Man Seeking Fenn Treasure Indicted For Destroying Property

A federal grand jury has indicted a man, Rodrick Dow Craythorn, for excavating and trafficking archeological resources in Yellowstone National Park. In a press release from YNP, Craythorn claimed to have been looking for the Forrest Fenn treasure.

In a second indictment, Craythorn was charged with willfully damaging, injuring, and committing depredations against United States property. The offenses reportedly occurred in the Fort Yellowstone Cemetery inside the park between October 1, 2019, and May 24, 2020.

Craythorn, 52, is from Syracuse, Utah, and is set for trial on December 14, 2020, in U.S. District Court in Casper, Wyoming.

The Fenn Treasure was actually discovered in June of 2020, not in Yellowstone National Park, but somewhere in Wyoming. Forrest Fenn, the man who hid the treasure and gave out clues to find it, died just a few months after the treasure's discovery.

Fenn, an eccentric millionaire antiques dealer and also a former Air Force pilot, hid a treasure valued at over $1 million in 2010. He published clues leading to the treasure in a self-published memoir. A handful of people actually died hunting for it, and a few, like Craythorn, were arrested after trespassing while looking for it. Some were even charged with stealing items they believed to be the treasure. One treasure seeker had to be rescued when he reportedly rappelled over a railing at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park.

On June 6, 2020, Fenn posted online that his treasure had been discovered. He also offered some pictures to confirm the treasure's find. The man who located it was never revealed, however, and many still believe that the treasure was and is a hoax.