Today is Monday, June 8th, 2020.

On this day in 2001, Mark Shagal's painting,

Study for Over Vitesk, was stolen from New York's Jewish Museum.

Three days later, the museum received a mysterious ransom note which claimed the painting

would be returned when there was peace in the Middle East.

Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original. Today we're covering the

disappearance of Mark Shagal's 1914 study for over Vitesk, a painting valued at $1 million.

Let's go back to New York City on the morning of June 8, 2001.

It was a slow start to the day at the Jewish Museum.

The office staff made a pot of coffee. Tired guards shuffle to their

posts and the cleaning crew set to work vacuuming the epoxy floors. There was more to do

than usual as there had been a cocktail reception the previous night.

Disposable wine cups littered the lobby and there were scuff marks on the floor.

The janitors armed themselves with heavy vacuums and marched

through the building making the museum spotless once more. The roar of the

cleaning equipment filled the air.

It was almost impossible to hear anything else over the din,

which is why one janitor nearly had a heart attack

when their vacuum led out an ear-splitting screech.

They hurriedly shut the machine off and examined the dust bag.

A single small screw was resting on a bed of dust bunnies.

The janitor looked back at the empty white wall behind them

...