Forest Fenn’s treasure hunter claims author Barbarisi ruined her reputation

Forest Fenn’s infamous treasure hunt still digs up conflict.

A devoted explorer who reportedly spent big bucks hunting down the chest of gold and jewels Fenn hid in the Rocky Mountains in 2010 – sparking a year-long chase that left five dead – claims her reputation is of one Author who described her as “bankrupt” in a book about treasure hunting.

Stephanie Thirtyacre is suing Daniel Barbarisi and Penguin Random House over the tome Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death and Glory in America’s Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt.

Thirtyacre started a hunting blog called ChaseChat and wrote a book in which he claimed Fenn could be DB Cooper, the mysterious figure who hijacked a plane in 1971, demanded $200,000 in cash, and disappeared in the Pacific Northwest after escaping from the Pacific plane had jumped.

Thirtyacre claims she “expressly forbidden” Barbarisi from using her name.

“She would eventually spend a high six-figure sum on unsuccessful searches, go bankrupt, and see her marriage collapse as a direct result of her involvement in the chase,” Barbarisi wrote of Thirtyacre, who said in Manhattan Supreme Court papers that she was not sought Bankruptcy.

A search of court records found no bankruptcy filing for Thirtyacre, who told the Post through her attorney that her financial situation was “okay.” I pay all my bills and have no debt and have never filed for bankruptcy.”

The Florida woman insisted that Barbarisi had agreed to grant her confidentiality and that she was unaware that he was also searching for Fenn’s treasure.

“I felt very comfortable sharing things with Dan under that confidentiality and even sharing possible solutions [to the treasure hunt]. I had no idea until his book came out that he was also considered a seeker and not just under the journalist umbrella,” she said.

The author never promised Thirtyacre he would not use her name and used the term “bankrupt” in a “colloquial” manner, a publisher’s attorney told her, according to a letter included with her lawsuit seeking unspecified damages .

The hunt for Fenn’s treasure ended in the summer of 2020 when a medical student said he had found it. Fenn died in September 2020 at the age of 90 after a fall at his home.

Thirtyacre’s claim was “baseless,” said an attorney for Penguin Random House and Barbarisi, calling the book “thoroughly researched and responsibly reported.”

“Multiple sources, including Forrest Fenn himself, have confirmed that Ms Thirtyacre used her life savings to pursue the treasure,” attorney Daniel Novack said in a statement.