Stolen Meteorite Recovered in New Mexico
After the meteorite went missing, the museum contacted an association of meteorite collectors and a Missouri man responded that he had bought it for $1,700, KRQE-TV reported. It’s worth between $20,000 and $40,000.
The Meteorite Museum at UNM flew an employee to retrieve the nearly 21-pound (9.5-kilogram) chunk of space – and lug it through security.
School police believe someone stole the meteorite from the display case and walked out the front door. Investigators have a suspect, but no one has been arrested.
The meteorite was once part of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and crashed in Siberia. It was a gift from a Soviet scientist.
The Meteorite Museum is closed for a security review.