The Utah monolith has now disappeared almost as abruptly as it was discovered.
The Utah Bureau of Land Management released a statement that the “illegally installed structure” had been removed from its public lands by an unknown party, likely on November 27th, after receiving national and international attention.
“The BLM did not remove the structure which is considered private property,” according to the statement posted to the agency’s Facebook page. “We do not investigate crimes involving private property which are handled by the local sheriff’s office.”
The 10- to 12-foot steel object was first discovered by the Utah Department of Public Safety during a sheep-counting expedition in the Utah desert on November 18th. There was “no obvious indication” where it came from or who put it there. The agency posted photos of the monolith to Instagram and its website. But it avoided mentioning the structure’s exact location, warning that it was very remote, and “if individuals were to attempt to visit the area, there is a significant possibility they may become stranded and require rescue.”
Of course, that did not stop internet sleuths from trying to ascertain where the monolith was, who may have put it there, and when, questions that are still without official confirmation.