Crime | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/crime/RSS feed for CrimeenMon, 19 Oct 2026 21:13:51 +0000The Burning of This French City Hall Was a 'Catastrophe for Heritage,' Tragically Reminiscent of the Notre-Dame Firehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-burning-of-this-french-city-hall-was-a-catastrophe-for-heritage-tragically-reminiscent-of-the-notre-dame-fire-180989711/French authorities say that the Limoges city hall, built in the late 19th century and celebrated as an architectural gem, was the victim of an arson attack amid mass protests in France over the weekendMon, 19 Oct 2026 21:13:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-burning-of-this-french-city-hall-was-a-catastrophe-for-heritage-tragically-reminiscent-of-the-notre-dame-fire-180989711/Arthur Conan Doyle Based Sherlock Holmes on a Real-Life Scottish Surgeon Who Used Deduction to Diagnose Patients and Investigate Crimeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/arthur-conan-doyle-based-sherlock-holmes-on-a-real-life-scottish-surgeon-who-used-deduction-to-diagnose-patients-and-investigate-crimes-180989623/A new book chronicles the exploits of Joseph Bell, an Edinburgh lecturer whose lessons sparked the creation of the world's most famous detectiveFri, 16 Oct 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/arthur-conan-doyle-based-sherlock-holmes-on-a-real-life-scottish-surgeon-who-used-deduction-to-diagnose-patients-and-investigate-crimes-180989623/Birds in Their Pants: Two Men Accused of Smuggling 21 Avians After Miami Airport Busthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/birds-in-their-pants-two-men-accused-of-smuggling-21-avians-after-miami-airport-bust-180989670/Customs officers say they found the creatures hidden in the men's clothes after they touched down on separate flights from Cuba, and it's unclear whether the two incidents are related. Wildlife trafficking is the world's fourth-largest form of organized crimeThu, 15 Oct 2026 14:52:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/birds-in-their-pants-two-men-accused-of-smuggling-21-avians-after-miami-airport-bust-180989670/Two Recently Stolen Renoir Paintings Were Found Hidden Behind a Cinderblock Wall. French Police Used DNA Evidence and Vehicle Tracking to Crack the Casehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-recently-stolen-renoir-paintings-were-found-hidden-behind-a-cinderblock-wall-french-police-used-dna-evidence-and-vehicle-tracking-to-crack-the-case-180989678/The bungled heist took place at the Renoir Museum on the French Riviera in September. French authorities made six arrests and believe they prevented another "imminent" theft, possibly at a nearby modern art museumWed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-recently-stolen-renoir-paintings-were-found-hidden-behind-a-cinderblock-wall-french-police-used-dna-evidence-and-vehicle-tracking-to-crack-the-case-180989678/Raised in Apartheid South Africa, 2026 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Navi Pillay Is One of the World’s Leading Human Rights Juristshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/raised-in-apartheid-south-africa-2026-nobel-peace-prize-winner-navi-pillay-is-one-of-the-worlds-leading-human-rights-jurists-180989667/When Pillay learned she had won the award, she was in the same courtroom where the Nuremberg Trials held Nazi war criminals to account. Her legal career has been dedicated to fighting against human rights abuses and mass atrocitiesFri, 09 Oct 2026 18:53:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/raised-in-apartheid-south-africa-2026-nobel-peace-prize-winner-navi-pillay-is-one-of-the-worlds-leading-human-rights-jurists-180989667/Thieves Pulled Off Another Shocking Art Heist in France. This Time, They Took a 330-Pound Bronze Book Cover Designed by Salvador Dalíhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thieves-pulled-off-another-shocking-art-heist-in-france-this-time-they-took-a-330-pound-bronze-book-cover-designed-by-salvador-dali-180989638/The volume, "Livre de l’Apocalypse," was a "masterpiece" collaboration of 14 artists and writers. It is one of the heaviest and most expensive books ever madeThu, 08 Oct 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thieves-pulled-off-another-shocking-art-heist-in-france-this-time-they-took-a-330-pound-bronze-book-cover-designed-by-salvador-dali-180989638/An Arson Investigation Is Underway After a Suspected ‘Senseless Act of Vandalism’ Destroys a Newly Installed Benjamin Harrison Statuehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-arson-investigation-is-underway-after-a-suspected-sensless-act-of-vandalism-destroys-a-newly-installed-benjamin-harrison-statue-180989605/The 3D-printed piece was created by students and faculty at Indiana University Indianapolis and had been installed on September 16Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:33:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-arson-investigation-is-underway-after-a-suspected-sensless-act-of-vandalism-destroys-a-newly-installed-benjamin-harrison-statue-180989605/England’s Beloved Sycamore Gap Tree Is Showing Signs of Life, Three Years After Vandals Chopped It Downhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/englands-beloved-sycamore-gap-tree-is-showing-signs-of-life-three-years-after-vandals-chopped-it-down-180989591/Numerous leafy shoots are now sprouting around the base of the tree’s stump, which is located near Hadrian’s Wall in northern EnglandWed, 30 Sep 2026 13:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/englands-beloved-sycamore-gap-tree-is-showing-signs-of-life-three-years-after-vandals-chopped-it-down-180989591/Hitler Had an Intense, Mysterious Relationship With His Half-Niece. New Research Suggests His Alibi for Her Murder Might Not Hold Uphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hitler-had-an-intense-mysterious-relationship-with-his-half-niece-new-research-suggests-his-alibi-for-her-murder-might-not-hold-up-180989572/Recently uncovered documents about the timing of Geli Raubal’s death cast new doubt on the Nazi leader’s alibi, which had been considered reasonably sound for nearly a centuryFri, 25 Sep 2026 19:07:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hitler-had-an-intense-mysterious-relationship-with-his-half-niece-new-research-suggests-his-alibi-for-her-murder-might-not-hold-up-180989572/This Woman Who Lived in 14th-Century China May Have Had Her Nose Cut Off as Punishment for Theft or Adulteryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-woman-who-lived-in-imperial-china-may-have-had-her-nose-cut-off-as-punishment-for-theft-or-adultery-180989551/Researchers found signs of healing on her 700-year-old skull, which suggests that she survived the painful sanction—and may even have gone on to wear a prosthesisWed, 23 Sep 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-woman-who-lived-in-imperial-china-may-have-had-her-nose-cut-off-as-punishment-for-theft-or-adultery-180989551/This Social Worker Was Supposed to Help Orphans Find Homes. Instead, She Abducted Children Who Already Had Families and Sold Them for Profithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-social-worker-was-supposed-to-help-orphans-find-homes-instead-she-abducted-children-who-already-had-families-and-sold-them-for-profit-180989543/Between 1924 and 1950, Georgia Tann placed more than 5,000 children—many of them seized from their parents without permission—with wealthy families across the U.SWed, 23 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-social-worker-was-supposed-to-help-orphans-find-homes-instead-she-abducted-children-who-already-had-families-and-sold-them-for-profit-180989543/More Than 800,000 Bees, Worth Tens of Thousands of Dollars, Have Been Stolen in ‘Sophisticated’ Heists Across Northern Australiahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-800000-bees-worth-tens-of-thousands-of-dollars-have-been-stolen-in-sophisticated-heists-across-northern-australia-180989545/The recent spread of a bee-killing parasite has contributed to an uptick in brazen thefts, experts theorizeTue, 22 Sep 2026 17:38:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-800000-bees-worth-tens-of-thousands-of-dollars-have-been-stolen-in-sophisticated-heists-across-northern-australia-180989545/World’s Largest Collection of Serial Killer ‘Murderabilia,’ From John Wayne Gacy to H.H. Holmes, Opens in Chicagohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worlds-largest-collection-of-serial-killer-murderabilia-from-john-wayne-gacy-to-hh-holmes-opens-in-chicago-180989461/More than 2,000 items belonging or connected to some 150 serial killers from around the globe feature in a chilling new exhibitionWed, 09 Sep 2026 14:24:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worlds-largest-collection-of-serial-killer-murderabilia-from-john-wayne-gacy-to-hh-holmes-opens-in-chicago-180989461/Thieves Broke Into a French Museum and Made Off With Renoir Paintings Worth More Than $2.5 Millionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thieves-broke-into-a-french-museum-and-made-off-with-renoir-paintings-worth-more-than-25-million-180989462/Early today, burglars stole four artworks from the Renoir Museum, in the French Riviera, only to drop two of them as they escapedTue, 08 Sep 2026 19:21:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thieves-broke-into-a-french-museum-and-made-off-with-renoir-paintings-worth-more-than-25-million-180989462/Before Vegas Became Vegas, Hot Springs Was America's Sin City. Now the Arkansas Spa Town Embraces Its Colorful and Seedy Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/before-vegas-hot-springs-americas-sin-city-arkansas-spa-town-embraces-colorful-seedy-history-180989288/A life-size statue of Al Capone greets downtown visitors, and you can stay in his hotel suite. The town where gangsters once vacationed with movie stars and athletes is still open for a getawayWed, 02 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/before-vegas-hot-springs-americas-sin-city-arkansas-spa-town-embraces-colorful-seedy-history-180989288/Thieves Steal 3,000-Year-Old Treasure in a 'Super-Professional' Museum Heist That Took Only Four Minuteshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thieves-steal-3000-year-old-treasure-in-a-super-professional-museum-heist-that-took-only-four-minutes-180989418/Officials were shaken after dozens of ancient artifacts vanished from the local archaeological museum in Villena, Spain. The thieves left only a few pieces from the Bronze Age treasure behindMon, 31 Aug 2026 17:11:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thieves-steal-3000-year-old-treasure-in-a-super-professional-museum-heist-that-took-only-four-minutes-180989418/A Landlord Found a Peculiar Print Hanging in a Vacant Apartment. It Turned Out to Be an Original Picasso That Had Been Missing for Eight Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-landlord-found-a-peculiar-print-hanging-in-a-vacant-apartment-it-turned-out-to-be-an-original-picasso-print-that-had-been-missing-for-eight-years-180989417/When "Torero" vanished from a Milwaukee art gallery in 2018, the owners didn't know whether they'd ever see it again. The man who found the etching turned it over to the police earlier this monthFri, 28 Aug 2026 15:37:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-landlord-found-a-peculiar-print-hanging-in-a-vacant-apartment-it-turned-out-to-be-an-original-picasso-print-that-had-been-missing-for-eight-years-180989417/