Stolen historic painting of George Washington recovered in Colorado
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (KRDO) - The Englewood Police Department (EPD) has successfully recovered a historic painting of President George Washington that was stolen from a storage facility last year.
According to the EPD, they received a report of the theft from a storage facility in the 3300 block of South Santa Fe Drive in January 2024. The stolen artwork, an early 1800s painting of the nation's first president, had remained missing despite a collaborative investigation between the Englewood Police Department and the FBI Denver Field Office.
The EPD said a Crimestoppers tip in March 2025 provided a crucial lead and suggested multiple individuals may have been involved in the theft. Through further investigation, the EPD identified a person who was believed to be in possession of the artwork.
An investigator contacted the individual, who confirmed that he had unknowingly acquired the stolen painting. He said that while staying at a Denver hotel in 2024, a hotel clerk had given him the painting after finding it abandoned in a vacated room. Due to the widespread publicity surrounding the theft, he hesitated to come forward at the time, the EPD said.
After two weeks of negotiations between police and a representative of the possessor, the painting was voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement on March 28, 2025. The EPD said the artwork itself appears largely undamaged, with only minor cosmetic damage to the frame. The painting, which was insured, will be turned over to the insurance company.
