A $1 million reward is being offered for Dorothy’s stolen ruby slippers

We all know the beautiful red sequined slippers that Dorothy wore on the yellow brick road in the iconic 1939 film Wizard of Oz. In fact, they look so perfect and beautiful on Judy Garland’s feet that maybe you even dreamed of owning a pair yourself some day. But it looks like someone *really* dreamed of that, because the slippers have been stolen. Yes, seriously.

It happened almost a decade ago. According to TIME, four total pairs of the iconic red slippers that were worn by Judy Garland in the movie exist in the world, but one pair was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota on the night of August 27, 2005. The shoes were in the museum on loan for 10 weeks thanks to owner and Oz collector Michael Shaw in California.

What wicked witch could do such a thing?! No one knows. Or at least, no one has shared that info— the big crime happened ten years ago this August, and no one has stepped forward with any information.

But somewhere over the rainbow, there’s a savior: a good witch, if you will. (OK, we’re done with the Wizard of Oz references now.) One anonymous donor is dead set on finding them after donating $1 million to be given to anyone who can provide valuable information that will lead to the recovery of the ruby red slippers. One can remain anonymous while providing information, but can only get the big reward if they know the exact location of the slippers and the name of the person who stole them — or if they return the iconic slippers intact.

“France has the Mona Lisa, America has the ‘Wizard of Oz,’” executive director of the museum John Kelsch told Grand Rapids Herald.

Though the donor requested to be unnamed, he or she is based in Arizona and is a massive Wizard of Oz fan, according to Rob Feeney, media consultant for the case. That’s a *lot* of money; if no one steps forward and fesses up to what they know, the slippers may be gone forever. Previously, a $250,000 reward was posted, to no avail, but we’re tapping our heels together (OK, OK, last one, sorry) hoping that this anonymous donor is on the right track to recovering them with this BIG monetary reward.

“[The money] will help us find out what happened to the slippers, Feeney told the Grand Rapids Herald. “We hope it will help the Grand Rapids Police Department crack the case.”

Feeney also gave the perpetrator a message: the statute of limitations on the case has expired, but it’s better to come forward now. Though you must provide the name of the stealer, “you have the luxury to remain anonymous,” he told Grand Rapids Herald. “. . .You will get caught.”

“We support all efforts to encourage people to come forward with any new, credible, relevant information,” said Grand Rapids Police Chief Scott Johnson told Grand Rapids Herald. “This is certainly a case the Grand Rapids Police Department would like to solve.”

(Image via IMDb.)