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The disturbing death of Mike Petersen in Yellowstone National Park

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Bonny Senger Selfie with her boyfriend Mike Petersen

Mike Petersen, disappeared June 4, 2017, Body found June 7 2017, West Yellowstone, Montana

On June 4th, 2017, 42-year-old, Mike Petersen kissed his girlfriend, Bonny Senger, goodbye at a trailhead near West Yellowstone at 9.30 am.

Mike, a father of four with kids aged 17-23 years, was a frequent hiker in the Montana Rockies and Yellowstone National Park area. On that day he was dressed in a bright orange vest and waders and was carrying a gun. He also packed supplies such as food and bear spray. Often he would visit with one or more of his children, but on this occasion, he decided to go solo-hiking.

Mike texted Bonny throughout the day as he knew where he could get cellular reception. She planned to pick him up around 6 pm at the trailhead and go for dinner.

But when Bonny arrived there was no sign of Mike. She waited and searched the area around the trailhead and at 7.20 pm, Bonny heard four gunshots in the woods. Relieved, she hoped it might have been a signal he was on his way, but then there was nothing.

The search for Mike Petersen

Bonny quickly drove to find cell service so she could call the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office. At 10 pm that day a search was started with a search-and-rescue team, sniffer dogs, and helicopters.

During their search, rescuers found Petersen's vest and bear spray canister about a half-mile away from the river. Crucially they also found his backpack with his gun. But they couldn’t locate Mike.

Remains found

Mike was found drowned in Beaver Creek on June 7th, after three days of searching. Gallatin County Sheriff's Capt. Jason Jarrett said Petersen likely died attempting to cross the creek on his way back to the trailhead in the afternoon. Due to the spring snowmelt, the creek was much higher than it was when Petersen crossed it in the morning. The Gallatin County rescue team has responded to three drowning deaths that spring.

What happened to Mike Petersen?

The big question is why did Mike leave his kit behind and head for the dangerous creek given he was an experienced outdoorsman? With bears around, leaving his firearm and spray would have been particularly reckless. Was there more to the story than the police reported?

The Forrest Fenn Treasure Hunt

Forest Fenn treasure hunt

Some have postulated that Mike Petersen was searching for the treasure chest hidden by millionaire and retired Santa Fe, New Mexico art dealer, Forrest Fenn. It is apparently filled with antique coins and relics, a jar of Alaskan gold dust and an ancient Chinese jade carving. Several people have been killed in the wilderness trying to find Fenn's treasure box. Was Petersen one of these unlucky individuals?

Fenn hid the treasure after a 1988 terminal cancer diagnosis and which later went into remission. He subsequently wrote a self published book in 2010 called “The Thrill of the Hunt,” which contained a short poem describing the treasure’s location somewhere in the Rocky Mountains between the Canadian border and Sante Fe above 5,000 feet.

Fenn spent several summers in Yellowstone fly fishing and lived in West Yellowstone in Montana The poem has phrases which seem to match places in Yellowstone including "warm waters halt," "canyon down," and "home of Brown" bears.

The Thrill of the chase map and poem

As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.

Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.

From there it’s no place for the meek,
The end is drawing ever nigh;
There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high.

If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,
Look quickly down, your quest to cease
But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace.

So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek?
The answers I already know
I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak

So hear me all and listen good,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.

In 2013, Fenn gave The Today Show four more clues: The treasure is hidden higher than 5,000 feet above sea level, it is not associated with any structure nor in a graveyard and not hidden in Idaho or Utah. On July 12 2015, Fenn gave a new clue on the TV show Sunday Morning. "The treasure is not hidden in a mine. A lot of these old mines are dangerous. I mean they have snakes in them, they have black widow spiders.”

On June 6, 2020, Fenn posted on the searcher blog "Thrill of the Chase" that the treasure had been found.

"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 hid it more than 10 years ago. I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot. 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. So the search is over. Look for more information and photos in the coming days."

This was subsequently confirmed via email by Fenn, who further disclosed in a news article that the finder was a male from the eastern United States who had sent him a photograph. The identity of the finder, the photograph, and the location of the treasure were not revealed.

On June 16, 2020, Fenn released additional photos on “The Thrill of the Chase” blog site including of himself examining the contents of the chest and one of it sitting in weathered condition implicitly on or near the site where it was found. On July 22 Fenn stated on the blog site that the treasure's finder had authorized him to disclose, in the interests of closure for many of its searchers, that it had been hidden in Wyoming.

In December 2020, Jack Stuef, a medical student from Michigan, revealed that he found Fenn's treasure chest and decided to disclose his identity by going public in an interview with Outside. Due to safety reasons, he preferred to stay anonymous but a lawsuit was expected to reveal his identity.

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