The Bureau of Land Management in Utah has confirmed a series of “credible reports” that the monolith is no more, saying that the structure was taken by an unknown “person or group” on Friday night.
When it was discovered last week, the strange object was dubbed the ‘monolith’, despite being metallic and hollow, in homage to Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. While more popular — and unimaginative — theories claim that the structure is either a marketing gimmick, a publicity stunt, an art installation or a prank, many online have conjured up more elaborate and otherworldly ideas as to its purpose.
READ MORE: ‘Alien super weapon? Xbox prototype?’ Internet sleuths uncover coordinates of ‘Utah monolith’ as netizens debate origin & purpose
But backpackers and thrill hunters, who flocked into the area immediately after its location was pinpointed by online sleuths, believe the artefact was stolen rather than taken by rightful owners, be they terrestrial or extraterrestrial.
In the meantime, someone has since installed a small cairn marking the spot where the mysterious structure — a 3-meter-tall, not-so-monolithic pillar with triangular cross-section — once stood, according to a series of photos shared by another hiker and camper, Richard Michaelson.
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