MASHPEE, MASS. (WHDH) - Mashpee police are searching for the thieves who stole a family’s tribute to their late son, who was killed while serving as a Marine in Iraq.
The life-size silhouette of a praying soldier was discovered missing Sunday morning from a home on Katian Way, leaving police to believe it was taken overnight.
The silhouette pays tribute to Daniel McGuire, a 19-year-old Marine who died in 2008 while serving in Iraq.
“This was very significant to them,” Mashpee Police Chief Scott Carline said. “It was a memorial for their son, who had been killed in combat.”
As of Monday afternoon, no arrests had been made, but Carline said his department is going to do everything in their power to recover the silhouette.
“This is a fallen Marine who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “It’s very personal. We want to do everything in our power to get this back for them.”
The McGuire’s have since replaced the silhouette with a sign that reads “PUT IT BACK.”
The family released the following statement on the theft:
“We are just a quiet family on a quiet street that had attempted to honor our fallen in a quiet and respectful manner. We have made several attempts through social media to encourage the return of the simple Kneeling Soldier silhouette that had been taken from our property sometime Saturday night/early Sunday morning. Our hopes remain that the one(s) that took it will not panic and destroy it, but find a way to simply return it. No questions asked. It means nothing to those that removed it, but it means a great deal to our family.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
An investigation is ongoing.
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