In March of 1990, two men disguised as Boston police officers managed to steal 13 pieces of priceless artwork from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. The stolen works included paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Degas, with an estimated total value of over $500 million.
The robbery was one of the largest art heists in history and to this day the identity of the thieves remains a mystery.
The robbery took place on March 18th at around 1:24am when the two men presented themselves as police officers responding to a disturbance call and were allowed entry into the museum. Once inside, they tied up two security guards and proceeded to take 13 works of art from various galleries throughout the museum.
The FBI has been actively investigating this case since 1990 but so far no arrests have been made in connection with the theft. Several suspects have been identified over the years but there is still no concrete evidence linking any one person or group to the crime.
What makes this case so challenging?
The difficulty in solving this case lies in its complexity. For starters, it’s unclear whether or not the thieves had inside help from someone who worked at or had access to the museum. Additionally, it’s possible that more than two people were involved in planning and carrying out the robbery, making it difficult for investigators to track down all those responsible.
Furthermore, there is no digital footprint for any potential suspects as none of them used credit cards or cell phones during their time at the museum – which means investigators have had to rely solely on physical evidence and witnesses’ testimonies.
What has been done since?
In 1997, authorities offered a $5 million reward for information leading to recovery of the stolen artwork – however this offer expired in May 2017 with no leads being found. In 2013, a federal grand jury was impaneled by U.S Attorney Carmen Ortiz for further investigation into potential conspirators related to this crime.
Who Stole The Art From Gardner Museum?
After almost 30 years since its occurrence, who stole these priceless artifacts from Gardner Museum is still a mystery. Despite extensive investigations by FBI and grand jury hearings by US Attorney Carmen Ortiz’s office no clear leads have been found yet regarding who might be behind this monumental theft.
Conclusion:
The identity behind who stole 13 pieces of priceless artwork from Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum remains unknown even after three decades since its occurrence due to lack of digital evidence and physical clues leading up to any one individual/group being responsible for it.