DNA on abandoned painting sleeve leads French police to two stolen Renoirs hidden behind a cinder block wall

A 29-year-old drug trafficking suspect was charged after his DNA, found on a protective cover left at the scene, matched police records and vehicle-tracking data led investigators straight to the stolen works. Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone revealed the two Renoir paintings — 'Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano' and 'Young Woman at the Well' — were found concealed behind a solid cinder block wall at a home in Clermont-l'Hérault, southern France. Six people were arrested, and four men face preliminary charges including organised theft. Both paintings will need restoration work after sustaining slight damage in the September heist.

The thieves cut through a fence with an electric saw and ripped four frames in under three minutes, fleeing two paintings when police arrived four minutes after the alarm.

Investigators also uncovered what they believe were preparations for a second heist — the main suspect had visited the Maeght Foundation art collection in Saint-Paul-de-Vence just days before his arrest.

The paintings, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, are estimated to be worth a combined €4.2 million; one canvas has a tear 'on the dress' of the portrait's subject.