Thanks to the help of the community, a familiar fixture outside of the Art Center of Corpus Christi has been recovered.
Friday, KRIS 6 News reported one of the bronze sculptures honoring a pair of well-known philanthropists was stolen.
Statue of Corpus Christi philanthropist stolen
Employees with the Art Center of Corpus Christi reported to police Friday morning that someone took the statue of Shirley "Sam" Fielder Durrill. The bronze statue used to sit next to the sculpture, Dusty Durrill.
Friday night, CCPD officers found the statue in the water, just about 100 yards away from its original spot. Corpus Christi police say the theft wasn’t an easy job.
Lt. Tommy Nichols, with the Corpus Christi Police Department, said, the statue weighed two to three hundred pounds. "It wasn’t something that just one person could move. I’m guessing it took at least two, if not more," Lt. Nichols said.
Nearly two thousand people shared a Facebook post created by the Art Center of Corpus Christi, seeking help from the community.
Sierra Shamblin, with the Art Center of Corpus Christi, says,"on social media, their love was just overwhelming and knowing that they really care about us and what we do, and those in the community that care about the arts."
The bike officers had done an outstanding job of following the trail and locating actually where they thought it had gone into the water," Lt. Nichols said.
The CCPD Dive Team recovered the statue within minutes of getting in the water. The statue of Mrs. Sam Durrill was taken back to police headquarters to be cleaned, claimed, and should return to her view of the Bayfront within the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Detectives have launched an investigation into finding the people who removed the statue and are waiting to look at surveillance video Monday.
If you have any other information about this theft, you’re encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 361-888-TIPS.
