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.
“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.
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.
