Police confirmed Tuesday that the remains of the 54-year-old grandfather from Colorado, who disappeared in January, were discovered along the Rio Grande west of Santa Fe by a US Army Corps of Engineers crew working in the area, the AP reports.
Advertisement
Santa Fe Police spokesman Greg Gurule said medical investigators have confirmed the remains found are those of Bilyeu and that an investigation into his death is ongoing. The Colorado madisappeared in early January while searching for author Forrest Fenn’s 2 million cache of gold and jewels in northern New Mexico.
Tens of thousands of people have attempted to search for the stash of treasure, which the 85-year-old author alluded to in his 2011 memoir, The Thrill of the Chase.
Fenn, from Santa Fe, has stated that he hid treasure somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. “I’ve said many times not to look for the treasure any place where an 80-year-old man couldn’t put it, put a 42-pound box”. The mystery has been featured on national networks, igniting even more interest.
A Texan woman got lost searching for the treasure three years ago but was found by rescuers.
Family and friends say Bilyeu, who would have turned 55 in February, bought a raft and set out on January 5 after scouting for two weeks along the river west of Santa Fe. Hearing and reading about the treasure waiting to be found in New Mexico prompted Bilyeu to try his luck out and join in the search. The Washington Post reported he was also equipped with a wetsuit, waders, and a Global Positioning System device, as well as Leo, his little white dog.
Bilyeu of Colorado was reported missing January 14. His small brown and white dog, Leo, and an inflatable raft were found about nine miles downstream.
“The people of New Mexico have been a bright light in a very somber hot mess”, she wrote.
Advertisement
However Bilyeu’s friends, fellow treasure hunters and family, including his ex-wife, continued their own search.
