The Laura sculpture stolen on Thursday morning has been returned to the East Lansing Police Department, or ELPD, by individuals who located it in front of the Treehouse North Apartments in the 400 block of Evergreen Avenue, ELPD’s Scott Sexton said.
According to a press release, the person who originally stole the statue has been identified.
A cooperating witness in the investigation was able to help ELPD locate the sculpture. The witness told police the sculpture had been placed on the cement wall located in front of the Treehouse North Apartments, but when ELPD arrived on the scene, the sculpture was no longer there.
The sculpture, which normally is located in the Children’s Sculpture Garden in downtown East Lansing, is a 30-inch bronze statue of a little girl holding a bird. The statue is valued at $50,000 and was donated in 2004 by Tomie Raines, Inc., according to ELPD Captain Jeff Murphy.
It was believed that the person who took the sculpture from Evergreen Avenue did not know the sculpture’s worth or that it was stolen.
The Children’s Sculpture Garden is located on the northeast corner of the Albert Avenue and M.A.C. Avenue intersection, and features many sculptures, an interactive fountain and gardens.
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