Fossett's wife thanks hiker finding items

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The hiker who found items of adventurer Steve Fossett has been thanked by the wife of the daredevil who has been missing since last September.

Peggy Fossett also expressed hope that the discovery of her husband's items would "bring to closure a very painful chapter in my life," the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

"I especially want to thank Preston Morrow, who made this discovery and turned over Steve's belongings to the authorities. I am anxious to learn of the circumstances and cause of this tragic accident from the official report of the (National Transportation Safety Board)," she said in a statement.

What the Mammoth Lakes, Calif., resident found when hiking in tough mountain terrain were 10 $100 bills, a $5 bill and three documents including a pilot's license from the Federal Aviation Administration, belonging to Fossett the 63-year-old tycoon who vanished on a solo flight from Nevada in September 2007. He was declared legally dead Feb. 15.

Based on Morrow's find, searchers on Wednesday found the wreckage of Fossett's single-engine plane as well as a bone fragment that might be human, the Times said.