Decadeslong Treasure Hunt Believed to Come to an End After Person Finds Owl Statuette Buried in 1993

Author and hunt creator Max Valentin released his book, 'On the Trail of the Golden Owl,' in 1993 — spawning decades of searching in France

A decadeslong treasure hunt that has been fascinating participants in France since 1993 is believed to have come to an end after the discovery of a long-buried owl statuette this week.

Those participating in the hunt for a golden owl statue that was hidden in 1993 — as first documented by creator Max Valentin in his treasure hunt book On the Trail of the Golden Owl — seems to be over, according to the BBC, Barron's and as announced on the hunt's online Discord server.

Michel Becker, illustrator of the golden owl book and sculptor of the buried piece, revealed on the server (which is largely in French) on the morning of Thursday, Oct. 3, that a "potential winning solution is currently being verified" after someone discovered a bronze replica owl that was buried in France by the book's late author and the creator of the treasure hunt in April 1993.

The original 1993 book inspired several treasure hunters over the years, who have documented their decades of searching in online forums and via news reports. As the BBC reports, the winner would have to solve 11 complicated puzzles created by author Max Valentin, who died in 2009 before Becker took over.

The clues, per the outlet, would then lead the treasure hunter to the location of a buried bronze replica of the golden owl. As the BBC shared in 2018 when the hunt had been going on for 25 years, the 11 puzzles (or enigmas), were supposed to lead the treasure hunter to a town in France, where a hidden 12th enigma guides them to the location.

"The verification system is currently locked and no longer allows you to submit your solutions. Further information will be communicated to you as soon as possible," Becker wrote in a translated message on Thursday, later asking participants to not "go digging" in a follow-up announcement.

"We confirm that the Golden Owl countermark was unearthed last night, simultaneously with a solution upload to the online verification system. It is therefore useless to go digging on the location you assume to be the cache," he added. "As previously announced, we are verifying the validity of the proposed solution."

Related: Man Becomes Fifth Person to Die Seeking Million-Dollar Treasure in Rocky Mountains

It remains unclear where and how the owl was discovered, and Becker has not announced the name of the treasure hunter responsible for making the discovery as of Thursday.

The BBC previously reported that when Valentin died in 2009, he left his family with an envelope revealing his secret. He reportedly said in 1996 that "if all the searchers put all their knowledge together, the owl would be found in… two hours." According to the Guardian, before his death, the treasure hunt creator provided 6,000 messages including hints and bits of information in the first three months of the search on French online service Minitel.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

As one fan-created Golden Owl Hunt website notes, the owl had been buried for 11,485 days. The BBC reported that it is the world's longest treasure hunt, a stat that does not yet appear to be verified by Guinness World Records as of the time of publication.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.