The roughly 800-pound stolen statue of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young that went missing in Salt Lake earlier this week was found Tuesday evening.
A woman from West Jordan, Utah, called police after she spotted the statue in the back of a truck, according to KUTV. Police also received other tips about the statue's whereabouts.
After a long day of #detective work we're happy to report that the bronze statue has been recovered.
— SLC Police Dept. (@slcpd) May 24, 2017
Off's @slcpd recovered this (intact and un-damaged) today Gr8 detective work and follow-up!!! https://t.co/P19A2p1oMW pic.twitter.com/Tnq3nTCIdZ
— Chief Mike Brown (@ChiefMikeBrown) May 24, 2017
According to KUTV, Michele Wilson believed her neighbors were trying to hide the statue in their garage.
The statue was stolen early Tuesday morning near Northgate Business Park, 825 N. 300 West in Salt Lake City. Survallience footage showed three men and one woman load the statue onto a flatbed trailer at approximately 4 a.m. before taking off.
Though police were worried the thieves would try to cut down the statue, valued at $125,000, to sell for scrap metal, the statue was found unharmed.
According to the Deseret News, police are still uncertain about the thieves' motivation for stealing the statue.
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski shared her appreciation for the work that went into finding the statue.
Update: @slcpd reports that the statue has been found un-damaged! Great work! https://t.co/NOkZAZSZ2M
— Mayor Erin Mendenhall (@slcmayor) May 24, 2017
