A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film 'The Wizard of Oz' missing for more than a decade have been recovered.
The sequined shoes - one of at least four pairs used - were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota back in 2005.
FBI Special Agent Christopher Dudley said although multiple suspects have been identified, they're still working to identify all parties involved.
Image: FBI
In the summer of 2017, 12 years after the theft, an individual approached the company that insured the slippers, saying he had information about the shoes.
After nearly a yearlong investigation - with assistance from the FBI’s Art Crime Team, the FBI Laboratory, and field offices - the slippers were recovered during an undercover operation in Minneapolis.
Agents transported the recovered slippers to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, where they were compared with another pair of the ruby slippers.
A pair of ruby slippers once worn by actress Judy Garland in the "The Wizard of Oz" are displayed at a news conference at the FBI office in Brooklyn Centre | Image: Richard Tsong-Taatarii/AP/Press Association Images
A careful analysis led to the conclusion that the recovered shoes were similar in construction, materials, and condition to the museum's pair.
They're widely considered to be one of the most recognisable pieces of memorabilia in American film history, and are estimated to be worth several million dollars.
