THE world’s longest treasure hunt finally came to an end when the mysterious Golden Owl was found buried deep in dirt.
But what may have been a fun activity for some was sheer obsession for others, with the bird causing financial ruin, divorce – and even madness.
The Chouette d’Or has been buried somewhere in France for more than three decades.
Tens of thousands of people had joined the hunt since a series of puzzles and clues were published in “On The Trail Of The Golden Owl”, the BBC reports.
But for some of the partakers, the hunt switched from a part-time hobby to an obsession that took over their lives.
There have been reports that the searchers’ spouses have divorced them over the owl.
While others have spent eye-watering amounts to travel across to France and join in on the search.
At least one has even wound up in an asylum – all over a gold, silver and stone bird.
But key infrastructure was wrecked and crimes committed too in the search for the golden owl.
Last year in a remote eastern France village, a local mayor had to issue a desperate plea for hunters to stop digging holes around its chapel that’s sat on a rock, the Telegraph reports.
One hunter reportedly looked to blowing up a chapel after they’d decided there was a chance the treasure was underneath it.
And another arrived at a bank with a pneumatic drill for the same reason.
A third is even said to have located the owl under a lake, according to its creator.
The armchair treasure-hunt book was created in 1993 by communications expert Régis Hauser under the pseudonym “Max Valentin” and illustrated by artist Michel Becker.
Under Max Valentin, Hauser buried a bronze statue of an owl in a secret location in France, with a series of 11 clues published in a book to help treasure hunters find the prize.
These clues were often short riddles, or plays on words.
The lucky finder would be able to exchange the bronze bird for a golden one, estimated at the time to be worth one million francs, the equivalent of €246,000 (£206,000).
A message posted by the official game organiser and book illustrator Michel Becker said: “We confirm that the replica of the golden owl was dug up last night.
“Simultaneously a solution has been sent on the online verification system.”
“It is therefore now pointless travelling to dig at any place you believe the cache might be situated.”
The identity of the winner or the location where the Golden Owl was stashed have yet to be announced.
Treasure-hunters were in a joyous uproar after the news of the discovery came out om the hunt’s Discord forum.
One person said: “Finally – liberated!”
Another added: “I didn’t think I’d live to see the day.
“It’s like Covid. So good when it’s over.”
A third added: “Curiously, I’m relieved.
“I’m desperate to know the solutions now to see if I was on the right path.”
Hauser died in 2009 and illustrator Michel Becker took over as the official game master.
In 2021, Becker was sent a floppy disk by Valentin’s heirs that was said to contain the solution.
Accompanied by a bailiff, he went to the spot where the statue should have been buried.
Instead, in a hole below the surface, he found a plastic supermarket bag and inside it, a rusting bird made of ferrous metal but not bronze.
While Becker wasn’t certain of what happened to the original owl, he decided to replace it with a second bronzed statue to allow the game to continue – until now.
On The Trail Of The Golden Owl was a treasure hunt book created by Max Valentin.
The book contained several clues and riddles to a final location and a cache, hidden somewhere in France.
Michel Becker created eleven paintings for the book, as well as the final prize, the Golden Owl statuette.
The statuette is 10 inches high and 20 inches wide, and weighs 33 lbs.
The book consists of eleven double-page spreads, each of which is a discrete riddle composed of a title, text, and a painting.
Each pair of pages is numbered with a wavelength associated with its colours, and with an owl face.
Three specific techniques were confirmed by Valentin before his death:
WHEN Dean Allsop had a row with his neighbour over his bins, it sparked a feud between the pair – but fiancee Louise Newell never dreamed it would end in murder.
The couple reported Jamie Crosbie, their neighbour in Norwich, to the police after he began hurling weapons at them during the minor dispute, in 2018.
But two years later mum-of-three Louise, then 43, watched in horror as the vile monster, 50, stabbed 40-year-old Dean Allsop 17 times in front of his teenage son before launching an attack on her.
Miraculously, she survived the slash wounds to her forehead, neck and chest, although she sadly lost Dean.
Blood-soaked Crosbie was arrested and received a life sentence in court in 2022, where a judge branded him “a very dangerous man”.
Bravely speaking exclusively to The Sun about her terrifying ordeal, Louise says: “Our neighbour held a grudge against Dean for two years, then took his revenge. He was evil.
“He robbed my children of their father for nothing. Although Dean is gone now, I’ll never stop loving him.”
Louise and Dean, a groundworker, met as teenagers and were each other’s first loves. Over the years, they got engaged and had three children, Millie, 22, Mikey, 20, and Jacob, eight.
Louise, a baker, says: “For over 25 years, Dean was my world. He was a brilliant dad too.
“We initially lived in London but we decided to take our family to the coast, in Norfolk, where it was safer for the kids to grow up.
“We found a nice three-bedroom house on a quiet crescent in 2011. The neighbours were lovely.
“Every day, Dean played outside with the kids. On the weekends, he took them fishing. He was their best friend.
“His main passion was motocross. Since Mikey was a baby Dean taught him how to ride. It was their special bond.”
Years later, in 2016, the family got a new neighbour, Crosbie.
Unlike their other neighbours in the quiet crescent in Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Crosbie never smiled or said ‘hello’, and kept to himself.
Two years later in 2018, Louise was rocking their youngest to sleep when her daughter ran into the bedroom, screaming that the neighbour was trying to attack their dad.
Louise says: “I rushed to the window and saw Jamie, on the road, throwing knives at Dean.
“I was horrified. I couldn’t believe it. He was yelling at Dean for touching his bin.
“Dean luckily locked himself into the garden and shouted for me to call the police. I dialled 999 and Jamie spotted me holding the baby in the window.
“He threw a hammer directly at us. But it missed and hit next door’s window.
“I screamed out, in shock. Minutes later, the police came and arrested Jamie.
Jamie was stood in his front garden, covered in blood, clutching a giant knife. He stared at me in silence
Louise Newell
“No-one was hurt but my family and all the neighbours were really shaken up.”
In October 2018, Crosbie pleaded guilty to carrying offensive weapons and criminal damage at Norwich Crown Court.
He received a fine and was ordered to do community service.
After he returned to the street, Louise was terrified and avoided taking the kids out for a while.
She says: “The police told us Jamie would never come near us again. Dean kept telling me we needed to move on and live in peace.
“He even said if he did see him, he’d shake his hand and forgive him.
“Thankfully we never saw Jamie after that. He stayed out of our way as he was on probation.
“Due to the Covid lockdowns in the years after, we barely left the house anyway.”
In April 2021, Dean was outside the house helping their son Mikey, then 17, ride his motorbike.
Crosbie heard the engine revving and came outside, screaming at Dean for making noise.
I was pleading with him to stop while dodging the knife but I wasn’t quick enough
Louise
Crosbie then stormed into his home and returned, clutching a large kitchen knife.
Louise was inside, giving their youngest a bath while their daughter was at a friend’s house.
Louise says: “Mikey ran inside screaming Dad was dead. In shock, I didn’t understand.
“I thought for a moment Dean might have been run over or crashed the bike.
“I rushed out and saw Dean on the road, in a pool of blood.
“Jamie was stood in his front garden, covered in blood, clutching a giant knife. He stared at me in silence.
“I froze and shouted for Mikey to lock the doors and stay inside with Jacob. Then I rang 999, whilst rushing over to Dean.
“He’d been stabbed all over. I couldn’t stop screaming.
“Dean’s eyes were closed but he squeezed my hand. I was hysterical.
“The operator was telling me to stay calm but I looked up and saw Jamie marching towards Dean again.”
Howling, Louise stood back as Crosbie viciously stabbed Dean again, this time in the neck twice.
He’d stabbed the dad-of-three a total of 17 times.
As Dean lay dying, the cold-blooded murderer launched himself at Louise.
That monster took my children’s father for nothing
Louise
She says: “I was pleading with him to stop while dodging the knife. But I wasn’t quick enough and he slashed my forehead.
“He then stabbed me in the neck twice, and once in my chest. In agony, I nearly collapsed. But I told myself if I did, my kids would have no mum left.
“With all my might, I continued fighting him off and he stabbed my hand.
“Suddenly my neighbour appeared and told Jamie to leave me alone, distracting him.”
Crosbie turned to Louise’s neighbour, and began stabbing her in the neck too.
Blinded by blood in her eyes, Louise struggled to see but when she finally did, she saw Jamie had fled back inside his home.
Horrified neighbours leaned over their fences, and waved Louise over. She managed to escape into someone’s house.
Louise says: “Moments later, I heard helicopters and I knew Dean would be okay. I knew they’d save him.”
A team of officers captured Crosbie, covered in blood, outside his house.
In a chilling remark, as the handcuffs locked, he told police: “Killing people isn’t always a bad thing.”
Meanwhile, Louise was rushed to Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital.
Louise says: “I kept watching the door, waiting for Dean to be brought in too.
“Instead, a policeman appeared and told me that Dean had passed away.
“My entire world collapsed. I was sobbing as I was rushed into emergency theatre.”
NEIGHBOURS can either our best friends or our worst enemies.
Sometimes, all it takes for that bond to fall apart is a small argument or a tiny issue over parking or bins.
Tragically, neighbour feuds can escalate to the point of violence – as these harrowing cases prove:
Serial killer Barry Williams shot dead five of his neighbours and injured three more in a shocking massacre in 1978. He was released after 15 years and in 2014, police feared another attack. William – then renamed Harry Street – was taken to court after being discovered to have been making a bomb and possessing firearms. He died behind bars of a heart attack that year.
Can Arslan stabbed his neighbour Matthew Boorman 27 times after a long-running dispute. The Gloucestershire man was sentenced to 38 years in prison. Neighbours had sought legal action against Arslan in the months leading up to the killing after regular threats and feeling “unsafe in their own homes”.
Ex-soldier Collin Reeves stabbed neighbours Stephen and Jennifer Chapple to death with a ceremonial military dagger in 2021. It followed an ongoing row over parking.
Deranged Anthony Lawrence built a secret passage into his neighbour’s loft before using it to try to kill pregnant Laura Sugden with a crossbow. The East Yorks man fired bolts at her partner Shane, killing him, and later took his own life in 2018. Before the attack she complained about the smell of weed coming from his home.
Sick killer William Wilkinson dismembered his neighbour’s body and disposed of him across Lancashire and Cumbria. He beat Eddie Forrester to death with a wooden stick before trying to cover-up his horrific killing in 2023. The reason for the attack remains a mystery.
Heartbroken Louise woke up from surgery and learned her forehead had flapped open from where Jamie had slashed her.
Surgeons stitched it back on like a face-lift while also repairing the nerves in her neck that had been cut.
Her neighbour, who came to her rescue, also had surgery on her neck after being stabbed and she survived.
Louise says: “I didn’t care about anything but my Dean. I was 40 and Dean was all I’d ever known since I was a teenage girl.
“I couldn’t accept that he was gone. After going back home, the kids were beside themselves.
“That monster took my children’s father for nothing.”
In August 2022, Jamie Crosbie, 50, of Primrose Crescent, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, was found guilty of one count of murder against Dean at Norwich Crown Court.
He was also found guilty of two counts of wounding with intent against Louise and her neighbour.
He was jailed for life and must serve a minimum of 28 years.
Louise says: “I was relieved he couldn’t hurt anyone else. But no time would ever make up for taking Dean away from us.
“Jamie held a grudge after his first arrest and took revenge.
“Now, the children and I have moved house and have started fresh. But we mourn Dean every day.
“He was the funniest, cheekiest man you’d ever meet.”
STRICTLY is back with its signature sequins, fake tan, rippling bodies and rising temperatures.
And fans are already billing this series as the show’s sexiest yet.
Last week, dancer Nadiya Bychkova’s gold-fringed skin-tight bodysuit left little to the imagination.
She also suffered a wardrobe malfunction during her dance with Olympian Tom Dean – after the suit ripped at the crotch.
Gorka Marquez also set pulses racing with his PVC trousers and see-through mesh-top which clung to the Spanish heart-throb’s every muscle.
On X, one fan wrote: “They really are trying to make strictly very sexy this year aren’t they? You could see Nadiya’s entire bum through that outfit and then Gorka in his PVC trews.”
The show’s costume designers have created some eye-popping outfits over the last 20 years.
From daring cuts to plunging necklines, the show’s sexy fashion has often been as show-stopping as the contestants’ footwork.
Last year, it was even revealed that Kelly Brook was auctioning off the flamboyant, diamante-encrusted leotard body suits with tulle overlay she wore while dancing on the show’s live tour in 2010.
Here are some of the show’s most risqué outfits to date.
Sexy Ola was never one to shy away from a skimpy costume during her time on the show.
In 2009, the Polish-born professional dancer was partnered with BBC sports journalist Chris Hollins.
Millions of viewers’ jaws dropped when Ola wore a skin-tight red lace cut-out catsuit for their Halloween performance.
The fan faves went on to lift the Glitterball trophy.
TV presenter Helen took to the Strictly dance floor nursing a broken heart just months after her rugby ace husband Richie Myler had left her for another woman.
But revenge is a dish best served cold and Helen came out fighting with a sexy performance and a sizzling look in musicals week, recreating the spirit of hit show Cabaret.
The star got fans hot under the collar with her tiny, skin-tight black dress which showcased her toned figure, paired with sheer tights and knee-high boots.
The Hollyoaks star made Strictly history with his partner Oti Mabuse by scoring the first ever perfect 40 for a scintillating jungle-inspired samba.
But it wasn’t Danny‘s dancing that kept the fans talking – more the open shirt which revealed his rippling abs.
Even judge Craig Revel Horwood found it hard to concentrate on the dance moves, saying: “I found the open shirt a slight distraction.”
It wasn’t just EastEnders’ star Scott’s dance partner Natalie Lowe whose skimpy costumes got fans talking in the 2010 series of the show.
Hunky Scott’s slashed shirts also won praise from his army of female fans.
For their sexy samba at Blackpool’s famous Tower Ballroom, the pair left little to the imagination with Natalie’s cut-out mini-dress and Scott’s bedazzling shirt slashed to the waist.
Model and TV presenter Penny wowed in a gold mini-dress and matching gold knee-high boots.
She wore the costume for her sexy samba with partner Ian Waite in series five.
Mrs Rod Stewart finished off their sexy routine with an incredible leg split wowing fans and judges alike.
Blackburn-born AJ got off to a sizzling start to her Strictly journey with a show stopping jive choreographed by partner Kai Widdrington.
While her moves wowed the judges, her gold-tasselled mini dress scored a perfect ten with fans.
Bubbly AJ made it all the way to the final, but sadly, she had to pull out the day before after tearing a ligament in her ankle, meaning she could no longer dance.
STRICTLY Come Dancing's latest series has already been hit by rumours of a BBC show 'curse' - yet what is it?
A host of Strictly Come Dancing stars have been struck by the Strictly Curse during the past two decades.
This is where celebrities who may or may not be attached in the outside world become more than friends with their professional partners.
A total of 20 relationships are said to have been impacted so far over the show’s 20 years.
It has seen relationships crumble with dance floor romances and punishing rehearsal schedules to blame.
This includes the partnerships of Louise and Jamie Redknapp as well as Kevin Clifton and Karen Hauer.
Controversially, Judge Craig Revel Horwood once said of the curse: “I think of it as a blessing, to be honest. One person is married, the other one had a girlfriend but my point in this entire thing is: if you come on Strictly, sometimes you are in a relationship that is not working anyway.
“There has to be something wrong in your relationship before it all goes awry.”
Series one winner Brendan Cole left his fiancé, fellow Strictly professional Camilla Dallerup, during filming for the very first series in spring 2004.
Brendan was said to have fallen for his celebrity partner and inaugural winner Natasha Kaplinsky, although the duo didn’t confirm they were romantically involved.
Stunning professional dancer Katya pulled off one of her sexiest looks to date when she danced a Matrix-inspired paso doble with her partner comedian Seann Walsh.
With slicked-back hair, a lace and leather panelled dress and thigh-high boots, Katya declared she ‘felt like a movie star’ after their dance.
Her look obviously had an impact on partner Seann as the two were soon embroiled in scandal after they were caught on camera kissing outside a pub.
The actress showed her wild side in a barely-there sequin and leopard print mini-dress for her cha cha cha with pro Artem Chigvintsev.
Kara said she was channelling her inner dominatrix for the look which even prompted complaints from viewers saying it was too skimpy.
But the row didn’t dampen the pair’s chemistry and they went on to win series eight of the show.
Life also imitated art as the couple briefly became an item.
As an Olympic gymnast Louis has sweated hard for those abs, so no wonder he wanted to show them off, much to the delight of his female fans.
Fresh from his Olympic glory in London 2012 he hit the Strictly dance floor with partner Flavia Cacace.
For the couple’s gymnastics-inspired show dance, he went topless and left little to the imagination with his skin-tight leggings. The couple went on to lift the coveted Glitterball trophy.
Model Abbey looked more sexy than scary for Strictly’s Halloween show as she performed the rumba with dance partner Aljaž Skorjanec.
The pair had temperatures rising in the ballroom as Aljaz bared his six-pack and Abbey showed off her perfectly toned figure in the revealing skirt and bra top combo.
But while Abbey admitted she was almost sick with nerves before every live show the couple’s talent and chemistry shone leading to them becoming 2013 Strictly champs.
THE relationship between Chelsea owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly may have healed in recent weeks, claims a former Premier League chief.
Eghbali and Boehly were at loggerheads over the summer and wanted to buy each other out.
The professional relationship is said to have gotten so poor that the duo could not work together.
Eghbali’s Clearlake Capital owns 61.5 per cent of the Blues, while Boehly and allies possess 38.5 per cent.
Despite him being the minority shareholder, all major decisions over the summer required Boehly’s sign off, much to Eghbali’s ire.
In recent weeks, however, the boardroom civil war appears to have mellowed.
Boehly and Eghbali were spotted sitting next to each other at Chelsea‘s 3-0 win over West Ham on September 21.
Then four days later, the Mirror reported that the Blues had poached David Beeston from Liverpool to be their new managing director.
Former Everton and Aston Villa executive Keith Wyness believes that Beeston’s appointment could prove to be significant in the power struggle between Boehly and Eghbali.
The Scot, 66, told Football Insider: “Just a few weeks ago, we spoke about how Clearlake and Boehly were at each other’s throats.
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“That seems to have thawed. It’s amazing what a few wins can do, not just in the dressing room but in the boardroom.
“It does seem that peace has broken out. They will have known that it was a bad look, and hopefully, they’ve sorted things out.”
On Beeston’s arrival, Wyness added: “I don’t know whether there is still a control battle, but I’d imagine both parties would have to agree to bring a new executive into the fold.
“They’d both have to give Beeston their backing. There is a lot still to be done at Chelsea.”
The free-scoring Blues have won their last five games on the bounce in all competitions.
Enzo Maresca‘s side are fourth in the Premier League table, and are the top scoring team in the league with 15 goals from just six games.
Tomorrow they host Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge, following their 4-2 European success over Gent on Thursday night.
I really don’t think we can compete with City or Arsenal
Enzo Maresca
Ahead of the contest, Maresca sought to play down expectations of his side this season, despite their promising start.
The Italian, 44, said: “I really don’t think we can compete with City or Arsenal.
“I really don’t think that because we are not ready. The reason is that City has worked with the same manager for nine years and Arsenal for five years. If you want to compete for big things you need that time.
“After Arsenal beat PSG they asked Luis Enrique and he said the same thing that Arsenal have had the same manager for five years and them only a year-and-a-half.
“Imagine us, only three months… so it’s a huge difference. So I am really convinced we cannot compete with those clubs.”
