Southern Ohio Buried Treasure.... $10,000.00 in Cash

minton7

Hero Member
Mar 28, 2007
981
17
south central ohio
Detector(s) used
White's Spectrum XLT
OK guys n gals I have an opportunity for us all.... I have been approached to find a buried stash.... here are the details:

A lady, who is in her mid 50's, lost her husband 4 years ago to dementia. He got very confused and paranoid at times esp. after several strokes. he went to the bank and withdrew $10,000.00 in cash from their savings account. The bank didnt notify her until 2 weeks later, she asked him about it and he told her it was none of her business what he had done with the $$. During this time, she noticed that his old metal tackle box disappeared out of the garage. He always, even up to the end, would ride the lawn mower up to their pond and sit n fish for hours. She feels he buried the box and $$ somewhere up there, he would have had only a shovel, and he was fairly old(25 yrs older than her) so it probably wouldn't be buried that deep. They have had divers come in and check the pond to make sure that he didnt toss the box in there in a confused state.... I have hunted with my trusty White's Spectrum XLT but have had no luck... I really do not have the proper equipment for this endeavor at least in my mind.... there is quite a bit of area to cover .......

The deal is that if I find it, I get half...... so I am offering half of my half to anyone who thinks they can come help me find it..... I am thinking that we would need some kind of sonar unit or something... but am open to suggestions
 

I'm not trying to find out where it is so I can sneak onto the place, I was just wondering how far it would be for me to drive if I were to help you. Sounds like a good lead.
 

Go out and get a two box detector. 600 bucks and your in the money, if its not all decomposed that is.
 

Its not really that far out of the realm of possibility.... those with dementia at the onset don't go from being normal one day to a gibbering idiot the next, there are stages in between. He could have been perfectly coherent and knew what he was doing.

As far as a joint account goes, either party can withdraw whatever they want and the bank has no obligation to notify the other. Unless the account is set up as Joe Blow AND Jane Blow. 90 percent of the time joint accounts are set up as Joe Blow OR Jane Blow.

I went through something similar with my Grandparents on my fathers side. Grandma's cache is still out there on their property, which has been sold. I tried to make a retrieval when it was still in the family, but at the time I had just started metal detecting and had only a gold unit. Drove me crazy with all the trash from 60 years.
 

SWR said:
That’s what makes these “treasure stories” so interesting…always room for speculation no matter which side of the fence you happen to be sitting on ;)

Yep, this is true. I happen to believe alot more in these types of stories than the "biggies" out there. Anything and everything can happen in family disputes. There are gangs of small caches out there from just this type of thing. Chasing after a Jesse James cache however........ :D If you believe the stories, one could be anywhere from Nova Scotia to Antarctica. That guy got around! ;D
 

Heck I would love to spend a week or so looking for it with my 2 box, but I am not near you and am going to be busy for the next year or so.

If I had time I would do it. But I bet someone owns a 2 box detector that is lives close to you. Check to see if there is a Metal Detector club in your area. Personally I would do what Jeffro said and buy your own detector. That way you don't have to share!

Good luck man! I am with you in spirit. :)
 

Jeffro said:
SWR said:
That’s what makes these “treasure stories” so interesting…always room for speculation no matter which side of the fence you happen to be sitting on ;)

Yep, this is true. I happen to believe alot more in these types of stories than the "biggies" out there. Anything and everything can happen in family disputes. There are gangs of small caches out there from just this type of thing. Chasing after a Jesse James cache however........ :D If you believe the stories, one could be anywhere from Nova Scotia to Antarctica. That guy got around! ;D

I agree. These small treasures are the ones to look for. And if you didn't 'speculate' a little bit, you would never cache hunt at all.
 

The guy wasnt really bad at the time he made the withdraw... they have good and bad days... as things get worse thr bad days get worse and closer together.... later on he would mention burying the $$.... the account was set up as a AND/OR account... the bank called 2 weeks later.... the only reason they did was the teller knew the couple and had got to thinking about it and thought the guy wasnt acting right.... she prolly could have lost her job for calling..... the guy's wife wouldnt have noticed it until the next bank statement.... and as long as the person says what they want and it is their account, the bank can not refuse to give them their $$... the lady now needs the $$.. she has paid divers to come look in the pond thinking he might have stashed in there.... but no luck...... no whether or not the 10 K is buried in the tacklebox or if it is under the house in a crawl space or whatever... fact is that it is missing.... he withdrew it and it never turned up anywhere..... the only expense a person has in hunting is your time and effort... and hey if it is found.... I get half and the person who helps me gets half of my half.... so could be 2,500 just for looking... or could be a waste of time..... but the lady had a friend ask me if I would hunt for it.... not like it is local legend or ghost story.....I am taking it as real because the guy's wife takes it as real..... the 5,000 she keeps would be enough to keep her from having to sell the house.... so she really hoped I am successful in finding it...
 

If I was anywhere near you, I'd have no problem helping out. As I can't come personally, I can only offer advice.

Ask her all sorts of questions. Sit down and really pick into it a bit. After getting a feel for what he was like, try and think like he did at the time. Was he outdoorsy? Did he prefer to spend his time in the shop working on projects? What was his reasoning behind drawing out the money? What was he planning on doing with it? Check records, his personal notes, ledgers, journal, diary, (what have you) found in his shop, study, desk, or safe hidden away from the wife.

Try and be tactful, explaining to her that these personal details can help speed up the search process. It must be a tough time for her.

Start pinpointing it down from there. Outside or inside? Within view of the house, or more hidden out of view? Attic or under the house? etc. etc.

Even an acre is a large area to search sometimes.

If you think it's more likely outside, a two box would be the way to go for a large target such as this. Less false signals and deeper penetration. If you think it may be inside the attic or under the house, a UV light can sometimes be helpful in locating recently disturbed areas.

Don't let emotions or greed take over this thing. Use a systematic approach and your chances just got better of recovering this thing for her.
 

Ask to see the bank statement of the transaction.

Interview the teller and see if she remembers what sort of bills he got.

Try to find out the brand of the tackle box.

Look at his shovel for signs of color of dirt.
 

I would need some proof the husband actually withdrew $10,000 from the bank before I started digging up the property.
 

True or not, spend some time hunting around the pond. You might gets some change and fishing sinkers.

Seriously a tackle box would be huge in the eyes of a detector if its aluminum or steel, even at 2 feet. Just listen for a huge signal. ::) On the other hand it could be plastic...now there is a problem :-\

How long ago was this? The was our summer has been in KY, you couldnt did a 2 inch hole let alone one big enough for a tackle box.
 

I would firt start with everything being a "assumption".

He might have taken $10K out but as soon as he walked out of the bank threw it in a dumpster.............or gave it to charity...........the list is endless.

Also the tackle box was missing maybe someone stole it? Maybe he gave it away............

Homework homework homework...........

Best

Indy
 

Another thing to think about would be whether or not the tackle box was metal or plastic. Becuase if it was plastic the 2 box wouldnt do you any good. And of course if the money is in bills the same applies. So if i was in your boat i would see about maybe renting a GPR (ground penetrating radar) and just start walking around where u think it could be. The way the GPR works is it detects anomalies in the soil and if has been recent then the better it will show up on the screen.

Hope this helps.
 

Dunno about under the water either. I guess maybe if there was a water proof one it may. The GPR would be ideal out of the water though.
 

Have you found a partner for your hunt.I live in N W Ohio I have a couple down that way. I can look for those while I am their. I will be happy to help anyone if they are honest. You Can call if you wish 419 722 2483 C Snyder [email protected]
 

You should ride the lawnmower from the house to the pond using the path or route he would have used. You should pay close attention to everything along the way especially anything unusual. Your view and perspective will be very different from the lawnmower than if you walked the path and you will be seeing things much as he would have seen them. This might help a little!
 

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