More Than 1,000 Items Stolen from Calif. Museum in 'Brazen' Early Hours Heist By Kimberlee Speakman

More than 1,000 items are missing from the Oakland Museum of California following an early morning burglary.

The Oakland Police Department announced in a press release on Thursday, Oct. 29, that it was investigating the theft, which occurred just before 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 15 at the museum’s off-site storage facility.

The suspects broke into the facility and stole more than 1,000 items including Native American baskets, jewelry and other historic artifacts, along with laptops, according to police. Some of the artifacts included a neckpiece with what appeared to be a set of gems and a tusk with an etching of a figure. 

“The theft that occurred represents a brazen act that robs the public of our state’s cultural heritage,” said Oakland Museum of California Executive Director and CEO Lori Fogarty in the release. 

”Most of these objects have been given to the Museum by generous donors. We are working in close partnership with the City of Oakland, the Oakland Police Department, and the FBI to see that these objects are returned,” she added.

Fogarty said, per CNN, that she believed the theft was one of opportunity, as the burglars “found a way to enter the building, and they grabbed what they could easily find and snatch and get out of the building with.”

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“They’re not just a loss to the museum,” she told CNN of the items. “They’re a loss to the public, to our community and we’re hoping our community can help us bring them home.”

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Experts believe the artifacts may show up at local antique stores, pawn shops and markets as thieves try to sell them quickly. John Romero, a retired Los Angeles Police Department captain, told the Los Angeles Times that the items may already be circulating online.

“These people are interested in fast cash, not the full appraisal value,” he told the outlet. “They need to get rid of it quickly.”

The FBI Art Crime Team, which is a highly specialized unit of approximately 20 agents across the United States who are tasked with investigating all matters related to art, have been dispatched to investigate this case.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Oakland Police Department for an update on the investigation.

According to the Oakland Museum of California’s website, the museum is “a resource for the research and understanding of California’s dynamic cultural and environmental heritage” with more than “two million objects” of “art, history, and natural science.”