Bronze 600-pound stolen military tribute statue recovered in Southwest Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - UPDATE: The statue was found in Southwest Detroit on Oct. 25.

The statue when it was recovered. 

The 600-pound statue was unveiled last June at Rouge Park – and just four months later, it’s gone. Nothing left behind but the shoes.

"Six-hundred pounds. My understanding is over 5 feet tall," said Detroit Police Chief James White.

The statue was of Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson from Detroit, a Tuskegee Airman - the first Black military pilots, forbidden from holding the title before 1941.

White was at the scene surveying what’s left behind - twisted metal, and bronze shoes.  

"It's so disappointing, it's dedicated to a Lieutenant Colonel who used to fly over here. A World War II veteran hero," he said.

The monument is priceless to his family and worth about $1,500 to scrap.

"It's a slap in the face to his family and it's really sad," White said.

Last June it was erected – and on Tuesday night it disappeared from Rouge Park, near Joy Road and Spinoza Drive.  

"Six hundred pounds, so again, they didn't take it by themselves," White said. "People saw something. They may have mistook it for somebody working on the plaza, which is what I suspect happened."

The chief says a nearby school has a pretty good view of Jefferson Field where the plaza is, and monument used to be. sSecurity video could help crack this one, but time is of the essense.

"We're going to put $5,000 in Rewards TV no questions asked, tell us what you saw," he said.

The theory – is whoever stole it, is looking to scrap it.

"If somebody shows up at your scrapyard with a 600-pound bronze statue should be a little bit curious, right?" White said.

There is a $5,000 reward being offered, no questions asked – for information on where this statue went.