Man hunting £1.5m treasure from poem 'found dead' in river

A man who was searching for a hidden chest of treasure has reportedly been found dead in river in New Mexico.

Colorado pastor Paris Wallace, 52, had set off to the Rocky Mountains near Santa Fe to look for a bronze chest of gold and jewels worth £1.5million.

The treasure was hidden in 2010 by millionaire antiques dealer Forrest Fenn, who wrote a poem that he claimed had clues to its location.

Now police believe Mr Wallace, who was reported missing a week ago, is the person who was found dead in the Rio Grande River.

New Mexico State Police Lt Elizabeth Armijo told the BBC that the Office of the Medical Investigator has not confirmed Mr Wallace’s identity but told the Daily Sentinel: “We believe, and all evidence thus far indicates, the deceased is Paris Wallace.”

Authorities had earlier tracked down Mr Wallace’s vehicle, where they found a receipt for rope and various other equipment.

Thousands of people have searched the area for Mr Fenn’s gold but it remains hidden.

Mr Wallace, a pastor at the Connection Church in Grand Junction, Colorado, is the second person who has died while looking for the treasure.

Another treasure hunter Randy Bilyeu, 54, died after he attempted to find the hidden fortune with his dog, Leo, and a raft in 2016.

MORE: Author Forrest Fenn Opens Up About Missing Treasure Hunter: ‘I Don’t Feel Responsible, but I Want to Be Part of the Rescue’
MORE: Pastor’s disappearance reignites debate over treasure hunt

Mr Bilyeu’s body was not discovered until six months after he was reported missing, in a quest that his ex-wife Linda described as a “hoax”.

Mr Fenn, who has said the goal of concealing his treasure chest was to get people off the couch and out into nature, last week issued a start warning to potential treasure hunters.

He said in a blog post: “Please don’t over extend yourself.

”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.”

Mr Wallace’s death has now led to fresh calls for Mr Fenn to end the seven-year hunt.

New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said the author was “putting lives at risk,” adding that he planned to contact Mr Fenn personally to ask him to call off the hunt.

However, Mitzi Wallace, the Pastor Wallace’s fellow treasure hunter and wife of 30 years, said it would be a mistake for Mr Fenn to end the hunt, and she would continue to search for the treasure with her 19-year-old son, including in the area where authorities believe her husband died.

She added: “Our treasure is that time we spend together.”

Mr Fenn, who called Mr Wallace’s death a “terrible loss”, told the Santa Fe New Mexican: “My mind is open to finding a solution, but no decision has been made”.

His 24-line poem was published in his memoir, The Thrill of the Chase, with clues all said to be found in his other works.