French Investigators Use DNA, Vehicle-Tracking To Find Suspected Art Thieves

French prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said DNA left on a protective painting cover helped investigators recover two stolen Renoirs and uncover suspected plans for another art heist. Four men received preliminary charges after the Sept. 8 theft from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer.

Thieves cut through a fence and grabbed four paintings before an alarm drew police within four minutes, causing them to abandon two works, including 'Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano,' which suffered a tear. The abandoned cover's DNA matched a 29-year-old already under surveillance in an unrelated drug case.

Vehicle tracking led investigators to a third man who hid the paintings behind a wall beneath his staircase, and surveillance later showed a suspect visiting another art collection, prompting arrests on suspicion a second heist was imminent.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.