Police investigate Melania Trump bronze statue disappearance in Slovenia

Police are investigating the disappearance of a bronze statue of first lady Melania Trump in her hometown in Slovenia.

The life-size sculpture that was unveiled in 2020 was sawed off at the ankles and removed near Sevnica, Slovenia, where Melanija Knavs was born in 1970, The Associated Press reported. The bronze statue replaced the original wooden statue that had been set on fire in July 2020.

Police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik Rangus said Friday that after being informed about the theft of the statue on Tuesday, police are working to determine the culprit.

The original wooden statue was cut from the trunk of a linden tree and showed Trump in a pale blue dress, similar to what she wore during President Trump's first inauguration. The bronze statue does not obviously resemble the first lady.