By Khalida Sarwari
Nearly a week after the Saint Bernadette statue was mysteriously plucked from in front of the St. Mary’s Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church on N. First Street, it just as inexplicably reappeared wrapped up at a nearby parking lot.
Police found the porcelain statue on Aug. 2 in a parking lot behind 256 E. Hamilton Ave., less than a mile from the church, after receiving a tip around 11:50 a.m.
The tipster indicated that the statue had possibly been located in the area of Hamilton Avenue and Third Street, according to police.
The statue, which was stolen sometime between the night of July 26 and the morning of July 27, was not damaged, police said.
Officers processed the statue for evidence and determined it was the same statue stolen from the church. The statue was subsequently returned to St. Mary’s. Its members, police said, were “thankful that their property has been recovered.”
No arrests have been made in the case and police have not identified any suspects.
