Copper St. Francis statue stolen from St. Paul's Garden

A hammered copper St. Francis of Assisi statue by sculptor Hillis Arnold was stolen from St. Paul's Garden at St. Paul Episcopal Church (Episcopal Parish of Alton) in Alton, Illinois, between Saturday evening, September 12, 2026 (last people left about 7–8 p.m.) and Sunday morning, September 13, when the Rev. Garron Daniels arrived about 9:45 a.m. The parish said the statue had stood in the garden about five decades; First Alert 4 said it was installed in the late 1960s to early 1970s (over six decades). Daniels said taking it was likely a multi-person job because the base had been filled with concrete and rebar after prior thefts in the 1980s and 1990s. The parish filed police reports and said copper downspouts were also stolen over the prior about two months (multiple prior reports). A community reward for the statue's return was reported at about $1,200 (Metro East Star) and about $2,000 (First Alert 4).

Coordinates are the Nominatim place_of_worship pin for Saint Pauls Episcopal Church on Market Street, Alton (38.8913742, -90.1849507). Parish address 10 East Third Street also resolves on Nominatim to a nearby house pin (38.8910784, -90.1851070); the amenity pin is used.