The March 2018 FBI excavation at Dents Run has resurfaced as a contentious mystery after partially redacted DOJ records and witness accounts were released. Independent geophysical tests and a contractor’s report were said to indicate a large metallic anomaly—one estimate even suggested 7–9 tons—yet the FBI maintains it recovered nothing. Redacted files, missing or altered photos and references in an "Operation Union Gold" plan to quick armored transport have sustained local suspicion and prompted further FOIA and Mint-record requests.
Did the FBI Secretly Recover Civil War Gold at Dents Run? New DOJ Files Deepen the Mystery
The Mystery of the FBI and the Civil War GoldJustin Merriman
Late on the afternoon of March 14, 2018, veteran hunting guide Eric McCarthy was tracking a bull elk on a wooded slope above Dents Run, Pennsylvania, when a masked man stepped from behind a tree, pointed a semiautomatic weapon at him and ordered him off the mountain. The man displayed a yellow FBI patch and told McCarthy agents didn’t want anyone watching because, he said, “they’re digging down there.”
What Happened On The Ridge
McCarthy, who has hunted the region for decades, returned the next morning with a client and heard heavy machinery, light towers and later the rumble of armored vehicles leaving the valley. Word of the event rekindled a long-standing local legend: that U.S. government gold shipped during the Civil War was buried near Dents Run after soldiers were waylaid in 1863.
Warren Getler points to a map of a site he’s exploring with the Finders Keepers treasure-hunting team.Justin Merriman
Treasure Hunters And Geophysics
Treasure hunters Dennis and Kem Parada, joined by author and former reporter Warren Getler, had spent years investigating the site. Using a GPL 200 ground-probing device and independent geophysical surveys, they and consultant Terence Hamill of GeoSearches reported a strong metallic anomaly. FBI agent Jake Archer later told the team that an independent contractor’s analysis suggested a startling seven to nine tons of metal at the target — far more than the roughly 1,300 pounds represented by the 26 bars in local lore.
The FBI Excavation And Conflicting Accounts
The FBI obtained a warrant and conducted an excavation on March 13–14, 2018. The Paradas and Getler say they were repeatedly kept from the pit and told the dig paused each night; neighbors and several local witnesses report lights and heavy equipment operating overnight. The Bureau has steadfastly maintained that the excavation recovered nothing.
Dennis Parada, center, and members of the Finders Keepers team listen to geophysicist Ed Barrios of American Geophysics Inc., along with Warren Getler (right), at a potential historic site in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, on June 9, 2021.Justin Merriman
"If they were not successful, as they claim, you don’t bring in armored trucks the next day. Logic says you can’t do that," said Warren Getler.
Records, FOIA Requests And Operation Union Gold
FOIA requests filed in 2018 eventually compelled the Department of Justice to release thousands of pages in phases. Critics say many records are heavily redacted, that some expected video and photo files are missing or incomplete, and that released images are low-resolution and selectively rendered. In a December 2025 production the DOJ included an operations plan titled "Operation Union Gold," which instructs that if valuables were found they would be moved to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia and that armored transport should be made ready in short order. That language has intensified local suspicion because multiple residents reported seeing armored trucks and convoys the morning after the apparent overnight activity.
Three Possibilities—and Lingering Questions
FOIA counsel Anne Weismann outlines three explanations for gaps in the public record: inadequate on-site documentation, loss or destruction of records, or deliberate withholding of material. None of the possibilities resolves the central dispute: whether the FBI recovered valuables during the apparent overnight operation. The released files answer some procedural questions but leave the core outcome contested.
What Comes Next
The Paradas' attorneys continue to review records and challenge redactions. They have filed FOIA requests with the U.S. Mint seeking transfer logs for March 2018. For now, Dents Run remains a mixture of folklore, independent geophysics, eyewitness testimony and official denials—a case in which additional documents or unredacted material could materially change public understanding.
Timeline Snapshot:
Jan 2018: FBI Art Crime Team visits site and later consults Enviroscan.
Mar 13–14, 2018: FBI conducts excavation; Paradas and Getler report being kept from the pit; neighbors report overnight machinery and lights.
May 2018–Dec 2025: FOIA requests lead to phased releases; final tranche includes "Operation Union Gold."
Help us improve.
