Officials at the University are offering a $2,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to the recovery of “The Falconer” statue, which was believed to be taken from the courtyard in front of Prince Lucien Campbell Hall early last week.
University spokesperson Phil Weiler said the exact day the statue was stolen remains unclear. Officials at the University noticed the statue was missing, Weiler said, but no one was sure why it was gone, and they wondered if the University had arranged for it to be taken somewhere.
University spokesperson Julie Brown said the University’s Department of Public Safety has not received any tips about the sculpture’s location. Eugene Police Department Public Information Director Melinda Kletzok also said police have made no leads in the case.
At this point, Weiler said, it remains unclear if the statue was stolen or taken as part of a prank. No matter the case, Weiler said taking the several-hundred pound sculpture would not be an easy task.
“It’s not like you could just grab it, sneak it behind your coat and take it away,” he said.
The statue was a graduation gift to the University from Jordan Schnitzer, and it is an important fixture to the University community, so officials are willing to do what it takes to see it safely returned, Weiler said.
The statue’s unique quality, he said, may help University and law enforcement officials locate the piece of art.
“It is a very distinctive piece of art,” Weiler said. “If someone has seen it, they’ve seen it.”
Weiler said individuals can report information about the statute to EPD’s property crime tips line at (541) 682-8888, or they can make an anonymous call to the Crime Stoppers tip line at 1 (800) 3DETECT.
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