From Seattletimes · · 1m 20s
French investigators recover stolen Renoirs using DNA and vehicle tracking
French police used DNA and vehicle tracking to recover two stolen Renoir paintings and make arrests after a museum heist.
In brief
French police used DNA and vehicle tracking to recover two stolen Renoir paintings and make arrests after a museum heist. French investigators recovered two stolen Renoir paintings and arrested four suspects using DNA evidence and vehicle tracking data from the museum theft. Originally reported by Seattletimes.
DNA evidence leads to recovery
French investigators recovered two stolen Renoir paintings using dna found on a protective cover.
“DNA left on a protective painting cover helped investigators recover two stolen Renoirs”
Four suspects face preliminary charges
Four men were given preliminary charges for organized theft and criminal association in the Sept. 8 museum heist.
“Four men were given preliminary charges in the investigation into the Sept. 8 theft”
Paintings show damage and value
One painting had a tear and the other slight frame damage, valued at 4.2 million euros ($4.7 million).
“One painting, "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano," suffered a tear. The other, "Young Woman at the Well," had slight damage to its frame”
Thieves used electric saw to enter
Thieves cut through a fence with an electric saw, entered the museum, and cut clips securing four paintings.
“The thieves used an electric saw to cut through a fence, entered the museum through the ground floor and cut clips securing the frames of four paintings”
Vehicle tracking identifies suspects
DNA matched a 29-year-old under investigation in drug trafficking, who met with three others after the theft.
“The DNA found on the abandoned cover matched that of a 29-year-old already under investigation in a drug trafficking case”
Suspects hide paintings behind wall
Two suspects hid paintings behind a wall built beneath a staircase after the theft.
“The third suspect acknowledged receiving the paintings at his home and hiding them behind a wall built beneath a staircase after the theft”
Arrests made for art heist
Four suspects were arrested for theft, concealment, and criminal association after the museum heist.
“The two men suspected of carrying out the museum theft have been given preliminary charges of "theft committed by an organized gang" and "criminal association"”
The bottom line
French investigators recovered two stolen Renoir paintings and arrested four suspects using DNA evidence and vehicle tracking data from the museum theft.
