Here’s a story from Chicago that reminds us of the basic tenet that art theft is a crime of opportunity. A church website tells the story of a Chicago art professor’s early work that had been stolen and was recovered a mile from his home 20 years later.

art professor Tim Lowly never expected to again see his painting “Carry the Body” after it was heisted from the wall of a local art gallery in 1991. Last October, however, two antique dealers happened by a long-abandoned building scheduled for demolition and discovered the painting worth thousands of dollars buried beneath a pile of IOU slips and off-track betting cards. They were surprised by another discovery months later when they tracked down the artist. The abandoned building at 3000 West Irving Park Road was located just one half mile from Lowly’s home.

Stolen Painting Returned to Artists–20 Years Later (The Evangelical Covenant Church)