Treasure chest with millions of dollars of gold and jewels found after decade long search

New Mexican art dealer Forrest Fern confirmed Sunday that a 10-year search for $2 million worth of treasure was over. Fern had hidden a 13th-century Romanesque bronze chest, full of gold and jewels, in the Rocky Mountains sometime between 2009 and 2010.

Though Fern, now 89, did not specify where exactly the treasure was found, it was reportedly discovered in either New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming or Montana.

"It was under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had not moved from the spot where I hit it more than 10 years ago," Fern wrote. 

In a memoir he wrote, Fern left treasure hunters a series of nine clues to help lead them toward the treasure. The goal of the hunt, according to Fern, was to inspire people to get outside and explore nature. 

During the decade-long search, several people perished while searching for the hidden treasure. In 2017, the state of New Mexico urged its residents to stop looking for the chest after someone died during a search.

"I congratulate the thousands of people who participated in the search and hope they will continue to be drawn by the promise of other discoveries," continued Fern's statement.