Buzz
Greed, one of the seven deadly sins, might cloud judgment, but the irresistible allure of discovering hidden treasure draws countless individuals. While success stories are few and far between, the desire to strike it rich continues to fuel the efforts of many treasure hunters.
For some, the quest ends with an empty-handed return. Tragically, others never make it back at all. The reasons behind these disappearances and fatalities vary, from disease and hunger to unsolved mysteries. Could these untimely deaths have been the result of foul play, or do some suspect a more supernatural explanation?
10. Willie and Frank McLeod
The Naha people were the native inhabitants of the Northwest Territories in Canada. However, their mysterious disappearance occurred when European settlers arrived seeking gold.
In 1908, brothers Willie and Frank McLeod embarked on a journey to mine for gold in the area now known as Nahanni National Park, named after the Naha tribe. After two years with no word from the McLeods, people began to speculate that the brothers had struck it rich and chosen to live elsewhere.
Their uncle, Charlie McLeod, grew concerned due to the lack of communication and decided to search for them. Upon his arrival, he found their remains near a creek where they had set up camp. Both brothers were found in their sleeping bags, but their heads were missing.
The brothers had left a message that read, “We have found a fine prospect.” No valuables had been taken from their belongings. Since that fateful day, the site has been known as Headless Creek in Deadmen Valley.
9. Phil Powers
After the McLeod brothers' decapitation, several men began to vanish or meet untimely deaths in Deadmen Valley. Many rumors circulated that the valley was cursed, haunted, or inhabited by vengeful members of the Naha tribe, waiting to strike down any Europeans who dared enter their land. Despite these tales, some continued to search for gold. In 1931, a fur trapper named Phil Powers decided to test his luck in the area.
As an experienced fur trapper, Phil Powers was confident in his survival skills and his ability to endure the wilderness. Perhaps he believed that the previous victims had lacked the survival expertise that he possessed, and that his outdoor skills would lead him to both the gold and a prosperous future.
However, Phil never returned from his expedition, prompting a police search. His cabin had been destroyed by fire, and his remains were found outside. His gun was discovered nearby, seemingly discarded, with all six bullets fired, indicating that he had fought to the end against whoever—or whatever—had taken his life.
8. Dr. Maurice Dametz
In 1981, an elderly man named Dr. Maurice Dametz, along with his friend David McSherry, ventured into Pike National Forest in Douglas County, Colorado, to search for rocks near a well-known lookout named Devil’s Head. They drove to a spot called Topaz Point in search of minerals.
For Dametz, hunting for topaz was a casual hobby. Holding a PhD in theology, he had authored works featured in several Christian publications, including a chilling pamphlet predicting the arrival of the Antichrist. In 1971, Dametz stated that “(The Antichrist) will be a political, religious, commercial autocrat of the world.”
Dametz was in frail health and required assistance from McSherry to reach his digging site, a small sandy patch within the forest. McSherry chose a separate spot roughly 45 meters (150 feet) away. After two hours of digging, McSherry walked over to Dametz to tell him it was time to head home.
Upon returning to his own site to pack up his tools and gather the stones, McSherry found that Dametz had vanished. There were no signs of struggle, and no blood was found. The sheriff's office deployed a search-and-rescue team, using dogs to scour the area. Despite five days of searching, no trace of Dametz was discovered, and the case was closed.
Three decades later, David Paulides, a former police officer and researcher of missing persons, brought attention to the case by filming the video above. As a result, the State of Colorado agreed to reopen the investigation into Dametz’s disappearance.
7. Billy Murray
In 1908, two young men embarked on a gold-hunting expedition in Arizona. One was named Billy Murray, while the other, preferring to remain anonymous, will be referred to as “Bob” for the purpose of this story.
Billy and Bob set up camp near Norris ranch, prepared to search for gold over the course of several days. They brought along dogs and donkeys to carry their supplies. After a long morning of work, the two decided to take a break and nap. Bob woke up a couple of hours later in the early evening to find that Billy was nowhere to be found.
Bob hadn't heard Billy get up, and his jacket was lying on the ground. All the prospecting gear was still intact. Bob figured that Billy must be somewhere nearby. However, as night fell and Billy did not return, Bob became concerned. The next morning, he reported Billy’s disappearance, but his friend was never found.
6. Randy Bilyeu
Forrest Fenn, a former art dealer, hid millions of dollars worth of treasure in the New Mexico wilderness when he was 80 years old. He left clues about its location in a poem and challenged the public to find it. In an interview, he revealed that his motivation for creating the treasure hunt was to encourage people to venture outdoors and connect with nature.
In January 2016, 54-year-old Randy Bilyeu set out to find the treasure. Armed with hiking supplies and accompanied by his dog, he ventured into the wilderness. After a few days, his wife reported him missing. His remains were discovered seven months later.
When questioned about Bilyeu a month after his disappearance, Fenn stated that he didn’t feel responsible but expressed a desire to help with the search for Bilyeu. No further updates were provided after Bilyeu was confirmed dead. The treasure, however, remains undiscovered.
5. Venezuelan Gold Miner Massacre
In 2016, in Bolivar, Venezuela, 28 gold miners mysteriously vanished while searching for the precious metal. Their families suspect that a gang may have killed the miners to take control of the gold mine.
The families of the missing miners appealed to the local governor for action, but he dismissed their pleas, claiming the incident was simply an attempt by “the opposition”—those who oppose the current president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro—to stir up trouble.
The governor argued that there was no evidence of a massacre, making it impossible to confirm the event. A search team was dispatched to comb through the jungle in hopes of finding the missing men, but to this day, their bodies have not been discovered.
4. James Kidd
In 1949, a 70-year-old man named James Kidd, a professional treasure hunter from Phoenix, Arizona, disappeared without a trace. He owned a copper mining company and had staked several claims on land he used to mine for gold. One day, he drove away in his car and was never seen again.
Years after his disappearance, Kidd was presumed dead. An estate lawyer reviewed his Last Will and Testament, discovering that Kidd had orchestrated his own treasure hunt. He had written that he would leave all his money to anyone who could prove the existence of the human soul.
Naturally, this challenge made headlines, leading to what became known as The Great Soul Trial of 1967. Scientists competed to find a way to prove that a soul departed from the body upon death. When they failed to provide evidence, the trial was retried in 1971 with 102 researchers attempting to claim the prize.
Initially, Kidd left behind $500,000. However, the high legal costs and trial expenses consumed much of the money, leaving only $175,000, which was eventually given to the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. The story has since inspired numerous books and works of art.
3. Curtis Merworth, Ardean Charles, And Malcolm Meeks
In 2010, three friends from Salt Lake City, Utah—Curtis Merworth, Ardean Charles, and Malcolm Meeks—embarked on a road trip to search for the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. Unlike most treasure hunters who venture out during the day and return to local motels, they chose to go on a hike.
The trio set off on their hike, but there is no indication they ever made it out of the mountains. Their car was found parked at the trailhead, and they chose to hike on a day with extreme heat—46°C (115°F)—without bringing their cell phones. Locals often caution against venturing into that area during summer due to the dangerous heat.
A year later, after an extensive search and rescue operation, the bodies of all three men were discovered. One of the men's wallets was found near his remains. Authorities never revealed the exact locations where the bodies were found or the cause of death, leaving many to classify the case as an unsolved mystery.
2. Jesse Capen
For years, Jesse Capen, 35, was captivated by the legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. While working the night shift as a bellhop for a decade, he devoured nearly every book on the topic. In 2009, he finally took a month off to pursue his dream. Leaving Colorado behind, he set out for the Superstition Mountains in Arizona to hunt for the elusive treasure—but he never returned.
Not long after his disappearance, hikers stumbled upon a tin can perched on the edge of a 55-meter (180 ft) cliff, with the simple inscription: “Jesse Capen was here.” Alongside the can, a single boot, his driver’s license, and camping gear were found, but Jesse himself was nowhere to be seen.
For three years, people searched for Jesse, but his remains remained elusive. In 2012, his body was discovered inside a crevasse, 11 meters (35 ft) up on the edge of a cliff.
With no signs of him attempting to climb the cliff, Jesse's parents believe he must have fallen and his body was miraculously caught on the ledge, allowing it to remain intact for three years. The only way to recover his remains was via helicopter.
1. Missing Prospectors of the California Gold Rush
In 1849, during the California Gold Rush, over 30,000 men rushed to the trails where gold had been discovered. Unfortunately, a cholera outbreak from contaminated drinking water in New York City also spread at the same time.
Many of these men were infected New Yorkers who had traveled westward. They drank from the same streams as everyone else, unknowingly passing the infection to others. With so many people in close proximity, the disease spread quickly.
Within six months of arriving in California, twenty percent of the men who came during the Gold Rush died from diseases like cholera. Many of them were fathers and husbands who left their families behind in hopes of striking it rich. Without an easy way to contact their families, thousands simply disappeared from the lives of their loved ones.
