Banana slug statue vanishes from California museum, cops say. ‘We are devastated’
A special banana slug statue vanished from a locked-up museum garden, police and the museum said.
Now, authorities are asking the public for help finding the display.
Morris, also known as Morrie, was last seen Nov. 2 at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, the Eureka Police Department said in a Facebook post.
Whoever nabbed him cut the lock and chain into the Melvin Schuler Sculpture Garden between 9 p.m. Nov. 2 and 11 a.m. Nov. 3, the museum said in a Facebook post.
The statue was then “pried” from its post, the museum said.
The incident happened after 800 people came to the museum for an event.
“We are devastated by the theft of our beloved Morris the Slug. Art is meant to connect the community and bring us together,” Executive Director-Curator of the Humboldt Arts Council Jemima Harr said in the post.
Police said the statue is about a year old and is 2 feet long. It was created by Shannon Sullivan and Jessica Swan.
Anyone with information about Morrie’s whereabouts can contact the police department at 707-441-4044.
“In such a divided time it is art that can unite us, and that is what Morris was intended to do,” Harr said.
Eureka is about a 270-mile drive northwest from San Francisco.
This story was originally published November 7, 2024 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Banana slug statue vanishes from California museum, cops say. ‘We are devastated’."
