York police are investigating after five priceless bronze statues owned by the City of Richmond Hill were stolen from a park earlier this month.
Councillor Carol Davidson said that a local resident noticed something was missing while walking the path in Lake Wilcox park. A beloved bronze-sculpted Midland Painted Turtle that was set on an elevated pedestal was gone. And it was not the only one that had been taken.
“It’s really a punch in the gut, that something that the community paid for, the community enjoyed is just stolen.” said Davidson.
According to York Regional police, the theft was reported on August 12 and but they have yet to be able to confirm the time frame of the crime. Mayor David West said they believe it went missing during the overnight hours between August 10 and 11.
West said the City is now going through insurance to try to replace the stolen items.
“Clearly, there was a lot of thought that went into this because the four pieces were on top of poles. And the turtle sculpture itself, I mean, it’s a big piece and I’m sure that it must have weighed quite a lot,” said West.
In fact, Steve Worthington, the artist who sculpted the piece said it weighs just under 200 pounds, and in a statement to CityNews, he called the theft “heartbreaking.”
“These pieces were created to bring joy to the Richmond Hill community and connect people with local wildlife,” said Worthington.
Police say the theft “appears to have been an opportunistic crime for personal gain.”
“While metal theft is by no means new, damage of public art is particularly egregious because it victimizes an entire community. These sculptures are unique pieces that residents enjoyed. The reality is that by now the stolen statues have likely been melted down,” read a police statement.
“In terms of the turtle in particular, it was a beloved piece,” said Davidson “I wish there was a way to count the number of hands that had patted the shell, the number of little babies that sat on it.”
What’s possibly even more heartbreaking is that the original mold for this turtle was tragically destroyed in a fire.
However, Worthington said there is still hope. Before the mold was destroyed, he cast only three of these turtles, one of which he kept for himself. The other is at a children’s hospital.
He said he’s already reached out to the City of Richmond Hill to offer them the remaining piece which is the only exact replacement that will ever exist in cast bronze.
“I absolutely think we need to be replacing these pieces. What that looks like at this point in time, I’m not sure yet. Our staff is actively looking into this,” shared West.
Officials say the City has since beefed up bylaw patrols in the park and York police are asking anyone with information to come forward.
