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Elderly crossword solver undaunted by police probe

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The 91-year-old woman who mistakenly filled in the blanks on a crossword puzzle-looking piece of modern art last month appears to be in good spirits amid a police investigation.

Retired German dentist Hannelore K., whose last name has not been released, was allegedly confused by the “Insert words” sign next to Arthur Köpcke's 1977 “Reading-work-piece” displayed in the Neues Museum in Nürnberg, Germany, according to media reports.

Hannelore's lawyer, Heinz-Harro Salloch, apparently wrote in a seven-page rebuttal to the accusations against his client that, by solving the puzzle and drawing attention to the relatively unknown piece, she actually increased its value, Ars Technica UK reported.

Presented to the museum by a private collector, the piece is valued at more than $88,000, according to reports.

Though the investigation is ongoing, the art has already been restored to its original state and the owner “took the damage to the work in good humor,” the Washington Post reported.

In the future, the museum will place a sign beside the seemingly interactive artwork warning visitors not to fill in the crossword puzzle, according to reports.

All this and we still don't know how many answers Hannelore got right.

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