Golden resident Tom Wenzoski died on March 27, and then the very next day, a statue was stolen from his property.
The statue is a wood carving of a knight chess piece. It stands at about four feet tall and is missing one of its ears — which one is missing is unclear to the Wenzoski family.
The statue was carved by Wenzoski’s son Robbin who is a professional chainsaw carver. It was made as a gift to his mother, Ethel May Wenzoski who was born and raised in Golden. She died in May 2015 shortly after receiving the gift from her son.
“It’s a really sentimental thing for our family,” said Rick Wenzoski, one of Tom’s sons. “My brother carved it; there won’t be another in the world.”
The matter has been reported to the RCMP.
The timing of the burglary —immediately after Tom’s death— is an added cause for suspicion for the family.
“I feel like it had to be [stolen by] someone local,” Wenzoski said. “It’s pretty low of someone to do that.”
According to Rick, the statue was visible from the highway and when people would drive by the house, they would tell his father they liked it.
The Wenzoskis are hopeful that someone from town might be able to spot the statue.
“All my friends around town are keeping an eye out for it,” Wenzoski said.
Although the matter is before the RCMP, the Wenzoski family has said that they will not proceed with charges if the statue is returned.
“There would be no charges pending,” Wenzoski said. “It would be nice because of its sentimental value.”
Anyone with information about the statue’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Golden-Field RCMP at (250) 344-2221.
READ MORE: Golden-Field RCMP received 244 calls for service, including courthouse fire in March
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