WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — The case of the stolen pearl from the sculpture “Pearl of the Wabash” has been solved.
The artist, Esteban Garcia, was the culprit.
West Lafayette police took a report last week that the pearl in the sculpture had been stolen. The damage to the sculpture was estimated to be about $10,000, police said.
But on Sunday, Garcia posted on Facebook several photos and confessed that he took the pearl.
More: Thieves steal pearl from West Lafayette Pearl of the Wabash sculpture at Tapawingo Park
West Lafayette police Lt. Troy Greene said the city had no idea that Garcia planned to remove the pearl to fix it, so when a city employee reported it stolen, police started an investigation.
“The piece was actually vandalized on a game night a few weekends ago,” Garcia said in the post. “Possibly a group of (drunk?) people were able to break and detach the pearl from its base and left it loose.”
Last week, someone rolled the pearl from the mussel shell and down the hill, Garcia noted.
Estevan Garcia, the artist who created the Pearl of the Wabash sculpture, posted that the pearl inside the mussel shell was not stolen. He removed it to repair it.
Garcia then made arrangements for a contractor to pick up the heavy pearl so he can repair it.
“We want to put it back in place better, strong and as soon as possible,” Garcia said.
Mystery solved.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Missing pearl from West Lafayette sculpture has been found