In November 2001 Breitwieser was captured at the Wagner Museum while Anne-Catherine, his companion, managed to escape. Whereabouts of many stolen paintings remain unknown.
In May 2002 Breitwieser’s mother is arrested by French authorities, Stengel testifies that she alone had disposed of the stolen art and expressed remorse.
After his arrest, his mother is believed to have begun disposing of the stolen art to avoid being charged as an accessory.
Stengel begins to panic and in a frenzy starts to smash various valuable pieces, stuffing them into bags and boxes.
Stengel then dumped multiple car-loads of art into a secluded section of the Rhône-Rhine Canal. On one trip, she dumps the 150-pound Virgin Mary statue in a local church, claiming to have done so alone, even though Breitwieser believes she had help.
Stengel’s new boyfriend Fritsch, denies any involvement but stolen items are found in his pond.
The last items Breitwieser believes were disposed of were the oil paintings on wood, which he presumed were burnt in a forest. The apartment was then cleaned and repainted to remove any trace of the heist.
While Breitwieser assumes this was done to protect him, Stengel tells the police she was actually out to hurt her son as a form of punishment for the stress he'd caused her.