Is a mother's love strong enough to cause the destruction of masterpieces worth millions of dollars? If the confession of the mother of an accused art thief is to be believed, the answer is yes. The story begins in October of 2012, when works by Picasso, Monet, Matisse, and others were stolen from a museum in the Netherlands. In July of 2013, Olga Dogaru disclosed that her son hid the stolen art in her tiny Romanian town. When he was arrested, she decided to remove the evidence that could connect him to the crime. She placed all the paintings in a wood-burning stove and set them afire. Initial forensic investigation of the stove indicates that Dogaru is telling the truth and the art was burned.
What is the main idea of this passage?
A. A mother's love led to the theft of millions of dollars of artistic masterpieces.
B. Paintings worth millions of dollars were recovered from a tiny Romanian town.
C. Stolen art was probably destroyed when a mother burned paintings to protect her son.
D. The investigation of an art theft in October of 2012 has led to the arrest of the suspect's mother.
C. Stolen art was probably destroyed when a mother burned paintings to protect her son.
Explanation:
The passage explains that the mother "decided to remove the evidence that could connect [the son] to the crime. She placed all the paintings in a wood-burning stove and set them afire." These sentences show that the stolen art was burned by a mother trying to hide evidence that would show her son was guilty of the crime.
