Another Sad day for Treasure Hunters

O

old man

Bronze Member
Aug 12, 2003
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As reported on another forum. Jay Miscovich passed over the bar Yesterday. My condolences and prayers go out to his Family and Friends.

Florida treasure hunter commits suicide

By Chuck Brittain

A former Westmoreland County man who made national headlines claiming to have found lost treasure off the Florida coast was found dead Tuesday in Ligonier Township after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The Westmoreland County Coroner's office identified the victim as Jay E. Miscovich, 54, of Key West, Fla. Deputy Coroner Joshua Zappone said Miscovich was found in the yard of an unoccupied house owned by Dr. Donald Ray of Greensburg.

Zappone described Miscovich as a “drifter” who once lived in the house. Coroner Ken Bacha pronounced him dead at the scene at 5:15 p.m. Miscovich shot himself with a 12-gauge shotgun.
Miscovich, a self-proclaimed “thrill seeker,” claimed that he discovered 154 pounds of emeralds worth untold millions in the Gulf of Mexico, about 40 miles off Key West, Fla., in 2010, according to court documents.

Miscovich, a Latrobe native, his partner and their company, JTR Enterprises, were awaiting a court decision from a federal judge in Florida after they were sued for fraud by rivals for the shipwrecked treasure.
Motivation Inc. claimed they owned the salvage rights to the Atocha, a 16th-century Spanish galleon, and Miscovich looted the emeralds from the shipwreck.

“60 Minutes” covered the story in April 2012 in a segment called “The Trouble with Treasure.” Miscovich admitted last summer that he was mired in debt while he awaited word on his possible fortune.

Ligonier Valley School District Tuesday notified parents that after-school bus routes would change after Miscovich called Westmoreland County 911 about 3 p.m. and said he was going to shoot himself in woods behind his Ligonier Township home.

An emergency management dispatcher said the man hung up and did not answer subsequent calls to his cell phone. Pings from the phone narrowed the location he had called from to Matson Road and Route 259.

Parents said they were notified that students would be taken to the Peppermint Twist for pickup.
State police were on the scene with a helicopter to searching for Miscovich at 4:30 p.m.
Zappone said District Supterintendent Dr. Christine Oldham could not immediately be reached for comment.

Miscovich in June told everyone from friends to federal officials the treasure he found is his and possibly worth a half billion dollars, according to federal court papers filed in Delaware and Florida.
But because divers don't actually own treasure found in U.S. waters until the discovery is approved by a federal court, Miscovich never actually cashed in on his find.

In another twist, a former Westmoreland County resident, Mike Cunningham, came forth to lay claim to the gems, according to court records. The court has yet to make a ruling in the case.

Miscovich revealed Cunningham's identity in December during a five-day trial in Key West, where he unsuccessfully sought salvage rights to the Atocha.



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Bobadilla said:
It has no sense to me..... If i get hands on huge emerald treasure, I would not commit suicide....
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Bobadilla, From a newspaper article in the Key West Citizen the other day. It appears that at least some of the emeralds were BOUGHT and not found. quotes from newspaper article are posted below.. I X-ed out a name from the article. The name I, x-ed out is not mine before someone asks or a friend or business associate. But he is known to many on the board and I did not think it appropriate to post his name. My Condolences to the Friends and Family of Jay. It really is sad.

. Fisher attorneys allege XXXX played a role in the early formation of JTR. Court records include transcribed phone conversations between XXXX and Miscovich's brother, Hawaiian doctor Scott Miscovich, in which XXXX allegedly discloses that Jay Miscovich bought -- and didn't find -- some of the emeralds.
Jay Miscovich was never accused of criminal wrongdoing by any government agency, but the case at one time garnered the attention of federal law enforcement investigators, who sat in on much of the first trial that ended in Key West in January. In that trial, U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King ruled that Miscovich and his company, JTR -- as well as his business partner, Steve Elchlepp -- failed to prove that they found the gemstones on the seafloor.
 

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I was shocked to read this article. I met Jay about two years ago in Florida and at that time he was supposed to be raising funds for some future shipwreck projects and wanted to use me on one. He seemed like a pretty nice guy. Sad indeed..
TW
 

Just a heads up the FBI is looking at the XXXX person now.Might be best to distance yourself from the XXXX person if you have any biz dealings with that person.
 

His troubles are over .. a selfish way out, perhaps, but he has no worries from hence forth. May he rest in peace.
 

creskol said:
His troubles are over .. a selfish way out, perhaps, but he has no worries from hence forth. May he rest in peace.
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creskol, I agree. May he rest in peace and my condolences to his friends and family.

Another really sad part of this whole affair is what he did to Every Professional Treasure Salvor and person that swings a metal detector.
Until the next Court Trial in January we won't know for sure whether this whole Emerald affair that aired on 60 minutes was Fraud. However, if his brother Scott is trying to get immunity from prosecution from the FBI, it sure looks that way.

Fraud in the industry affects everyone of us. It gives the pencil neck state Archeologists ammunition against us and it also gives legislatures the impression that all of us are what State Archeologists are painting us to be.

Maybe Jay, while he rests in peace will get his one wish. The Hollywood Movie that he talked about. Featuring the Great Emerald Story that was on 60 minutes, that would make him and his partner Steve Elchlepp Famous.

Another sad thing about this whole affair is that I don't think Jay was the Master Mind of this " Emerald Claim". It's sad how it ended for Jay.
My condolences to Jay's Friends and Family. :angel3:
 

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What a shame, too bad these kind of things happen, my condolences to Jay's friends & family.:BangHead:
 

The emerald thing waddled, quacked and had feathers.
Call it whatever you want but it's still obviously a duck.

As far as people who burn down their personal reputations then jump off a bridge when the jig is finally up, I'm neutral on that. Living in shame can be brutal. Suicides are always terrible for the families, though, so very sincere condolences to them.

In light of the unarguable evidence regarding his activities, I don't know if I'm comfortable calling him a 'treasure hunter'.
 

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There is more to treasure hunting, than what you find.....it is being happy with what you do, have and find. Sure, we all have set goals on finding stuff, but life is more than possessions or wealth, fame, and fortune.
 

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Like Icarus, guess who is off to "Emerald City?"

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