The police department reported that the statue was reported stolen on May 26.
According to a news report from Fox 59, the missing Eve statue was found on May 29, though it was highly damaged during the theft.
An IU employee found the Eve statue in a parking lot on the north side of campus at 7 a.m. Friday.
The sculpture is composed of two statues that represent Adam and Eve. It was created by retired IU-South Bend fine arts professor Anthony J. Droege. Before the sculpture was recovered, Droege said he hoped the disappearance was temporary.
“I do not know what has happened to Eve other than it was vandalized in the process of being stolen,” Droege said. “I can only hope it was a prank, and one way or another, the University will get it back.”
Droege said the bronze would probably earn fewer than $500 in a scrap marketplace, if that was the motive for stealing it.
The case was first reported by Susan McGlocklin, the director of national and classified advertising and circulation. She said that IU professor Bill Yarber was the first witness to notice one of the statues missing.
“A retired professor, Bill Yarber just called to say the new Eve statue in the Arboretum is mostly gone. Only her ankles remain,” McGlocklin said.
Sherry Rouse, the IU curator of campus art, said that the Eve statue was removed by severing the state’s legs at the ankles, leaving the base, which could not be removed from the concrete.
“Eve is gone, no trace,” Rouse said. “I have had Adam and the egregious feet removed. IUPD has a report too.”
Rouse said that the theft happened sometime last weekend. She said there was also report that some fish were swiped from the fountain at the park.
“It is still here, but the costly job of remounting it is depressing,” Rouse said.
The Adam statue was taken off display as the two statues are meant to be shown together.
Representatives from the University are still unclear as to how the statue was stolen.
