Police in St. Paul say someone stole a brass statue of Olympic champion Suni Lee.

The bust wasn't the only thing taken — the thieves also took the rock that had the superstar gymnast's nameplate.

Lee was back in St. Paul for the statue's unveiling in 2023 and it has sat at Lake Phalen ever since — until now.

Police said on Thursday that they think it was stolen within the past day.

"Statue was here yesterday, gone today," said Pat Coleman.

Coleman enjoys his morning walks around Lake Phalen. But on Friday, he noticed that something was missing.

"It's very sad that someone would want to destroy something like that, that someone worked so hard for and have a thing for. It's crazy," said Coleman.

Police say that around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, park workers reported the brass bust of Lee was gone. 

As of now, police can only speculate why.

"One, they could sell it for scrap metal. Or just vandalism. It could be anything. We don't know at this point," said Sgt. Toy Vixayvong.

On Friday, officers were canvassing the area looking for clues. Lee's statue weighs nearly 50 pounds.

"So if anybody in that area has a ring camera or anything like that, please let us know if they captured anything. That would help us greatly," said Vixayvong.

This isn't the first time in recent history a statue has gone missing in St. Paul. In February, someone stole a statue of F. Scott Fitzgerald from outside his childhood home. A scrap company called police when the alleged thief attempted to sell the bronze statue, which had been cut into pieces. He was arrested and charged with one count of felony receiving stolen property.

Last year, someone stole metal art and a veteran's plaque from Harriet Island Park. 

Over the past few years, the city of St. Paul has seen an increase in copper wire thefts. In 2023, the city spent more than $1.2 million to replace and repair street lights and signals. In response, legislators passed a law requiring a license to sell scrap copper metal.

Lee's statue cost $6,700 to install in 2023.

As for the Lee statue, St. Paul police want anyone with information to email SPPD-eastinvestigations@stpaul.gov