Six Thousand Pounds of Sculpture Are Stolen, Somehow
Some thieves swipe something inexpensive from the drugstore. Maybe they lift a wallet. If they have a thirst for art, perhaps they nab a small painting.
Recent art burglars in Southern California had to do it the hard way.
Two large statues were taken from a secured warehouse in Anaheim, Calif., this month. And we mean large. They weighed in at 4,000 and 2,000 pounds each.
'They'd have had to have the right equipment, a truck, maybe a forklift, and several people to lift these statues,' said Sgt. Matt Sutter, a public information officer for the Anaheim police.
Though the thieves showed some ingenuity, and maybe raw strength, in pulling off the heist, covering their tracks in the aftermath did not seem to have been their forte.
The statues, taken sometime on the weekend of June 14, were located a week later thanks to tips from the community, the police said. They were found sitting in a trailer in a driveway in Anaheim.
No arrests have been made as of Monday morning, but the police said they were still working on the case.
The bronze and steel sculptures of winged, horned men are named 'Quantum Mechanics: Homme' and 'Icarus Within' and are the work of Daniel Winn, who calls his art style Existential Surrealism.
Mr. Winn's art aims to 'explore the basic nature of human existence and examine the relationship between free will and providence, between self-determination and the universal plan,' according to his website.
The 'Homme' sculpture was featured in a 2022 short film about him called 'Creation.'
'I have no physical, organic children,' Mr. Winn told The Los Angeles Times, when he learned of the theft. 'Every artwork I create is my child.'
None of the more portable items in the warehouse were taken, whether existential, surreal or otherwise. Instead, only the eight feet tall winged behemoths somehow walked out of there. Or flew.
The police said they did not know the motive.
While it's possible that a mad art lover with a passion for the Daedalus legend nicked 'Icarus' and 'Homme,' the statues also might have been purloined for more mundane ends: to be sold for scrap metal. A bronze statue of the ballerina Marjorie Tallchief was hacked down from its pedestal on the grounds of a museum in Tulsa, Okla., in 2022. It was sold to recycling centers for a few hundred dollars.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Ex-CFA Institute Executive Charged With Embezzling Millions
The CFA Institute 's former chief marketing officer was charged with embezzling nearly $5 million from the financial education group to fund a lavish lifestyle that included club memberships, travel and the purchase of a $150,000 engagement ring. Michael J. Collins, who worked at the CFA Institute from 2016 to 2022, was arrested Monday on an eight-count indictment by the Manhattan district attorney's office. According to prosecutors, he used his position as a marketing executive to hire outside consulting firms that he actually created and controlled, submitting fake invoices for 'non-existent work.'
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Florida's Operation Dragon Eye rescues dozens of ‘critically missing' children in massive sting
Dozens of children were rescued in a blow to child sex trafficking operations in Florida, officials announced Monday. Dubbed Operation Dragon Eye, the initiative was spearheaded by the U.S. Marshals Office for the Central District of Florida and supported by the state Attorney General James Uthmeier's Office of Statewide Prosecution (OSP). The effort involved 20 agencies working in tandem to locate 60 critically missing children and apprehend suspects tied to trafficking, drugs and child endangerment. "The real heroes behind this operation are the law enforcement who built and executed this mission," Uthmeier said in a release. "As your Attorney General and a father of three young kids, protecting children is my top priority. If you victimize children, you're going to prison, end of story." Authorities said the recovered children ranged in age from 9 to 17, and many of them were missing and at risk of being exploited. The U.S. Marshals Service defines "critically missing" children as "those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure or domestic violence." The operation uncovered the gut-wrenching realities of sex trafficking — including several young girls who were pregnant, one of them carrying the child of her trafficker. Officials stressed that the operation didn't end with their rescue, but each child received immediate medical evaluations and psychological support, with long-term care protocols set in motion. "The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care," said U.S. Marshal William Berger. "This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youths will not return back to the streets to be further victimized." The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) also played a central role in the operation. Commissioner Mark Glass assured the parents of missing children that the department will "never stop searching." "Sixty kids saved. That number sends the message that Florida will never be a safe place for traffickers," Glass said. "At FDLE, we will continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. And to any family still missing their child, we will never stop searching until we make sure they are brought home safely." Eight individuals were arrested during the operation, the agency said. They face a variety of charges, including human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession and drug trafficking. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may follow. The Office of Statewide Prosecution is handling the criminal cases, with support from state attorneys in the Sixth and Thirteenth Judicial Circuits. Special Counsel Rita Peters has been appointed to lead the prosecution in the human trafficking case, while two additional trafficking cases remain under investigation. Sex trafficking continues to pose a persistent threat in Florida, with the state among the top three in the nation for reported human trafficking cases, alongside California and Texas, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. In 2024 alone, according to the agency, Florida received over 1,830 signals, which led to the identification of 1,874 victims. The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) found that many victims are minors between the ages of 11 and 17, often lured through manipulation or online platforms. In response, Florida leaders have stepped up both funding and legislative efforts. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently allocated $4.9 million to expand emergency shelter beds and staff support for trafficking victims, while an additional $900,000 in grant funding was provided to the FDLE. WATCH: "Florida is being proactive about stopping human trafficking," DeSantis previously said. "Though our open southern border invites criminal activity like human trafficking, states can combat it with stronger penalties and increased training for emergency personnel to recognize and respond to trafficking, and today I was pleased to institute those measures in Florida." State lawmakers have also passed legislation to increase penalties for traffickers and mandate trafficking-awareness training for hotel workers, healthcare providers and school staff. Fox News Digital has reached out to Uthmeier's office for comment.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
ICE arrests alleged gang member hiding from Mexican authorities in sanctuary city: 'Heinous murderer'
EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an illegal immigrant in New Haven, Connecticut, who is wanted for allegedly killing a Mexican law enforcement officer. Orlando Diaz-Cebada, known as "El Leches," was taken into ICE custody on June 12, 2025, in Connecticut. He is allegedly a member of the Los Pochos gang that works with the Sinaloa Cartel, according to DHS. "Thanks to our brave ICE law enforcement and federal partners, this criminal illegal alien fugitive wanted for murdering a law enforcement official in Mexico is off America's streets. This heinous murderer attempted to evade justice by hiding out in Connecticut," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "These are the types of barbaric criminal illegal aliens our brave ICE law enforcement risks their lives every day to arrest. America is no longer a safe haven for violent criminals. If you are a criminal illegal alien considering entering America illegally, don't even think about it. If you come here and break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United. States," McLaughlin added. Diaz-Cebda entered the United States illegally in May 2024, and was deported twice by U.S. Border Patrol, as he tried to enter again two days after the first try. According to DHS, the circumstances of when he returned to the U.S. are unclear, as the department said he was not "inspected, admitted, or paroled" by federal authorities. A document reviewed by Fox News Digital from the attorney general's office in Tlaxcala, a state in Mexico, showed that he is wanted in the country for aggravated homicide. The arrest warrant was filed on April 23, 2024, a month before he came to the U.S. New Haven is considered a sanctuary city, according to WSHU. In April, Mayor Justin Elicker touted a legal win as the Trump administration attempted to scrap federal funding for cities that do not comply with federal immigration enforcement. "New Haven is a welcoming city and we're committed to ensuring all our residents feel safe calling the police, seeking medical care, sending their children to school, and accessing critical public services. It's not only the right policy, it's the practical policy," Elicker said in a statement in April. "We need to make sure our police department is working to fight crime and not commandeered to do the work of the federal government. We are very pleased with this ruling and that New Haven will be able to use lawfully obligated federal funds to further strengthen public safety in our city," the Democrat added. Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor's office. "We fully support the efforts of our federal partners in apprehending this individual, who stands accused of a heinous crime, the killing of a fellow officer. While everyone is entitled to due process, we stand firmly behind actions that protect our communities," a spokesperson for the New Haven Police Department stated.
