Feds investigate museum theft

University Police, Philadelphia Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are currently investigating the Sunday night theft of 27 brass figures from the African display in the University Museum, University Police said yesterday. "Presently, the case is under investigation," University Detective Supervisor Mike Carroll said yesterday. "We're trying to obtain as much information as we can from when the [artifacts] were last seen until when they were [discovered] missing." Carroll said he does not know how the thief got into the building because there were no signs of forced entry. He added that the case which held the figures -- worth $5,000 -- was not broken or damaged. He said he did not have enough information to say whether or not the security alarms were activated during the theft, but that the theft was not discovered until the following morning by John Murray, the museum exhibition designer. Carroll added that the case was "very involved" because of the amount of time it takes to notify art dealers and interview museum employees. He said that because the exact time of the theft is unknown, it becomes harder to follow up on the case. He said it took "a long time" to recover the $200,000 crystal ball which was stolen from the museum in 1989 and that these brass figures are not as distinctive. He said they could be easily mistaken for other things and not as readily found. Gerry Robinson, a museum security guard, said the theft happened after she and the other day guards had left for the day. "It happened after we closed the museum," Robinson said. "We checked everything and everything was okay." Carroll said that museum guards only work during the day and that one University Police officer is assigned to patrol the museum at night. "One officer monitors the [museum's] alarm system and any door activity, and periodically makes rounds inside the museum," he said. Carroll added that the museum's alarm system is not only for security reasons, but also for fire or water emergencies. He said that if anyone had any information on the case that they should contact the University Police Department or UPPD Detectives. Kris Hardin, the curator of the African section in the museum, said last night she was very sorry to lose the artifacts. "They're truly wonderful pieces," Hardin said. "Roughly half of our pieces came to us in 1912. That makes them very old, of course, but also more valuable because they were collected before they became collectibles." Hardin added that each piece is an original because of the unique lost wax-casting process used to make them. She said only one figure could be made from one mold, since the molds melted away during the heating process. She said the missing figures ranged in size from 1" to 5" and were part of a "status" display in the African section. But Hardin said although the figures would be missed in the display, there are many other interesting things to see in the African section.