Overview

• Saint Paul Police confirmed the solid-bronze statue and its nameplate base were taken within the past 24 hours from Lake Phalen Regional Park.
• Officers discovered the engraved stone in the lake but say the 30–50-pound bronze bust remains missing.
• Investigators are reviewing park surveillance footage and have alerted local scrap dealers to watch for resale attempts.
• Artist Seexeng Lee and Suni Lee’s family expressed shock and called the act a senseless vandalism against a cherished community symbol.
• The theft follows a surge in metal-related crimes that prompted new scrap-metal licensing rules and over $1 million spent on public art and infrastructure repairs in St. Paul.