BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A 53-year-old Illinois man who fell to his death in Yellowstone National Park last year was looking for a supposed hidden cache of gold and jewels that has inspired thousands to hunt in vain across remote corners of the Western U.S., according to a report by park authorities. 
 
 Billings, Montana, news station KULR-TV reports that Jeff Murphy of Batavia, Illinois, was looking for the treasure that antiquities dealer and author Forrest Fenn said he stashed somewhere in the Rocky Mountains several years ago. 
 
 The investigation by Yellowstone officials into Murphy's death was kept private, but KULR obtained it through a Freedom of Information Act request. 
 
 The investigative report reveals Murphy's wife told park authorities that Murphy was looking for the treasure when she called to report him missing. 
 
 Murphy's body was found June 9, 2017. He had fallen about 500 feet (152 meters) down a steep slope. 
 
 The report ruled the death an accident. 
 
 The lure of the treasure, which is said to be worth nearly $2 million, has prompted thousands to comb areas of New Mexico, Yellowstone National Park and elsewhere. 
 
 Murphy is one of at least several people who have died while looking for the treasure. Two Colorado men died in New Mexico while searching for it. 
 
 The deaths have led some to call for an end the treasure hunt. Besides the danger to the treasure hunters, they note that search and rescue efforts for missing treasure hunters are costly. 
 
 Fenn has dropped clues to the chest's whereabouts in a cryptic poem in his memoir, "The Thrill of the Chase." 
 
 Treasure hunters have shared their experiences on blogs and have brainstormed about the clues. 
 
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 Information from: KULR-TV, http://www.kulr8.com 

 Mammoth – A search for the Forrest Fenn treasure ended in death in Yellowstone last spring. That is confirmed by the park investigation that was kept private. The report was acquired through a Freedom of Information Act Request. 
 
 Yellowstone Park officials started a search for 53-year old Jeff Murphy June 8. He had hiked up Rescue Creek Trail near Mammoth the day before. Yellowstone’s investigative report reveals Murphy’s wife told Park authorities Murphy was looking for the Forrest Fenn treasure when she called to report him missing. 
 
 Murphy’s body was found June 9th. The park report contains pictures of the path his 500 foot fall from Turkey Pen Peak. The incident report says “it appeared he stepped or hopped into the chute from the less steep slope above.” 
 
 But, the report makes clear that the fall was an accident. It says Murphy did not commit suicide. 
 
 The official report was often redacted, and it withheld Murphy’s wife’s name. But, she called Penny Preston in October. Preston contacted her recently after receiving the Park report. Murphy’s wife said she did not want to comment on the report. However, she didn’t disagree with the findings. 
 
 The report shows that Murphy emailed Forrest Fenn in the days before Murphy’s death. It also shows emails from Fenn to Yellowstone officials during the search. The man who invited people to look for his chest of gold and jewels in the Rockies was very concerned about Murphy, and also offered to help pay for a helicopter to find the missing man. He also wrote that he had never been to the area where Murphy fell. 
 
 Murphy’s wife also emailed Forrest Fenn during the search. She told him, “I hope your quest won’t be adversely affected by these current events…” 
 
 While Yellowstone spokeswoman Morgan Warthin had earlier confirmed that Murphy’s death was associated with a hunt for the Forrest Fenn Treasure, she declined an interview on the incident report. 
 
 When contacted by email for a comment on the Yellowstone report, Fenn said he did not want to comment.
– A 53-year-old Illinois man who fell to his death in Yellowstone National Park last year was looking for a supposed hidden cache of gold and jewels that has inspired thousands to hunt in vain across remote corners of the Western US, according to a report by park authorities. Billings, Montana, news station KULR-TV reports that Jeff Murphy of Batavia, Illinois, was looking for the treasure that antiquities dealer and author Forrest Fenn said he stashed somewhere in the Rocky Mountains several years ago. The investigation by Yellowstone officials into Murphy's death was kept private, but KULR obtained it through a Freedom of Information Act request, the AP reports. The investigative report reveals Murphy's wife told park authorities that Murphy was looking for the treasure when she called to report him missing. Murphy's body was found June 9, 2017. He had fallen about 500 feet down a steep slope. The report ruled the death an accident. The lure of the treasure, which is said to be worth nearly $2 million, has prompted thousands to comb areas of New Mexico, Yellowstone National Park, and elsewhere. Murphy is one of several people who have died while looking for the treasure; the deaths have led some to call for an end the treasure hunt. Besides the danger to the treasure hunters, they note that search and rescue efforts for missing treasure hunters are costly. Fenn has dropped clues to the chest's whereabouts in a cryptic poem in his memoir, The Thrill of the Chase. Those who have lost their lives to the hunt include a 54-year-old grandfather, a pastor whose body was found in a river, and a 31-year-old whose raft flipped in another river. Fenn has called the hunt "out of control."