York police are looking into the theft of five valuable bronze statues belonging to the City of Richmond Hill that were stolen from a park earlier this month.
Councillor Carol Davidson mentioned that a local resident spotted the missing pieces while walking along the path in Lake Wilcox park. A favorite bronze sculpture of a Midland Painted Turtle that was placed on an elevated pedestal was gone, and it wasn’t the only one 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, they received a report about the theft on August 12 but haven’t confirmed when exactly it happened. Mayor David West stated they suspect it went missing during the night between August 10 and 11.
West noted that the City is currently working with insurance to try to replace what was stolen.
“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.
Steve Worthington, the artist behind this piece, shared that it weighs just under 200 pounds and called the theft “heartbreaking” in his statement to City News.
“These pieces were created to bring joy to the Richmond Hill community and connect people with local wildlife,” said Worthington.
The police described the theft as “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.”
An even more heartbreaking detail is that the original mold for this turtle was unfortunately destroyed in a fire.
However, Worthington mentioned there’s still some hope. Before losing the mold, he cast only three turtles; one he kept for himself and another is at a children’s hospital.
He has already reached out to Richmond Hill officials offering them his remaining piece which will be the only exact replica ever made 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 reported that they have since increased bylaw patrols in the park and York police are urging anyone with information to step forward.
An elevated pedestal where a beloved bronze sculpture of a turtle once stood is left empty in a Richmond Hill park. CITYNEWS Keep it Factual
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