Investigators told the Deseret Morning News that they believe as many as four people may have participated in the theft.

"They would have had to have gone through that museum on a few occasions to see what books they wanted to target," Garcia said. "They would have gone to the museum just prior to the burglary to make sure the books were still in place. Because they targeted only one showcase."

At about 1 a.m. Wednesday, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper patrolling Capitol Hill noticed a cut screen and broken window at the museum. Inside, a glass case where rare books were stored was smashed.

Police said 13 books were stolen, including rare copies of the Book of Mormon. Two were first-edition copies, published in 1830, the same year Joseph Smith founded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many other books of lesser value were left behind, investigators told the Deseret Morning News.

This is not the first time this batch of books has been stolen. Garcia investigated the thefts of the same books in 1993. Then, 115 items were stolen from the Daughters of Utah Pioneers museum, including medals and early Mormon scriptures. They were all eventually recovered. Rare booksellers were put on alert to watch out for anyone trying to sell the sacred texts, which are valued at anywhere from $800,000 to $1 million.

"Money is always the motivation behind these types of heists," Garcia said.

"It's ironic I'd be doing this 13 years later," Garcia said.

"Unfortunately, I think the security (at the DUP museum) is lacking," bookseller Ken Sanders told the Deseret Morning News Thursday. He urged the Daughters of Utah Pioneers to invest in an updated security system complete with alarms and cameras.

Telephone calls to the DUP were not returned Friday.

The International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers was founded in 1901 to preserve the state's history. According to their website, the group seeks "to encompass a broad scope of services, ranging from the preservation of historic landmarks to the education of thousands of school children and other citizens about the pioneer forebears."

Thefts of vintage Books of Mormon are on the increase, according to rare booksellers. Sanders called them the "Holy Grail of Mormon book collecting" whose values are skyrocketing among collectors.

Some thefts still have not been solved. In November 2005, two copies of the Book of Mormon, published in 1840 and 1841, were stolen from the LDS Institute of Religion at the University of Utah. In February, a copy of the Book of Mormon dating back to 1840 was stolen from the Beehive House, one of state founder and second LDS Church president Brigham Young's family homes a block from Temple Square.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com