A pair of ruby slippers worn by actress Judy Garland in the 1939 film 'The Wizard of Oz' and stolen from a museum in Minnesota more than a decade ago has been recovered.
The iconic sequined shoes, one of at least four pairs used in the film, were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005.
They were recovered earlier this summer during a sting operation involving the FBI.
Special Agent Christopher Dudley, who led the investigation, said: "From the outset, our top priority was the safe recovery of the slippers.
Although multiple suspects have been identified, Dudley said, "we are still working to ensure that we have identified all parties involved in both the initial theft and the more recent extortion attempt for their return. This is very much an active investigation."
Image: FBI
At a press conference in Minneapolis to announce the recovery, the FBI - along with the Grand Rapids Police Department - asked for the public's help.
"There are certainly people out there who have additional knowledge regarding both the theft and the individuals responsible for concealing the slippers all these years. We are asking that you come forward," Dudley added.
The slippers are 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.
The star's childhood house in Grand Rapids was turned into a museum in 1975 and remains a repository of 'The Wizard of Oz' artifacts and memorabilia.
The slippers disappeared from there in the early morning hours of August 28th, 2005.
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.
Grand Rapids police then requested the FBI’s assistance.
Image: FBI
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 from the FBI's Minneapolis Field Office transported the recovered slippers to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
Here, they were compared with another pair of the ruby slippers, on display since 1979, for analysis and comparison.
Dawn Wallace, Smithsonian conservator who has been working to conserve the slippers, said a careful analysis led to the conclusion that the recovered shoes were similar in construction, materials, and condition to the museum's pair.
Smithsonian curator Ryan Lintelman explained that there were probably six or more pairs of the slippers made for 'The Wizard of Oz'.
"It was common that you would create multiple copies of costumes and props," he said.
Somehow over the years, the pairs of shoes were mixed up.
