The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigations had recovered one of the original pairs of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.
The slippers, known as the "traveling pair," are one of only four known pairs still in existence from the original film. They are, the DOJ noted, "among the most recognizable memorabilia in American film history." The slippers are estimated to be worth millions of dollars at auction.
The slippers had been considered missing since August of 2005, when they were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn. A local investigation at the time—which involved "countless interviews, numerous theories, and even searches of abandoned iron ore pits," according to the DOJ—resulted in neither slippers nor arrests.
The investigation remained a priority of the Grand Rapids P.D. through 2017, when they uncovered an attempt at extortion of the Markel Corporation, the original owner of the slippers. Grand Rapids P.D. requested the assistance of the FBI's Art Crime Team, which took part in a sting operation that reclaimed the slippers and other stolen artifacts.
"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," Johnson added, "there's no place like home."
Since the slippers were recovered in July, they have been transported to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. There, conservators conducted an in-depth examination and analysis, identifying wear and details unique to their 1939 film appearance.
The investigation into the slippers' theft is still on-going, and Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Minneapolis Division, called on the public to help to wrap it up.
"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," Sanborn said.