A suspect in the investigation into the theft of the Vix treasure in Châtillon-sur-Seine was placed in pre-trial detention the day after his placement in police custody, the Nancy public prosecutor announced on Tuesday July 28. The individual in his twenties was identified shortly after the incident by investigators.
The theft took place three days earlier, Friday July 24, at the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais during opening hours. Two individuals entered the establishment around 10 a.m., while other visitors were on the premises. They acted openly, very quickly and following a particularly rapid procedure: they smashed the display case which contained the gold torque, before seizing it and fleeing through the main door. Enough to recall the resounding burglary of the Louvre, perpetrated in October 2025.
The Dijon public prosecutor’s office was contacted and entrusted the investigation into organized gang theft to the research section of the Dijon gendarmerie, which transmitted the file to the specialized interregional jurisdiction of the Nancy public prosecutor’s office. CCTV footage was given to investigators.
This is a hard blow for the museum, which loses its centerpiece after having nevertheless strengthened its security measures. The museum had in fact suffered two intrusion attempts: on the night of November 14 to 15, 2025 and on the night of July 17 to 18, 2026, six days before the theft. The mayor of Châtillon-sur-Seine Jérémie Brigand recalled the heritage importance of the object, which is worth much more than its weight in gold (around 500 grams), probably aware of the risk of it being melted. The gold necklace dated to 500 BCE belonged to a Celtic princess. It was part of the funerary furniture of a tumulus tomb, discovered during excavations carried out at Vix in the 1950s.
The following Monday, the Ministry of Culture unveiled a Security Action Plan for heritage establishments and places of conservation of cultural property in preparation since November 2025. Catherine Pgard took the recent example of the Vix treasure to warn of the “vulnerability” museums and the use of “new operating methods that are increasingly organized, rapid and determined, likely to lead to the disappearance or irremediable destruction of cultural property”. Based on recent reports from parliamentary commissions, the Plan is deployed in six main sections: mapping the most sensitive establishments; continue priority safety projects; strengthen the “safety culture” by further training agents; integrate safety and security into the objectives of directors; strengthen the security, safety and audit mission carried out by the General Directorate of Heritage and Architecture and finally, make new tools available to establishment managers.
Entrance to the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais.
