A treasure hunter who disappeared this year while searching for an author’s cache of gold and jewels in the New Mexico wilderness was confirmed dead by authorities Tuesday after his remains were discovered west of Santa Fe.



Santa Fe Police spokesman Greg Gurule said medical investigators confirmed the remains found along the Rio Grande north of Cochiti Lake were those of Randy Bilyeu, a 54-year-old grandfather from Colorado.

Gurule said the investigation into the death remains active, and declined further comment.

Bilyeu disappeared in early January while searching for antiquities dealer and writer Forrest Fenn’s $2m hoard of gold and jewels in northern New Mexico.

Fenn dropped clues about the treasure in a cryptic poem in his self-published 2011 memoir, The Thrill of the Chase, inspiring tens of thousands to search for it.

Fenn, an eccentric 85-year-old from Santa Fe, has inspired a cult following since his announcement several years ago that he stashed a small bronze chest somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

The hidden treasure has inspired thousands to search in vain through remote corners of New Mexico, Yellowstone national park and elsewhere in the mountains. Treasure hunters share their experiences on blogs and brainstorm about the clues. The mystery has been featured on national networks, igniting even more interest.

Family and friends say Bilyeu bought a raft and set out on 5 January after scouting for two weeks along the river west of Santa Fe. He had a GPS device, a wetsuit and waders. He brought along his little white dog, Leo.

More than a week passed before a worried friend reached out to his ex-wife in Florida, Linda Bilyeu, who filed a missing person’s report on 14 January. His raft and dog were found the next day.

Authorities called off the official search for Bilyeu in January, citing a lack of evidence to point them in the right direction. But Bilyeu’s friends, fellow treasure hunters and family, including his ex-wife, continued their own search.

Fenn also joined in what became an increasingly desperate mission last winter to find Bilyeu, who wasn’t the first “Fenner” whose disappearance spurred a search.

Three years ago, a woman from Texas drawn by a national television report about the treasure got lost searching the mountains near Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. She spent a March night in rugged terrain and was walking out the next day when rescuers found her.