“We got an anonymous tip because there was so much news coverage…That really was the turning point. The news coverage led people to call us and say, ‘Hey, I’ve seen this, and this is where I’ve seen it.’
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-PNBTI5Crw&feature=player_embedded]
“…High-tech specialists are scouring hotel security video, and authorities may release a sketch or stills of the suspects later this week or next week…”
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Owners of the drawing, known as “The Judgment,” verified just after midnight that the recovered 11 X 16 inch pen-and-ink artwork was indeed the original that had vanished from an exhibit on Saturday night, said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Police Department.
An anonymous tip led investigators to the church around 7 p.m. on Monday. Experts from the Linearis Institute, which owns the drawing, later verified its authenticity, he said.
There are no suspects in custody, and authorities are not commenting on how the drawing — valued at $250,000 — ended up at the church on Ventura Boulevard in the city about 25 miles from Los Angeles. They also are not confirming the name of the church.
The drawing was in “a building on the church grounds, not in the sanctuary,” Whitmore said. It wasn’t hanging on a wall or otherwise displayed, he said.
For more:Â http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/16/us-rembrandt-heist-california-idUSTRE77F49620110816
