Forrest Fenn announced that in June the chest had been discovered but said only that the finder was someone “from back east.” He then posted photos of the now-tarnished chest to convince skeptics.
Jack Stuef, 32, a medical student from Michigan, found the famous fortune believed to be worth more than $1 million that Forrest Fenn had left for someone to unearth. A photo of Stuef has emerged delivering the chest to Fenn, the antiques dealer who hid it a decade ago.
Stuef’s identity was relieved by Outside Magazine and according to a story in the magazine, he retrieved the chest on Saturday, June 6, in Wyoming. He then began the long drive to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to hand deliver it to Fenn that same day, according to the magazine.
In 2010, Fenn put clues to the treasure’s whereabouts in a book, which then sparked a nationwide search that drew more than 350,000 to find the buried treasure. Five people lost their lives trying to find the fortune.
Fenn announced that in June the chest had been discovered, but said only that the finder was someone “from back east.” He then posted photos of the now-tarnished chest to convince skeptics.
Fenn died in September, taking the finder’s name to the grave.
Fenn’s family says in a statement that “we can confirm that Jack is the legitimate finder of the chest. We wish him the best.”
Amid the glory of find the treasure, one person says they are filing a lawsuit against Stuef. A woman says that Stuef hacked her emails and texts, according to Outside Magazine. Stuef has denied her accusations.
While the story of Forrest Fenn’s fortune continues to stir headlines, another mystery is that Stuef will not say where exactly he found the fortune.
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