FBI enlisted to help with artifact theft
Police form 3 viable profiles

By Ram Luthra
Staff Reporter

TCU investigators have requested help from the FBI to aid in the investigation of the reported thefts of 110 Peruvian, pre-Columbian pottery artifacts from a storage room in the Mary Couts Burnett Library.

The pottery artifacts, which are valued at approximately $267,700, are from the Aztec civilizations, dating back 2,700 years ago.

hey were reported missing to the TCU Police Department on Feb. 23, 2001, but they were last reportedly seen on Feb. 1, 2000.

Kelly Ham, TCU detective of criminal investigations, said he would meet with the FBI Tuesday to discuss the case. Ham and officials with the FBI could not be reached following the meeting, but he said working with the FBI provides other options.

“The FBI has been called because they are advantageous for us because they have such a large jurisdiction around the United States,” Ham said. “They have the ability to make calls around the nation to help us find more information.”

He said the Fort Worth Police Department has also been asked to help in the investigation.

“They can help by just having more ideas and proposals that can be used for the investigation,” Ham said.

Ham said police authorities have formulated three profiles that might be linked in connection to the theft of the artifacts.

One profile, Ham said, was of a student who could have stolen the artifacts to sell them on eBay or other online auctions.

The second profile, Ham said, is that someone from Peru who wanted to have the artifacts returned to the country.

The third profile Ham cited was a professional thief who is getting the artifacts for a private collector to sell to a museum or to add to their own private collection.

“This is someone who knew what they were getting when they took it,” Ham said. “Probably a collector of antiques or artifacts who could use these artifacts because of their immense value.”

Ham said he received a report from an insurance adjuster Tuesday about an insurance claim that other artwork was stolen. Ham said he does not want to make any immediate links to this incident, but will continue to investigate the incident.

Ram Luthra
r.d.luthra@student.tcu.edu