Suspect arrested after Make-A-Wish statue stolen from Phoenix office, destroyed

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — A man has been arrested in connection to the theft of a bronze statue from a Make-A-Wish office in Phoenix earlier this month. Part of the statue was also found but has been destroyed.

Phoenix police say 32-year-old Troy Burke was arrested following an investigation involving the department’s Property Crimes Unit. Burke allegedly admitted his involvement in the theft, telling investigators he took pieces of the statue to two separate scrapyards, making $60 at one location and $120 from the other. Burke later booked into the Maricopa County jail on multiple charges including theft and trafficking stolen property. Police say he also had drugs in one of his pockets when he was arrested.

The bronze statue of 7-year-old Christopher James Greicius, who inspired the creation of Make-A-Wish, was stolen from the nonprofit’s headquarters near 16th Street and Highland Avenue on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Surveillance video showed a car pull up to the building and two people using a harness to remove the statue from the base. The pair then loaded the statue into the trunk and drove away.

Officers are still searching for the second suspect in the statue’s theft and destruction. Anyone with information is asked to call Phoenix police or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-TESTIGO for Spanish speakers).

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