HELPER, Utah — A century-old miner's hat that had disappeared after being stolen from a Carbon County museum has likely been lost forever after it was thrown in the trash.
The antique cap recovered from the Wattis Mine was on display at the Helper Museum and served as a look back at the county's historic coal mining past.
However, when the museum's director noticed late last month that the hat was no longer in its case, police were notified and an investigation was conducted.
Several tips from Helper residents led authorities to a juvenile who was believed to have taken the hat from the museum earlier in August.
According to the Helper City Police Department, the juvenile's parent learned that the hat was stolen and threw it into the garbage weeks before it was reported missing. The parent told police that they were unaware that the hat had been swiped from the museum until its disappearance was made public.
Since the hat was tossed in the trash weeks earlier, it has not been recovered.
Upon learning the details of the theft, the Helper Museum announced Monday that guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult when visiting the museum.
