Found Deceased NM - Randall Bilyeu, 54, Santa Fe, 4 January 2016

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los2188

los2188

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Randall Bilyeu
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SF police searching for missing Colorado man, find his dog, car along river

Santa Fe, New Mexico -
"Santa Fe police and a search and rescue team are looking for a Colorado man who hasn’t been heard from since Jan. 4. but whose car and dog were located near the Rio Grande on Friday.

Santa Fe police issued a missing person alert for 54-year-old Randall Bilyeu late Thursday. On Friday, police said that the man’s 2009 Nissan Murano with Colorado plates had been found in a parking area at the end of Buckman Road, which dead-ends near the Rio Grande west of town. That location is commonly used as a parking area for people who hike trails near the river or go rafting.

Police also said they located the man’s dog, Leo, alive and an inflatable raft about 9 miles downstream from where the car was parked. Bilyeu, of Broomfield, Colo., told a friend Jan. 4 that he was in Santa Fe, had recently purchased a raft and was traveling along the Rio Grande."

http://www.abqjournal.com/706879/abqnewsseeker/sf-police-searching-for-missing-man.html
 
Strange to see a Bilyeu on WS! Not related, however that was my maiden name.
 
IT is wayyyy to cold up there to be rafting on the water! Wow! Highs of 35 Lows in the mid teens
 
Poor pup he must be so frightened.
I hope Randall is found.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Search teams are trying to find a treasure hunter who traveled to Santa Fe from Colorado in search of artifacts collector Forrest Fenn’s hidden treasure chest and apparently used an inflatable raft on the Rio Grande.
Members of the New Mexico Search & Rescue Team have been searching for the man, on foot and by helicopter. Police Lt. Sean Strahon said Friday that Chavez Security Inc., which patrols Santa Fe’s nearby water diversion/treatment facility, found the car Jan. 5 but did not report it until Tuesday. A family member reported Bilyeu missing Thursday, Strahon said, sparking the investigation.

The missing man is about 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 200 pounds. He has gray hair and green eyes. Anyone with information should contact Santa Fe police Detective Erica Montoya at 505-955-5038.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/ne...cle_a619ffa6-bbd3-11e5-b6cc-831726fb89b2.html
http://www.abqjournal.com/706879/abqnewsseeker/sf-police-searching-for-missing-man.html
 
I was just in that area a week ago. It was FREEZING and snowing a lot outside of Santa Fe! I really hope he is ok!


Sent via Tapatalk - excuse my fumbling typos as I'm in a mobile.
 
Searchers are looking for a Colorado man, Randy Bilyeu, 54, who disappeared while hunting for treasure in Santa Fe.

Bilyeu's dog and an inflatable raft were found along the Rio Grande about 9 miles downstream from his car.

Bilyeu, of Broomfield, told a friend on Jan. 4 that he planned to travel on the river. His ex-wife said he was fixated on finding author Forrest Fenn's hidden treasure. Fenn's 2011 book, "The Thrill of the Chase," reportedly features clues about a cache of coins and artifacts worth nearly $2 million.

12493801_931879443563136_8172634882522920335_o.jpg


http://www.thedenverchannel.com/new...-searching-for-treasure-missing-in-new-mexico
 
http://kdvr.com/2016/01/17/colorado-man-missing-after-new-mexico-treasure-hunting-trip/

Snipped By Me... "Bilyeu’s raft was found upside down a few hundred feet from the water with the paddles neatly placed next to it."

"Rescue crews also found Bilyeu’s dog alive. Fenn said the dog looked like it hadn’t eaten in days."


http://www.santafenewmexican.com/ne...cle_70b58557-c2ba-59f5-9ff3-b61cb1b058fb.html

"It took 30 minutes to coax a weary, hungry Leo into the arms of the flight nurse, Fenn reported. The dog has been placed with the animal shelter and will be heading back to family. Fenn visited the dog on Saturday and said he will do his part to make sure Leo is reunited with family.
But there has been no sign of Bilyeu.
Some speculate he landed the raft and set out to find higher ground where he could make a cell-phone call, but fell into the water and drowned or got disoriented."
 
‘We haven’t given up’ search for missing treasure hunter, Forrest Fenn says
Posted: Sunday, January 24, 2016 10:30 pm | Updated: 11:54 am, Mon Jan 25, 2016.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/ne...cle_6d7e90e1-daf2-5c1c-8fce-2e23cc3ce0db.html

“We haven’t given up,” Fenn said Sunday. “We are going to keep looking. We’re hoping that we can find him up there someplace.”

But time may not be on the rescuers’ side, Fenn said. “It’s been 17 days or so. We are still a little bit optimistic, but each day hurts us.”

On Saturday, volunteer search crews, aided by a half-dozen drones armed with video cameras, searched for Randy Bilyeu, 54, of Broomfield, Colo., who had purchased an inflatable raft, compass and wet suit, and set out on the Rio Grande near Santa Fe on Jan. 5 to search for the million-dollar treasure chest that Fenn claims to have hidden somewhere in Northern New Mexico.
Click to expand...
Lengthy article at link.
 
Is that treasure supposed to be in the river? He purchased a wetsuit - was he diving?
 
One of the links above said that he thought the treasure was in a log on the river – he might have bought the wetsuit just in case he had to get into the river to thoroughly search in and around a log.
 
http://wtop.com/national/2016/01/treasure-hunter-disappears-searching-for-2-million-in-gold-2/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An antiquities dealer who inspired tens of thousands to search the Rocky Mountains for $2 million in hidden treasure now leads an increasingly desperate mission to find one of his fans.

Forrest Fenn has been flying out in chartered helicopters or planes, searching remote stretches of the upper Rio Grande for any sign of Randy Bilyeu, now missing in the wild for more than three frigid weeks. Fellow treasure hunters also are searching for Bilyeu, who was last seen on Jan. 5 while trying to solve Fenn’s mystery.

Interesting background on the treasure hunt in the article.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
FWIW (sorry for the repeat) -
As I mentioned earlier upthread I was in Santa Fe the day he went missing, although I spent most of the time about 45 minutes north (Taos) which is very high elevation and was in the midst of blizzard like conditions. Driving back down to Santa Fe it snowed the whole way and our airplane was even delayed due to icy/snowy conditions on the runway at the municipal airport. Cell phone service was/is spotty at best. This was on the 8th of January. Also, a couple days prior, I wasn't able to reach a friend who lives in Santa Fe because the bad weather had caused her power outage (that was on the 5th or 6th). Obviously, YMMV and this is just my own experience that week, weather-related. But I can't imagine why he'd be around the river at that time of year - let alone the unpredictable snowy weather that was predicted - unless he left out some essential factoid about his trip plan that he failed to share with anyone. Yet, then I don't see how he could leave his beloved dog behind if that's the case.
MOO. IDK.

I hope he is found VERY soon. Praying he somehow has managed to hunker down somewhere and stay alive. I can't imagine the pain his family are in right now.


Sent via Tapatalk - Please excuse any mobile-induced typos. Thanks.
 
Here is Linda's blog about Randy's disappearance: http://hubpages.com/health/Randy-Bilyeu-Missing-Person-Alert-in-Santa-Fe

Linda has said the blue backpack found is Randy's but the family isn't able to release info about the contents at this time.

Based on significant research it appears there is a high possibility Randy dropped the backpack from a higher point on a previous trip. The combination of the backpack being found above the lower falls and the raft being found across the river from the canyon in which the falls are located demonstrates just how dedicated Randy was to searching this exact area.

However, this area is extremely remote and I continue to be amazed that Randy's small dog, Leo, survived so many days by himself.
 
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