This crime from the 90’s fascinates Massachusetts crime buffs the most…
Some crimes are horrific with victims and families of those victims stuffing tremendous loss. The stories of the crime are often gruesome but the reality is that the general public's interest in those crimes is at an all-time high.
Crime and Who Dun It documentaries and podcasts are often at the top of the most-watched and downloaded. Females in particular, often the gender that is the victim in the acts of violence, listen and watch these crime stories by huge percentages over their male counterparts.
A study was recently released by Edwards Kirby Attorneys at Law. They gathered data on the top searched true crime cases in every state in the country between November 2020 to November 2021.
Some of the higher-profile cases over decades scored highest among states. The death of Caylee Anthony topped the list in 6 states, followed by the O.J. Simpson murder case with 4 states, and the cases of the serial killer David Berkowitz, also known as “Son of Sam”, was top of mind among searches’ of crime content in 3 states according to the Edwards Kirby study.
The crime that fascinates Massachusetts the most, according to the study, did not involve violence. No blood was shed, there was no loss of life or even a single injury. This crime has risen to legendary status around the world. The victim of this crime was the Isabella Stewart Garner Museum in Boston where on March 18th, 1990 a total of thirteen works of art disappeared from the frames and displays in the museum. Among some of the art stolen according to Wikipedia included three Rembrandts: The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, A Lady and the Gentleman in Black, and Rembrandts Self-Portrait. Other paintings by Degas, Vermeer, Manet, and Flinck were also discovered missing with only the frames still hanging in place.
The thieves gained entrance into the museum by posing as Boston Police there to check out a call of a disturbance, according to Wikipedia. Two security guards were subdued soon after the fake cops gained entry. The security guards were found in the museum’s basement tied up but uninjured according to reports.
The FBI estimates of the heist at the time was $200 million. Since then, according to Wikipedia, some art dealers estimate the value of the works of art today could be worth in the ballpark of $600 million.
To date, no arrests have been made and none of the artwork has been recovered since the heist. The Gardner Museum has offered a $10 million dollar reward for information leading to the recovery of all of the artwork stolen on that morning of March 18th, 1990.
For more information on the nationwide crime study, click on this link to Edwards Kirby Attorneys at Law.
Click on this link for more information on the Gardner Museum reward.
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Gallery Credit: RACHEL CAVANAUGH