Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Briana Bierschbach

No place like home: Dorothy's ruby slippers recovered

Law enforcement officials recovered the stolen ruby slippers.
Law enforcement officials recovered one of four known surviving pairs of ruby slippers worn by actress Judy Garland in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz," pictured here at a press conference Sept. 4, 2018. This pair had been missing since August of 2005, when they were stolen in a smash-and-grab burglary at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn.
Evan Frost | MPR News

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Posted 6:01 a.m. | Updated 2:30 p.m.

The case of the missing red ruby slippers is closed.

Ruby slippers at a London museum
The ruby red slippers stolen in a smash-and-grab burglary from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn., have been missing since August of 2005. Those pictured are part of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History collection.
Ben Stansall | AFP | Getty Images 2012

Minneapolis FBI agents and local law enforcement will hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon to announce they've recovered one of four known surviving pairs of ruby slippers worn by actress Judy Garland in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz."

No details of the recovery were provided with the announcement of the news conference.

The famous slippers, worn by Garland's character Dorothy as she clicked her heels and repeated "there's no place like home," have been missing since August of 2005, when they were stolen in a smash-and-grab burglary at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn.

The slippers have eluded hunters since then, even with several enticing rewards. Law enforcement offered an initial $250,000 reward for information leading to the slippers, and in 2015, an anonymous donor from Arizona offered a $1 million reward to anyone willing to come forward with the location of the slippers and the name of the person who stole them.

The search took investigators to some strange locations. Volunteers dove into the Tioga Mine Pit mine in Itasca County four times in 2015 to search for the slippers but came up empty. In 2011, law enforcement searched the San Diego home of a man who claimed to have the slippers but ultimately was hiding the wrong pair.

The missing slippers, which were insured for $1 million, have serial numbers and Garland's name scrawled on the inside. The museum hired a private investigation firm in 2013 to continue working on the case.

The other three remaining pairs are outside of Minnesota, located at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Smithsonian and in a private collection.

Minneapolis FBI agent Jill Sanborn, North Dakota United States Attorney Christopher Myers and Grand Rapids Police Chief Scott Johnson will host a press conference about the missing slippers at 1 p.m.