The St. Albert RCMP has reached a dead end searching for whoever was responsible for the decapitation of a stone sculpture last month.
The RCMP has again asked the public for any tips about the May vandalism incident that damaged StarWoman, a granite statue that was part of a set of five that aboriginal artist Stewart Steinhauer sold to the city last year.
Cpl. Laurel Kading said this week that officers have essentially exhausted their avenues of investigation and need someone to come forward.
“We are depending on the community to come up with our leads now,” she said. “We need something to help us pursue this.”
Kading said the detachment has used the city’s school resource officers to mine for information, but nothing has come forward.
The investigating officer also knocked on doors on any residence that might have been able to see the statue, even those across the Sturgeon River.
Police also asked local businesses about any video surveillance they have that might have caught the incident.
Given there appears to be no information about the incident in local schools, the RCMP are considering someone older might have committed the vandalism, she said.
Kading said the statue was toppled sometime overnight between May 6 and 7. Police initially put a timeline on the toppling between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m., but now believe it was likely knocked over sometime after midnight.
Kading said the police are eager to have the crime solved, at least in part because of the message it sends.
“People start to question their safety, that if something like that can happen what else can happen.”
Police also acknowledge the possibility the statue was unintentionally knocked over and in that case the person or persons responsible should come forward just to bring resolution to the issue.
“Explanations can be looked at,” she said. “It is possible that they thought it was secured. It is possible that now they are afraid to come forward.”
Kelly Jerrott, St. Albert’s director of cultural services, said the city is still looking at ways to secure the four remaining statues.
“We are looking at the various options in terms of how they would be secured,” she said. “We are just exploring what the best option is.”
Jerrott said cameras that would cover the outside of St. Albert Place are also under consideration.
All five statues were controversial when they were purchased last fall for $232,500. They had been on loan to the city last summer, when an option came up to purchase them from Steinhauer, who offered them at below their appraised value.
StarWoman on its own was valued at $65,000.
Crime Stoppers has taped a segment on the vandalism, which is expected to air in July.
Anyone with any information on the crime is asked to call the St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
