Buried Treasure: Muncie Police Searched For Body But Found Small Fortune Instead

Talk about an unfortunate fortune of misfortune. As Muncie Police combed an Indiana property for a reported dead body, they found something else instead.

Police received a tip from an informant about James T. “Buddy” Reynolds’ drug empire. Supposedly, it was operated on a 140-acre spot of land near Wheeling, Indiana, according to 11-ALIVE News.

The report states that — after issuing a warrant, of which court documents state was obtained by Sergeant Scott O’Dell — officers were on-location conducting a “massive search” for a dead body. The informant told police officers that the drug king fatally shot someone who was an associate. The documents labeled him as “unknown white male.”

Reynolds, allegedly, buried the body somewhere on the site. In the court docs, the informant told the judge what he encountered on the night the man was allegedly murdered. According to his story, there used to be a car-sized hole where Reynolds supposedly buried the man’s body, after firing a single shot into said victim between 2001 and 2003.

However, as the news source reports, “no human remains were found during two days of searching and digging.” Keep in mind that James Reynolds, himself, died in 2012.

Nevertheless, the informant also specifically told them about Reynolds’ personal property — more specifically, the “cash in barrels.” The thing is this: the informant was right about that tip. Although no body was found, it wasn’t just a “wild goose chase.”

#BREAKING: Court docs reveal Muncie Narcotics Unit had been investigating James “Buddy” Reynolds for 15 years.

— WTHR.com (@WTHRcom) November 9, 2015

Five safes were recovered within the 140-acre land. From the containers, police found somewhat of a treasure stash. Tucked away from plain sight, Reynolds had hidden approximately $220,000 worth of currency and silver bars. According to the report, 120 of the bars weighed 100 ounces each — while 338 smaller bars weighed around 10 ounces each. Overall, the total weight of the silver bars surpassed 950 pounds — or 15,200 ounces.

While that was a hefty find, it wasn’t all that the officers seized. There were also well-over 100 guns recovered, as well as “a large quantity of ammunition,” says USA Today. James “Buddy” Reynolds even had an underground bunker beneath his storage shed.

Yet, there’s a question about the legality of the recovered properties. As the source implies, the money and merchandise could be “dirty.” It states as follows.

“Chief Deputy Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said Friday that authorities are investigating whether the items seized — an officer said this week that includes ‘tubs and tubs of documents’ — are evidence of a crime, or whether “any of the seized property is related to criminal activity.”

The chief specifically mentions the property and its relationship to the owner. Basically, if anything has some type of ties to criminal activity, it would be within the agency’s jurisdiction and authority to confiscate it from the current owner — James’ nephew — Donald Jason Mills. Mills’ name is on the property tax records for the city. However, the prosecutor states further, as follows.

“If that property is not tied to illegal activity, if it is not illegal to possess and not stolen, it will be returned to the owner.”

The informant and one other person told authorities that Mills actually took over his uncle’s “marijuana-dealing operation” and business model — and is “maintaining” it.

According to court documents, Reynolds used to operate as follows.

“An informant told investigators Reynolds would either send someone to Arizona to buy marijuana at $400 per pound from a cartel, shrink-wrapped in bricks and stored in a boat that was towed behind a vehicle, or have the drug delivered for $600 per pound by a Hispanic person who only knew the English words ‘Buddy Reynolds’. Reynolds would then sell the marijuana at $1,600 per pound.”

And this was after purchasing approximately 6,000 pounds at one time from the aforementioned cartels. Yet, as of date, no wrong standing has been found with the nephew.