A damaged unicorn statue is shown in a field outside of Delia, Alta. in this undated handout photo. It's not often police can report that a unicorn has been found, but it was the truth Saturday when RCMP said a stolen, stainless-steel statue of the mythical beast had been located in a field not far from where he'd been taken. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, RCMP *MANDATORY CREDIT*
April 17, 2021 - 5:50 PM
DELIA, Alta. - It's not often police can report that a unicorn has been found, but it was the truth Saturday when RCMP said a stolen, stainless-steel statue of the mythical beast was found in a field not far from where it was taken.
According to Jane McMullin, co-owner of Hand Hills Crafts in Delia, Alta., "Morgan the Mystical Unicorn" had stood, embedded in the ground with spikes, outside the business for two years and had become a bit of a tourist attraction.
But McMullin says a neighbour phoned her Friday on morning and told her that her unicorn "had run away."
RCMP issued a news release Saturday saying the statue was found about 15 kilometres from the village, damaged, with its bronze-coloured horn broken off.
The release says police are still looking for suspects, and have called in their forensics experts to help.
McMullin says "friendly people" have transported Morgan back to Delia, but she says he's got scratches and dents that will need to be repaired along with the horn.
"It was heartbreaking to see the damage," she said. "He's going to be down and out for a while."
Investigators say that between 1:00 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on Friday, they believe a vehicle was driven to Delia where suspects loaded the statue in the box of a large utility truck.
The statue, which measures more than three-metres high and weighs more than 270 kilograms, is worth $10,000, police said.
McMullin said the unicorn statue was given to her and her partner as a gift and once stood in Iricana, Alta. Originally, she said, it came from Texas.
"He was a great landmark. People would say, 'When you get to Delia, turn right at the unicorn,'" McMullin said.
"We've had hundreds of people stop to get pictures of him."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2021.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2021