The body of a Colorado pastor in search of a hidden treasure worth $2m (1.5m) has been found in New Mexico’s Rio Grande River, according to police.<\/p>\n
Paris Wallace, 52, was reported missing a week ago after he travelled to the Rocky Mountains near Santa Fe seeking a bronze chest of gold and jewels.<\/p>\n
Forrest Fenn, a millionaire antiques dealer, hid the chest in 2010 and wrote a poem he claimed led to the treasure.<\/p>\n
Mr Wallace is the second Colorado man to die in search of the chest.<\/p>\n
The Office of the Medical Investigator has not confirmed Mr Wallace’s identity, New Mexico State Police Lt Elizabeth Armijo told the BBC.<\/p>\n
But she told the Daily Sentinel<\/a> “we believe, and all evidence thus far indicates, the deceased is Paris Wallace”.<\/p>\n Mr Wallace, a pastor at the Connection Church in Grand Junction, Colorado, is one of thousands of people who has searched the rugged New Mexico terrain for Mr Fenn’s gold.<\/p>\n Mr Fenn has said the goal of concealing his 22-lb chest was to get people off the couch and out into nature.<\/p>\n But last year Randy Bilyeu, 54, died<\/a> after he attempted to find the hidden fortune with his dog, Leo, and a raft.<\/p>\n Mr Bilyeu’s ex-wife reported him missing in January 2016, about 10 days after he embarked on the treasure hunt.<\/p>\n The man’s dog, which was alive, and raft were recovered the following day, but his body was not found until six months later.<\/p>\n Mr Bilyeu’s ex-wife, Linda, criticised Mr Fenn for costing her ex-husband his life over “a hoax”.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Mr Wallace’s body was found seven miles downstream from an area where police believe he was before he disappeared. His backpack was also discovered nearby.<\/p>\n Police used GPS technology through Mr Wallace’s mobile phone to track his Chevrolet Tahoe near a bridge about 50 miles north of Santa Fe.<\/p>\n Inside the vehicle, authorities found a receipt for rope and other equipment.<\/p>\n Search and rescue workers also found rope tied around a rock on a riverbank near the Rio Pueblo de Taos, a Rio Grande tributary, according to the Daily Sentinel newspaper.<\/p>\n The death comes after Mr Fenn last week issued a warning to treasure seekers in a blog post.<\/p>\n “Please don’t over extend yourself,” he said<\/a>. “I was 80 or about when I hid the treasure and it was not a difficult task. I will soon be 87 and I could go back and get it if I were so inclined, I think.”<\/p>\n Mr Wallace’s death has renewed calls for Mr Fenn to end the seven-year hunt.<\/p>\n “Only one man has the power to stop the madness. Yet, he continues to pretend he’s doing a good deed by getting people off the couch and into nature”, Ms Bilyeu told the AP<\/a>.<\/p>\n New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas also urged Mr Fenn to “stop this nonsense”.<\/p>\n Mr Fenn, who called Mr Wallace’s death a “terrible loss”, told the Santa Fe New Mexican<\/a>: “My mind is open to finding a solution, but no decision has been made”.<\/p>\n The 24-line poem that has sparked thousands to travel to the region in search of Mr Fenn’s fortune was published in his memoir, The Thrill of the Chase.<\/p>\n He has offered additional clues in other writings.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"