By: Cate Eberly

As the Louvre heist case continues, the latest update is that the four men responsible for the theft are now in custody and have partially confessed to their involvement. All suspects are expected to face around 15 years in prison for their roles in the heist.

Since Sunday, October 19, around 200 detectives have been working to find these men. Another suspect has been taken into custody who has a criminal background with stealing, but has yet to go to court. 

Their heist in the Louvre lasted under four minutes, where they stole numerous items, including a diamond necklace that Napoleon gave to his second wife over 200 years ago. The stolen items have not yet been found. Ideally, detectives hope the jewels will be found intact and given back to the museum.

Detectives were able to track down these criminals through DNA and items left behind, including a motorcycle helmet, a circular saw, a glove, a gas can, a walkie-talkie, and a reflective vest.  In a New York Times article, Gaëtan Poitevin, a criminal lawyer, attributes detectives’ success to the DNA database. “I am convinced that we would not have found these people if the DNA that was found at this theft hadn’t matched with this database,” Poitevin said. 

Many wonder whether the criminals were professionals or “petty” criminals. Recently, prosecutors found that heists were not professional criminals but rather small-scale local criminals. 

But the heist signals more to the French people than what meets the eye. In the French daily newspaper Le Monde, author Michel Guerrin commented on how the heist highlights the lack of influence from public institutions like the Louvre. “What is likely the heist of the year also signals a new map of French culture,” Guerrin said.  “A waning influence of public institutions, hampered by lack of resources and weighed down by bureaucracy, and the rise of private players.”

Investigators agree it is a race against the clock to find the missing jewels before they can be dismantled, stolen, or leave the country.