Forrest Fenn treasure hunter jailed for digging up Yellowstone cemetery

‘A national park is no place to stage an adult treasure hunt motivated by greed’

Yellowstone National Park Sign (U.S. National Park Service) along the North East Entrance Road (Getty Images)

A treasure hunter who illegally dug in a cemetery in Yellowstone National Park while hunting for a loot containing $1m (£790,000) in gold and jewels has been sentenced to six months in prison.

Rodrick Dow Craythorn, 52, from Utah, was found digging in Fort Yellowstone’s cemetery, and caused damage to the site and a historic grave while on a hunt for the treasure in late 2019 and early 2020, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming said.

“Rangers and special agents of the National Park Service discovered seventeen sites of illegal excavation, including damage to an historic grave,” the release reads.

Craythorn received a sentence of six months of imprisonment plus six months of home detention and was also ordered to pay $31,566 in restitution.

Superintendent Cam Sholly called the case “the most significant investigation of damage to archaeological resources in Yellowstone National Park’s recent history.”

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"Yellowstone is one of the country’s most popular national parks and we must do everything in our power to investigate and prosecute those who damage and destroy its natural and cultural resources,” stated Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray.

He added: “A national park is no place to stage an adult treasure hunt motivated by greed. The harmful actions of Mr Craythorn, no matter the reason or intent, destroyed valuable archaeological resources that cannot be undone"

Art dealer Forrest Fenn sparked the search for the treasure after publishing clues pointing to its location in his 2010 autobiography The Thrill of the Chase.

Craythorn had done extensive research on the Forest Fenn treasure and documented his efforts to family and friends, the attorney’s office press release said.

The 52-year-old did not find the treasure during his excavations and the decade-long hunt came to an end in June last year when Mr Fenn confirmed that someone had found the prize.

At least five people died looking for the bronze chest across remote corners of the American West.

The antiquities collector, who lives in Sante Fe, said he hid his treasure as a way to tempt people to get into the wilderness and give them a chance to take part in an old-fashioned adventure and expedition for riches.

He packed the chest with hundreds of gold coins and nuggets, pre-Columbian animal figures, prehistoric “mirrors” of hammered gold, ancient Chinese faces carved from jade and antique jewelry with rubies and emeralds.

A spokesperson for Fennstreasure.com, a website that hoped to provided searchers with quality information about the hunt and help them stay safe, called the incident “a very sad and unfortunate circumstance.”

“Forrest wanted his treasure hunt to get people outdoors, enjoy nature, and have adventures,” they said. “As the finder proved, areas of historical significance did not need to be disturbed or damaged to find the treasure.”