A grandson of the late author and art dealer Forrest Fenn has confirmed that a medical school student from Michigan found an over $1 million treasure chest that Fenn stashed in the wilds of Wyoming more than a decade ago. Shiloh Forrest Old wrote Monday on a website dedicated to the treasure that 32-year-old Jonathan “Jack” Stuef found the treasure in June.
Stuef had met with Fenn soon after finding the treasure. Stuef also identified himself to Daniel Barbarisi for an article published Monday by Outside Magazine. Fenn left clues to finding the treasure in a poem in his memoir, “The Thrill of the Chase.”
Jack sent out the big announcement on Twitter Dec. 7, opening with "Hey Twitter, it's been a while. Some personal news."
Here's my statement: https://t.co/1PEnEvjbVs
— Jack Stuef (@stuef) December 7, 2020
I will be forever grateful for all he did for me.
— Jack Stuef (@stuef) December 7, 2020
He also posted a statement to the publishing platformMedium.
Jack wrote in part:
For the past six months, I have remained anonymous, not because I have anything to hide, but because Forrest and his family endured stalkers, death threats, home invasions, frivolous lawsuits, and a potential kidnapping — all at the hands of people with delusions related to his treasure. I don’t want those things to happen to me and my family.
He also wrote that he will not be revealing where he found the treasure because he worries the place will be "destroyed by people seeking treasure they hope I dropped on my way out or Forrest on his way in."
You can read his full statement here.
