WAYNE COUNTY (WSIL) -- A life-size statue of Jesus that was stolen last year in Wayne County has been recovered.
Last summer, Sandra Crowder reported a life-size, copper statue of Jesus stolen. She said it went missing form her husband's gravestone in the Orchardville-Poplar Creek Cemetery in July 2021.Â
Crowder says her husband spent years making the statue by hand for his grandmother and donated it to the Poplar Creek Church after she died.
When her husband passed away 3 years ago, the church returned it to Crowder and her son.
On Wednesday, Crowder told News 3 the statue had been recovered.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office said tips received Tuesday led them to a residence in Rinard, Illinois, a small community north of Cisne.
After questioning suspects, deputies received a confession to the theft and a location of the statue. Deputies located the Jesus statue in a wooded area, hidden by some brush.Â
Crowder says she isn't pressing charges at this time, but is looking forward to being reunited with the statue her husband worked so hard to create.Â
