Two men have died while searching for $2 million worth of hidden treasure. Pete Kassetas, the Police Chief of New Mexico is pleading with millionaire author Forrest Fenn to either retrieve the treasure or call off the treasure hunt because people are dying.

The Chief of Police said he has spoken to Fenn on numerous occasions, but the author contends that he wants people to have fun and enjoy the outdoors. Kassetas reminded him that the lives of police officers and search and rescue teams are in danger when they have to search for missing people or find their dead bodies.

Fenn is trying to convince the police and the public that the treasure is not hidden anyplace that will endanger anybody's life.

Two deaths

Kassetas' reaction comes after the body of Paris Wallace, a 52-year-old pastor from Colorado was found this week in the wilderness. This was the second death in two years.

Paris Wallace's wife, Mitzi Wallace, told ABC that she does not blame Feen for her husband's death. She said she may even go searching herself for Fenn's treasure with her 19-year-old and 21-year-old sons.

Randy Bilyeu went missing in January 2016 while searching for the Hidden Treasure chest. The 54-year-old's remains were not found by the Sante Fe Police until July of that year. Unlike Wallace's wife, Linda Bilyeu, whose ex-husband died, says she doesn't believe there is any treasure at all.

She said she thinks it is a hoax.

The hidden treasure

According to Fenn, there is a chest of gold and gems, and it is not a hoax. In 2015, the author told ABC News that the chest includes gold coins, gold nuggets, and all kinds of jewels that could add up to $2 million. The Sante Fe author and antiquities dealer self-published his 2011 memoir, "The Thrill of the Chase" where he included a poem with nine clues to where the treasure is located.

The 86-year-old art and antique dealer told ABC News that he doesn't know what it would accomplish to end the search. Instead, he is leaning toward giving more clues to keep people safe.

After six years, about 65,000 people, including men and women, are thought to have searched for the buried treasure from Montana to New Mexico.

So far, none of them have been successful. Fenn confirmed that many searchers have been within 500 feet of the treasure and some have even been within 200 feet.

Do you think Forrest Fenn will eventually call off the treasure hunt or retrieve the chest so no more deaths will occur?
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