Last 2 stolen art pieces by Bill Reid recovered
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 | 3:34 PM ET
CBC News
RCMP say this carved argillite pipe was recovered with about five centimetres of it broken off and still missing. (UBC Museum of Anthropology) RCMP have found the remaining two of a dozen pieces of Haida artist Bill Reid's work that were stolen about three months ago from the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.
A gold eagle brooch was recovered intact, but five centimetres of a carved argillite pipe were broken off and are still missing, RCMP spokeswoman Const. Annie Linteau said Wednesday.
"We're asking anyone who has information about the whereabouts of the missing piece to please call police immediately," Linteau told CBC News in a telephone interview.
Twelve of Reid's works, displayed in glass-enclosed, stone showcases were stolen overnight on May 23. They included bracelets, brooches and cufflinks. Three golden-coloured Mexican art objects also vanished.
This gold brooch showing an eagle in profile was recovered intact. (UBC Museum of Anthropology) Police found 10 of Reid's stolen pieces and the three Mexican items in June at two residences in the Vancouver suburbs of Burnaby and New Westminster. Three people were arrested and then released at the time.
The last two pieces were found in two separate searches on July 23 and Aug. 11. Linteau didn't reveal the locations at which the artworks were recovered.
"We're continuing our investigation. We're in the process of completing a report to Crown counsel in which we'll be recommending charges against an individual or individuals," she said.
Police expect to submit the report to Crown lawyers in the next couple weeks, she said.
All the recovered Reid pieces have been returned to the Museum of Anthropology and will be examined to determine suitability for exhibition when the museum re-opens in March next year, police said.
The three Mexican jewelry pieces, which were heavily damaged, remain in police hands.
