Five people actually died while searching for Fenn’s Treasure, here’s what tragically happened

Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure was released on Netflix this week, but it turns out there’s a tragic story behind everyone searching for the treasure, as five people ended up dying while trying to locate the gold.

In case you haven’t watched, Fenn’s Treasure was created by Forrest Fenn, who, after being given a cancer diagnosis, decided to bury a large portion of his wealth in a chest and hid it for a member of the public to try and find.

He described the chest as containing gold nuggets, rare coins, jewelry, and gemstones and gave hints to the location of the treasure in various books and poems.

The hunt was predominantly focused on the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, with the estimated cost of the chest being valued at £2 million.

However, the treacherous conditions of the search areas led to five deaths, which led the chief of New Mexico State Police, Pete Kassetas, to publicly implore Fenn to end the treasure hunt, stating that he was “putting lives at risk.”

So, while Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure does delve into some of the heartbreaking deaths, let’s have a more in-depth look at what tragically happened to each of the five people who passed away while trying to find the treasure.

The first person to die as a result of the hunt was Randy Bilyeu, who went missing in January 2016, but his body wasn’t discovered until July.

He was found by workers along the Rio Grande, and whilst the autopsy couldn’t determine his exact cause of death, his ex-wife publicly stated she thought the Fenn Treasure was all just a hoax.

53-year-old Jeff Murphy was found dead in Yellowstone National Park on June 9th, 2017, after falling roughly 500 feet down a steep slope.

Whilst Yellowstone didn’t provide details to the public regarding the investigation, an FOI was requested, and it was subsequently reported that his wife allegedly told authorities that he had been looking for Fenn’s Treasure when she first reported him as going missing.

Pastor Paris Wallace also told his family he was going to search for the buried treasure, but he was reported missing after he didn’t attend a planned family event on June 14th, 2017.

His car was later found parked near the Taos Junction Bridge, with his body sadly being discovered five miles downstream along the Rio Grande.

31-year-old Eric Ashby had reportedly moved to Colorado in order to try and find Fenn’s Treasure, and was last seen alive on June 28th when he decided to raft down the river.

His raft was later found overturned, and his body was discovered on July 28th, 2017.

Michael Wayne Sexson, who was 53, was found dead by rescuers on March 21st, 2020, alongside his friend, who managed to recover to health in the hospital.

The authorities were alerted to the two men going missing by the person who rented a pair of snowmobiles to them, and were found just five miles from where they had been rescued just a month prior while trying to locate the treasure.

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