On Christmas Eve last Dec. 24, a masked man broke into the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals near Portland, Oregon, shattering a glass display case and taking off with the "numerous" gold items housed within it, according to a statement by the Washington County Sheriff's Department.
The officials said the suspect appeared to be an adult white male of average build donning a mask, some jeans, and a black jacket. The burglar was captured on the museum's CCTV cameras around 2:33 am carrying what appears to be a black bag and a sledgehammer.
According to the release, initial investigations show that not one piece within the display case was spared and dozens of gold with varying sizes were swiped.
The authorities immediately launched a canine unit-led search around the perimeter of the museum after finding footprints, suspected to belong to the perpetrator, leading away from the incident's site. However, the effort was largely unsuccessful.
Although the value of the stolen minerals was not explicitly shared, it is estimated that each piece is at least around $2,000 based on the average troy ounces of the pilfered gold which hovered between 0.16 Toz and 1.74 Toz.
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About the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals
The museum, located around 15 miles northwest of Portland, was established back in 1952 by Richard and Helen Rice.
According to its website, the institution was originally the couple's home until they decided to make use of its peculiarly designed structure, consequently turning it into a venue for exhibiting their sizeable rock and mineral collection.
Since it opened to the public in the '90s, all of the living spaces have been renovated into galleries that have even showcased meteorite specimens courtesy of a collaboration with Portland State University's Cascadia Meteorite Lab starting in 2002.
Since its inception, many individual collaborators have also donated and loaned unique mineral specimens to exhibit within the museum.
