Admin l Wednesday, September 05, 2018
DAKOTA, United States – Officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) say they have recovered a pair of stolen Ruby slippers used the film, Wizard of Oz. Wizard of Oz was shot in 1939. Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis Division of the FBI, and Christopher Myers, United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota made the annoucement on Wednesday.
They said that the pair of Ruby slippers was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in August 2005, but was was recovered in a sting operation conducted in Minneapolis earlier this summer.
The FBI said it has identified suspects and has executed multiple search warrants in Minnesota and Florida in connection with the investigation and that investigators are seeking the public’s help to identify all parties associated with the initial theft and the more recent scheme to defraud and extort the Markel Corporation, the owner of the slippers.
“The ruby slippers are one of several pairs used in the production of the movie classic. Only four pairs of the shoes used in the film are known to remain and are widely viewed as among the most recognizable memorabilia in American film history. Current estimates value the slippers in the millions of dollars should they be sold at auction”, the FBI said in a statement.
Despite an investigation by local authorities, which included countless interviews, numerous theories, and even searches of abandoned iron ore pits, the slippers were never located and no arrests were made.
After the recovery in July, the FBI transported the slippers to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., where conservators were able to conduct an in-depth examination and analysis, including evidence of wear and details unique to their use in the 1939 film. According to FBI, examination of the recovered shoes showed that their construction, materials, and wear are consistent with the pair in the museum’s collection, which were donated to the museum by an anonymous donor in 1979.
“At the heart of nearly every art crime, we see greed woven into the fabric of the scheme—greed to take it, and greed to profit from its return,” said Sanborn. “Dorothy’s slippers are a treasured piece of Americana, and we are hoping members of the public can help us better fill in the details that will finish the script of this mystery so we can hold accountable all those who were behind the scheme.”
“When the slippers were snatched in the early morning burglary, the thieves not only took the slippers, they took a piece of history that will be forever connected to Grand Rapids and one of our city’s most famous children,” said Grand Rapids Police Chief Scott Johnson. “We were confident this day would eventually come, and we are grateful to the FBI and all those who worked to bring this piece of cinematic treasure out of the shadows and into the light. After all,” he said, quoting a famous line from The Wizard of Oz, ‘There’s no place like home.’”
U.S. Attorney Chris Myers added, “Thanks to the great work of the FBI and their local law enforcement partners, they have successfully preserved an iconic symbol of one of America’s greatest and best-loved movies. We will follow the evidence along the investigative road to ensure justice is done in this case.”
