Martin Manley: Man Commits Suicide, Posts Website Treasure Map To His Fortune
Martin Manley ended his life on Thursday, committing suicide in front of the Overland Park police station. But before doing so he uploaded a website explaining his actions and giving a treasure map to his fortune of gold hidden in a nearby park.
The suicide would likely be of little note to nationwide news, the kind of tragedy that takes place every day across America, except for the plan Manley put in place beforehand.
Before following through with his plan to kill himself on his 60th birthday, Martin Manley posted a website giving a detailed explanation for his actions. But it also gave exact coordinates to where Manley said he stored a fortune of gold.
The site, called Martin Manley Life and Death, delved into how Manley’s memory was quickly deteriorating:
He wrote:
“I began seeing the problems that come with aging some time ago. I was sick of leaving the garage door open overnight. I was sick of forgetting to zip up when I put on my pants. I was sick of forgetting the names of my best friends. I was sick of going downstairs and having no idea why. I was sick of watching a movie, going to my account on IMDB to type up a review and realizing I’ve already seen it and, worse, already written a review! I was sick of having to dig through the trash to find an envelope that was sent to me so I could remember my own address – especially since I lived in the same place for the last nine years!”
Martin admitted that this suicide would be difficult for family and friends, but hoped the site would offer them a bit of insight into what he was facing.
He then did something that’s sent a rush of people to Overland Park, posting what appears to be a treasure map to his fortune in gold.
“I had no financial problems. I sold my house which was completely paid for in 1998. The same year I bought $30,000 in 1/10 ounce gold coins and pre 1965 silver coins. Gold was $300/ounce when I bought it and silver was $4/ounce. Gold went up to $1,700 and Silver to $44 making my stash worth over $200,000.”
He then added the coordinates, 38.800542, -94.687884. The directions point to a trail at the end of Arboretum Park.
The site sparked so much interest that the city of Overland Park posted a notice that there is no hidden gold.
“There is no treasure. This morning sparked quite the treasure hunt. Overland Park Police have spoken with the family of the victim and they indicated that the victim had purchased gold but had given it away. The alleged ‘buried treasure’ is a hoax. Please be mindful of this and that the Overland Park Arboretum does not allow digging.”
The Martin Manley website has since been taken down, but a mirror is available online showing the text.
