Billy the Kid Tombstone Vandalized As Thieves Make Off With Relics From The Old West In Fort Sumner

The legendary outlaw Billy the Kid's tombstone was vandalized last week by unknown criminals causing $2,000 worth of damage.

De Baca County authorities in New Mexico are searching for the vandals who broke into the old Fort Sumner Museum where the western gunslinger's remains are kept. Officials said that three antique rifles and a shotgun were stolen from the museum around 3:40 a.m. on June 16, reported KOB.

The police have few leads and the criminals remain on the run. Police are offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading the arrest of the thieves and the safe return of the stole property.

Several other graves at the cemetery and museum were vandalized by the thieves, reported the Daily Mail.

Born in New York City, Billy the Kid was a central figure during a violent Irish-English ranch war in New Mexico.

Billy the Kid, born William Henry McCarty, Jr. in 1859, came to New Mexico in with his mother, while the family was searching for a better economic opportunities.

His whole life he was searching for a home, said filmmaker John Maggio, who directed a documentary about Billy the Kid, reported Fox News. There was more to him that the fact that he killed and was an outlaw.

In Silver City, N.M. he learned to speak Spanish and learned Mexican customs. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was only 15 and was raised by Mexican-American ranchers, Fox News reported.

When his mentor was killed by a corrupt sheriff, William Brady, Bill the Kid organized an assassination against Brady during the so-called Lincoln County War.

His demise would begin when he fell in love with the daughter of a Mexican-American landowner. As he was being chased down b a sheriff, he refused to leave his girlfriend's side. Her brother tipped off the legendary Sheriff Pat Garret, who gunned down the Kid when he was only 21-years-old.