Almost a week after a burglary at the Northwest 23rd Avenue location of Paxton Gate, a store that sells taxidermy, jewelry and other curios, a 30,000-year-old cave hyena skull that retailed for $40,500 is still missing.
A thief or thieves broke into the store early Tuesday morning, according to a Facebook post from the business.
The burglary was caught on surveillance video, according to the post. A suspect’s face is covered.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reached out to employees and a manager for comment, but they deferred questions to the store’s owner, who did not respond by Sunday afternoon.
A description of the skull that was once for sale at the store said it originated in Siberia. Cave hyenas are also known as Ice Age spotted hyenas.
The storefront is one of two Paxton Gates specializing in eccentric collectibles in Portland. The other location is on North Mississippi Avenue. The store also operates in San Francisco.
Store co-owner Andy Brown told Willamette Week that the man emptied the jewelry cases and then returned to take the fossilized skull. Brown believes he took it for a reason, he told the publication Tuesday.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744
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