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Jackie Robinson statue found destroyed after being stolen from Wichita park

Pieces of the Jackie Robinson statue were found after a dumpster fire at Garvey Park in south Wichita Tuesday morning.
Hugo Phan
/
KMUW
Pieces of the Jackie Robinson statue were found after a dumpster fire at Garvey Park in south Wichita on Tuesday morning.

The statue had been stolen from a youth baseball league facility at McAdams Park in Wichita last week. While the statue is not salvageable, the league is working on replacing it with the same mold as the original.

The Jackie Robinson statue stolen from League 42’s baseball facility in north Wichita was found in pieces after a dumpster fire at Garvey Park in south Wichita on Tuesday.

The statue was stolen from the youth baseball league’s facility at McAdams Park last week. The league is named after the number Robinson wore. The baseball player is best known for breaking baseball’s color barrier.

Wichita Fire responded to the fire at Garvey Park on Tuesday morning, where they found the statue in pieces after extinguishing the flames.

League 42's Director Bob Lutz speaks to the media at a press conference after the league's Jackie Robinson statue was found dismantled. The statue was made by Lutz's late friend, John Parsons.
Hugo Phan
/
KMUW
League 42's Director Bob Lutz speaks to the media at a press conference after the league's Jackie Robinson statue was found dismantled. The statue was made by Lutz's late friend, John Parsons.

“We’re going to move forward here and not look back,” said Bob Lutz, the league’s director, at a press conference. “Today is a day where we know what’s ahead of us, and we’re going to confront that head on.”

While the statue is not salvageable, the league is working on replacing it with the same mold as the original, made by Lutz’ late friend, John Parsons.

“The statue that reappears at McAdams Park will be the work of John Parsons,” Lutz said.

Carla Eckels
/
KMUW

The statue is estimated to cost $75,000. It was unveiled by the city in 2021.

Wichita Police are continuing to investigate the case, as no arrests have yet to be made.

“There will be arrests, but we're going to make sure that when we do, we will have a solid case,” Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said.

“So for those of you who are in any way involved in this – that means whether you are involved with stealing the statue, whether or not you accepted the statue, you recorded the destruction of the statue – it is only a matter of time. It would be in your best interest that you simply turn yourself in.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for the new statue.

Kylie Cameron (she/her) covers local government for the Wichita Eagle. Cameron previously worked at KMUW, NPR for Wichita and was editor-in-chief of The Sunflower, Wichita State’s student newspaper. You can follow her on Twitter @bykyliecameron.
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