Martin Manley suicide: Treasure hunters descend on Kansas park searching for $200K buried gold Oakland Park Arboretum closed as fortune seekers turn up with shovels Family of victim say 60-year-old gave away assets before his death By Jessica Jerreat and Michael Zennie A disgruntled Kansas City sportswriter's claims that he buried $200,000 in gold and silver coins in local a park before committing suicide has brought on a mad rush of treasure hunters who have arrived with shovels, picks and metal detectors hoping to strike it rich. Local police have been forced to post officers to guard the Overland Park Arboretum in Kansas, where Martin Manley indicated his fortune could be hidden. Dozens of people who have sought to dig for the treasure have been turned away. Both police and Mr Manley's family say the promise of buried treasure is a hoax. His family says he sold or gave away all of his precious coins before his death. Police said they swept the area with a metal detector and found nothing. Hoax: Sportswriter Martin Manley caused a treasure hunt for gold after his website listed coordinates on the day he died Trail: The coordinates led treasure seekers to Oakland Park Arboretum 'He did not bury it,' Sean Riley, a city spokesman, told KCTV. You have a better chance of winning a prize from the Lotto than you do finding anything out here. Police have orders to prevent anyone from digging at the arboretum, which is illegal because it is city property. That didn't stop Kansas City-native Riley Ewing from looking under bushes for signs of recently-disturbed earth where Mr Manley may have buried his fortune. 'I'm going out with empty pockets, but it certainly was fun,' he told the TV station. The park was forced to close Friday as treasure hunters descended on it and started to dig hours after Mr Manley killed himself. Mr Manley, a prominent sports statistician and Kansas City sports blogger, shot himself early Thursday in front of the Overland Park police station. His blog linked to a personal website in which he declared he was committing suicide and outlined his political views and reasons for killing himself. Sealed off: As rumors about a stash of gold circulated police were forced to bar entry to the park Updates: Members of a radio station joined the search and tweeted details of their journey Watch: The park had to be closed as people armed with shovels started to turn up It was one statement on that site that had led to the treasure-hunting fury. Mr Manley wrote: '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 listed the coordinates, which led to Overland Park arboretum. Radio station 96.5 The Buzz fueled the search, reading excerpts of Mr Manley's website live on air and encouraging listeners and one of their team, 'Mark the Overseer' to go on a treasure hunt. Through Twitter Mark and other treasure hunters, some armed with shovels, sent updates and pictures as they followed the coordinates to the arboretum. The morning show presenters excitedly egged listeners on as they called in updating the station on their hunt while the hosts speculated on Mr Manley's life. Clue: A member of the radio show tweeted a picture of a flag in the undergrowth, asking 'what does it mean' Mr Manley, who died on his 60th birthday, had worked as a sports reporter on the Kansas City Star until February last year. He had been married and divorced twice, and had two step-daughters. Editor at the Kansas City Star Mike Fannin said: 'Martin was a terrific guy and a good employee. This is a real shock, just an incredible tragedy. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family today.