn told the Journal in an email Thursday that he is consulting with people on how to make the search safer.
“There certainly is pressure to end the search,” Fenn wrote. “The loss of Pastor Wallace has profoundly impacted me. It is such a tragic loss. We are not ready to make an announcement (on making the hunt safer), but we hope to soon.”
State Police believe they recovered Wallace’s body about seven miles downstream from where his car was parked at the Taos Junction Bridge on N.M. 570, near Pilar. Authorities haven’t positively confirmed the identity of the body, but Wallace’s Grand Junction church has scheduled a memorial service for June 29.
On Thursday, ABC News broadcast an interview with State Police Chief Pete Kassetas, who personally telephoned Fenn during the interview to ask him to call off the hunt. Earlier this week, Kassetas told the Journal the hunt was “stupid,” was putting lives at risk and is using up time and resources of search-and-rescue teams.
Wallace is the second Colorado man to die on the Fenn quest. Randy Bilyeu, 54, of Broomfield, disappeared after rafting on the Rio Grande west of Santa Fe in January 2016. His body was found in the river just north of Cochiti Lake about six months later.
Fenn, a Santa Fe author and antiquities collector/dealer, published a poem in an autobiographical book in 2010 said to include clues on where to find the treasure. The poem includes reference to “warm waters,” a creek and “water high.”
Interest in the treasure exploded when Fenn appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show” in 2013. He’s said the treasure hunt was in part intended to get people outdoors to enjoy nature.
The search for Fenn’s treasure chest has become a national phenomenon, with various websites dedicated to the hunt. More than a few hunters maintain they know where the treasure is, should be or at least was at one point. One woman says the clues lead to a crucifix in Silverton, Colo., and that Fenn meant the search to be a spiritual quest.
‘Pull it’
Thursday’s ABC News interview showed a portion of Kassetas’ phone call with Fenn. “You had talked about giving more clues, providing more clues, to help people better find your treasure, and again, I call for you to pull it,” Kassetas said.
But Fenn responded: “I’m not going to give a clue to help people find the treasure. I’m going to give a clue to try to keep them out of trouble, to make them safer.”
Kassetas told the Journal on Thursday that the search for Wallace involved 150 people, 870 man hours, 12 search teams and a State Police helicopter that flew for 3½ hours at a cost of $875 an hour.
He said he can’t control what people do in the wilderness, but he said the fact that valuable loot is hidden in the chest is causing people to go out unprepared. He said he plans on calling Fenn again next week to set up a face-to-face discussion on the issue.
“I’m not saying he’s responsible for their deaths,” Kassetas said. “I think his intentions are pure. People are responsible for their own actions. It’s about education, and it’s about people making good choices. I just think that this treasure has created an environment where people are making poor decisions.
“I know there’s a big tourism element to this. I want them to come to New Mexico, enjoy themselves and go home alive.”
Tourist attraction
While the State Police chief wants the hunt called off, the state Tourism Department has long encouraged people to come to New Mexico to look for Fenn’s treasure.
The Tourism Department posted a video to its YouTube page in February 2015 under the title “The Searchers – New Mexico True Stories,” in which Fenn is interviewed about the treasure. He said he could see trees, mountains and animals from where the chest is hidden and added, “I know the treasure chest is wet.”
The department has also promoted “Fennboree,” an annual gathering of Fenn enthusiasts.
When asked if the Tourism Department was going to take down the video or promote Fenn-related events in the future in the wake of Wallace’s death and Kassetas’ call for Fenn to end the hunt, department spokeswoman Bailey Griffith did not provide a direct answer and instead provided statistics on how visitors affect the state’s economy and how people should make safety a priority while exploring the state.
A commenter who goes by the name “Hatchet Jack” this week posted on dalneitzel.com, a key website dedicated to Fenn’s treasure hunt, a message that says: “They had no issues spending tax payers money on a Video about NM and Forrest chest to gain revenue for the state, and now they want Forrest to call it off. Hypocrites!”
New Mexico Search and Rescue has posted a survey on SurveyMonkey.com asking if people think Fenn should call off the hunt.