(NewsNation) — Police in Slovenia are investigating the disappearance of a bronze statue of U.S. first lady Melania Trump that was sawed off and carried away from her hometown.
The life-size sculpture was unveiled in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term in office near Sevnica in central Slovenia, where Melanija Knavs was born in 1970. It replaced a wooden statue that had been set on fire earlier that year.
Police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik Rangus said Friday that the police were informed about the theft of the statue on Tuesday. She said police were working to track down those responsible.
According to Slovenian media reports, the bronze replica was sawn off at the ankles and removed.
The Guardian reports the original statue, which featured the U.S. first lady in a blue dress and heels, had been carved with a chainsaw by Aleš Župevc, a local artist, out of a tree.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.