Forest Fenn

[KOB]

Thought some of you might enjoy this incredible story for those who have Netflix. It is 3 episodes , each about an hour long. It came out sometime this year. I followed alot of this year's ago when the hunt was on. But there are some amazing and bizarre stuff on here that I wasn't aware of. Enjoy !

 

[Kansashunter]

I have seen it, and it was well done.

 

[Pete e]

I seem to recall the finding of the treasure was a bit of a none-event with the finder wishing to remain anonymous. I think alot of folks who had been invested in the quest were quite upset about how the finish of the hunt was concluded ie their was no closure for them..

So did Forrest Fenns family ever confirm where the treasure was found? Did they ever publish an explanation of the riddle?

 

[hoser]

Dang! If it is on Netflix I don't get that channel

 

[TheFrood]

Dang! If it is on Netflix I don't get that channel

Get a 'free trial subscription' then cancel immediately so that it wont' renew once your trial runs out.
Then binge the hell out of it for a month.

 

[ohmygato]

I seem to recall the finding of the treasure was a bit of a none-event with the finder wishing to remain anonymous. I think alot of folks who had been invested in the quest were quite upset about how the finish of the hunt was concluded ie their was no closure for them..

So did Forrest Fenns family ever confirm where the treasure was found? Did they ever publish an explanation of the riddle?

There has not been a clear confirmation, although many other hunters now believe they have confirmed it. The location was supposedly in northern Yellowstone NP.

The whole story was quite disturbing... multiple people died searching in places that were way off the mark, authorities tried to get Fenn to call off the search, people claimed that they had some kind of right to the treasure after it was found, and in general it seemed to turn into a whole manic "us vs. them by cultish divine rights" sort of thing. If you take the (obviously biased and sensationalized) highlights at face value, the story really paints a picture of bizarre dystopian American life.

I had actually planned to make an attempt after I retired if it still hadn't been found. But my motivation was inspired more by the thrill of the hunt than the actual treasure involved.

 

[Pete e]

There has not been a clear confirmation, although many other hunters now believe they have confirmed it. The location was supposedly in northern Yellowstone NP.

The whole story was quite disturbing... multiple people died searching in places that were way off the mark, authorities tried to get Fenn to call off the search, people claimed that they had some kind of right to the treasure after it was found, and in general it seemed to turn into a whole manic "us vs. them by cultish divine rights" sort of thing. If you take the (obviously biased and sensationalized) highlights at face value, the story really paints a picture of bizarre dystopian American life.

I had actually planned to make an attempt after I retired if it still hadn't been found. But my motivation was inspired more by the thrill of the hunt than the actual treasure involved.

I watched the three part series and they alluded to a lot of the things you mention, but I think in reality, some people took the news of the discovery even worse... These sort of artificial treasure hunts don't do anything for me, but I love people-watching the folks participating in the hunts, and the dramas ect they generate...

I do think Fenn or his family could have calmed the situation if they had released more information about the discovery...

 

[FreeBirdTim]

A lot of people think it was just a scam to sell his book. The photo of the "found" treasure showed it with a stick in the chest, which seems ridiculous to me. Was it planted there to make it look like it was found in the wild? Why not just take the stick out of the box when he took the photo? I smell a rat on the deal, just like a lot of the recent treasure hunt "finds" we read about...

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Here's one version of what may have actually transpired:

https://medium.com/@s0me1/the-hoax-of-the-century-a2a55e61bcf9

 

[GoDeep]

Here's one version of what may have actually transpired:

https://medium.com/@s0me1/the-hoax-of-the-century-a2a55e61bcf9

I agree, I believe the treasure was never out there to begin with. The box and contents do appear to be weathered, so perhaps they were in the backyard to weather them.

 

[ohmygato]

What is the rational again for not believing that it didn't exist? That it looked weathered? That there was a stick in the box?

 

[Theo112]

So cool! I had no idea they had made this. And, I live in Santa Fe, I poured over the poem thinking of where it might have been.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

What is the rational again for not believing that it didn't exist? That it looked weathered? That there was a stick in the box?

Never said it didn't exist. Don't put words in my mouth. The general opinion is that the guy who found it was in on the hunt. In other words, it was rigged so Fenn didn't lose the treasure. It was just a way to sell his book, period.

The stick in the box makes no sense. Why wouldn't you just take it out before taking the photo? Because they thought it would look more authentic if they put some random stick in there to prove he found it out in the wild.

 

[GoDeep]

One question (among many) that really stands out to me: Since this treasure was allegedly hidden off his property for anyone to find and the treasure was supposedly all present in the box (not a case of you find the box and inside is contact information for you to go and claim the prize), why would ANYONE in their right mind disclose they found it, save for perhaps a few ego centric people who seek the limelight or think they can profit from it (appearances, a movie, a book etc).

It's documented the guy who found it didn't want publicity, so why ever come forward in the first place?

At a minimum if he felt like letting the depositor know he found the treasure so the search could be called off, he could just anonymously contact him.

 

[Pete e]

One question (among many) that really stands out to me: Since this treasure was allegedly hidden off his property for anyone to find and the treasure was supposedly all present in the box (not a case of you find the box and inside is contact information for you to go and claim the prize), why would ANYONE in their right mind disclose they found it, save for perhaps a few ego centric people who seek the limelight or think they can profit from it (appearances, a movie, a book etc).

It's documented the guy who found it didn't want publicity, so why ever come forward in the first place?

At a minimum if he felt like letting the depositor know he found the treasure so the search could be called off, he could just anonymously contact him.

That's an excellent point.

Thinking on it a bit further, had the hunt been set up as Fenn stated ie an actual treasure in the ground, and the hunt was all legit, Fenn would have had no idea if the treasure had been found after a week or whether it was still in place.

He would have needed to periodically check the treasure was still there, and it looks like his age and general health would have made that unlikely?

 

[GoDeep]

He would have needed to periodically check the treasure was still there, and it looks like his age and general health would have made that unlikely?

Exactly and once you consider this question, literally dozens more pop up that really start to add strong circumstantial evidence that this treasure was never out there for anyone to find.

 

[TheFrood]

One question (among many) that really stands out to me: Since this treasure was allegedly hidden off his property for anyone to find and the treasure was supposedly all present in the box (not a case of you find the box and inside is contact information for you to go and claim the prize), why would ANYONE in their right mind disclose they found it, save for perhaps a few ego centric people who seek the limelight or think they can profit from it (appearances, a movie, a book etc).

It's documented the guy who found it didn't want publicity, so why ever come forward in the first place?

At a minimum if he felt like letting the depositor know he found the treasure so the search could be called off, he could just anonymously contact him.

You're thinking like a treasure hunter. I think most of the people looking for the treasure would be more
akin to gamers. If you are anonymous you get no bragging rights.

 

[Linesider]

Rumor was towards his end Of life he reveled some details to friend and/or family to help find treasure. Guy that found it as much as he didn’t want the publicity he had to come out and sell those items., As there were auctioned off and now some of the same items are in Tom Collin Black book “there’s treasure inside “

 

[ucnegold?]

It would be interesting to learn just how much federal tax was paid by the alleged finder when the treasure was in his possession, even as suggested in the article posted above in #9, "Stuef went all-in for his role, even applying in September 2019 for a special tax status in Puerto Rico that would exempt him from capital gains tax if he obtained residency there (this status was granted in January 2020)."

I'm no tax expert but I believe treasure trove would be required to be reported on your personal income tax, particularly if the source of the income was from the U.S. and since it's reported the treasure was allegedly found in June 2020 and then reportedly sold in Sept. of 2022, there is a definite period of ownership established. Having possession of the alleged treasure during this period of time would present tax obligations based on Fenn's estimated value of 2 million dollars or an appraised value, makes one wonder how this fellow had the resources to pay his 2020 tax owed. Or...could someone with deep pockets have helped cover the cost?

Topic no. 901, Is a person with income from Puerto Rico required to file a U.S. federal income tax return? | Internal Revenue Service

Topic No. 901 Is a Person with Income from Puerto Rico Required to File a U.S. Federal Income Tax Return?

www.irs.gov

If you're a bona fide resident of Puerto Rico, you generally aren't required to file a U.S. federal income tax return if your only income is from sources within Puerto Rico. However, if you have income from sources outside of Puerto Rico, including from U.S. sources, you're required to file a U.S. federal income tax return if such amount is above the U.S. filing threshold.

 

[ohmygato]

Never said it didn't exist. Don't put words in my mouth. The general opinion is that the guy who found it was in on the hunt. In other words, it was rigged so Fenn didn't lose the treasure. It was just a way to sell his book, period.

The stick in the box makes no sense. Why wouldn't you just take it out before taking the photo? Because they thought it would look more authentic if they put some random stick in there to prove he found it out in the wild.

I wasn't responding to you nor anyone else in particular. If anyone, GoDeep said, "I believe the treasure was never out there to begin with."