Police searching for suspect after Virgin Mary statue is found headless in Parkdale
Posted August 31, 2020 11:18 am.
Last Updated August 31, 2020 6:18 pm.
A Toronto church says an investigation is underway with police after a statue of the Virgin Mary was found decapitated over the weekend.
The statue, located at the “Our Lady of Lebanon Parish” near Queen Street West and Beaty Avenue in Parkdale, was discovered vandalized by a parishioner before morning mass on Sunday.
In a statement issued on Facebook, the church says they’re hoping to catch whoever did this.
“Our parishioners, when exiting the church, were horrified to see such a deplorable and malicious act,” it reads, in part.
“We already contacted the police and sent them some pictures and asked them to investigate the matter. On the other hand, we are reviewing the feeds from security cameras installed around the church premises, hoping to find some leads to whomever had done it.”
Toronto Police continue to investigate the decapitation of a statue of the Virgin Mary outside Our Lady of Lebanon, on Queen St. W. near Roncesvalles. Parishioners arrived to mass yesterday and saw the damage. @680NEWS pic.twitter.com/nawkyjcfez
— Mark Douglas (@DouglasCityNews) August 31, 2020
Toronto police say the suspect is described as 5-foot-11 to 6-foot-1 with a thin build, long dark swept back hair, and clean shaven.
He was wearing a black t-shirt with a large white design on the front, a thin red vest over the t-shirt, beige shorts and dark Birkenstock-style sandals.
“From the depth of my heart, I am crying,” one parishioner tells 680News. “Uncultured people have done this.”
The church says the statue has been part of the parish for more than 25 years.
Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators.
This comes after activists in Montreal pulled down a statue of John A. McDonald, Canada’s first prime minister, over the weekend.
