Wichita police said the stolen statue of baseball legend Jackie Robinson was found early Tuesday, and it had been destroyed.

Fire crews were called to Garvey Park at 3501 South Washington around 8:30 Tuesday morning on a report of a trash can fire.   Police spokesman Andrew Ford said crews got the fire out, and then saw what appeared to be pieces of the Jackie Robinson statue that was cut down and stolen on January 25th.   Ford said the statue is not salvageable.

Fire investigators are looking into the cause of the trash can fire, and police are continuing their investigation into the theft of the statue.   Ford said more than a hundred interviews have been conducted, and they’re tracking down leads with the help of video footage provided by local businesses and the public.

City Council member Brandon Johnson called it a heartbreaking discovery, but he said the statue will be rebuilt and put back in place for League 42 and its players.  League 42 has started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the new statue.

League 42 founder and director Bob Lutz said “It’s not the result we wanted, but it is a result and we can move on.”  The sculptor of the statue, John Parsons of Derby, passed away in 2022, but Lutz said the mold for the Jackie Robinson statue still exists, and he said the statue that reappears will be the work of John Parsons.

Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan had a message for anyone who was involved in the theft of the statue, “It is only a matter of time, and it would be in your best interest to simply turn yourself in, come forward, admit your part in this.”   Sullivan said police will be arresting “several people” in connection with the theft and destruction of the statue.

[ photo: League 42 – Facebook ]