Suspect Captured On Video Vandalizing Virgin Mary Statue At Florida Church

Authorities in Florida are seeking the public’s help identifying a suspect captured on surveillance video ripping a Virgin Mary statue from its slab outside a church and dumping it in the woods nearby.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said a parishioner at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in DeBary noticed after Sunday evening’s mass that a Virgin Mary statue in the church’s prayer garden was missing. A closer inspection revealed the statue had been pulled from its slab and tossed into tall grass in a wooded area nearby.

Body-worn camera video shared by the sheriff’s office shows a deputy taking photos of the statue where it was found on the ground before heading over to the church to review surveillance video.

That video, also shared by the sheriff’s office, shows the incident took place on July 23. A male suspect can be seen bear-hugging the life-size statue to break it away from the slab at the base. The suspect then carries the statue to the nearby tree line and hurls it into the grass.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information about the incident or the suspect to contact investigators at 386-668-3830 or email CBuettner@volusiasheriff.gov.