The mystery of Judy Garland’s red ruby slippers has finally been solved

Life


The mystery of Judy Garland’s red ruby slippers has finally been solved

By Susan Devaney

7 years ago

The ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz went missing 13 years ago…

There’s nothing quite like a real-life crime to really get us going – especially if it involves one of the most loved films of all time like The Wizard of Oz.

Even more so, if it’s been unsolved for 13 years.

Back in 2005, the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland, arguably the most famous pair of shoes in cinematic history, were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. According to reports at the time, the thief left one solitary red sequin behind (intruiging…).

But now the shoes have finally been found. Thanks to the efforts of the FBI no less, the shoes were retrieved in Minneapolis after they received a tip-off last year.

At the time they went missing, the slippers were insured for $1 million (£772,000) and on the ten-year anniversary of their disappearance, an anonymous $1 million (£772,000) was offered for their return.

As it happens, the slippers were only on loan to the museum by Michael Shaw, a movie memorabilia collector who insisted on the shoes not being locked in a vault each night, but left on display in a glass case instead.

Thankfully, special agent Christopher Dudley, leader of the FBI’s investigation in Minneapolis, confirmed that multiple suspects have now been identified.

He added that the FBI is “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”.

People have questioned their disappearance so much that they were the subject of a documentary made in 2016 called The Slippers

The slippers were one of four pairs made for the movie and, as you can imagine, are extremely valuable today – but, thankfully, they’ve made it back home.

Images: Getty / Twitter 

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