WILTON MANORS, Fla. — There has been a break in the case of a stolen piece of artwork from Wilton Manors.
A beloved rainbow manatee statue that was violently stolen from Justin Flippen Park earlier this month has been returned.
Detectives said the man who returned is not the man seen on surveillance video stealing it.
“He did return it implying that he knew where it came from,” said Wilton Manors Police Detective Haley Plant.
Claudia Castillo created the statue in memory of former Wilton Manors Mayor Justin Flippen after he died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm in 2020.
She says also returned with the statue was her faith in humanity.
“It’s incredible that it happened,” said Castillo. “It’s very incredible that people care.”
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