Lake Wilcox’s Beloved Bronze Turtle Is Gone — And It Wasn’t the Only Thing Stolen |
Five pieces of public art have disappeared from Lake Wilcox Park, leaving residents angry, city officials searching for answers and one heartbreaking clue behind: a sawn-off turtle foot. |
For years, the bronze snapping turtle at Lake Wilcox Park has been more than just a piece of public art.
Kids climbed on it. Families posed for pictures with it. Couples, birthday groups and visitors made it part of their memories at the park. Now, it’s gone.
The turtle is one of five public art installations discovered missing from Lake Wilcox Park at 55 Olde Bayview Ave., according to Richmond Hill officials.
Two bronze artworks were initially reported missing on Aug. 11. But after city staff conducted a full inventory of the park, they discovered the theft was more extensive than first thought. The missing pieces include the popular bronze turtle and four smaller pole-mounted displays.
What remained of the turtle was particularly upsetting: one sawn-off foot. “I am both heartbroken and appalled,” Mayor David West said in an Aug. 18 statement, describing public art as an important part of Richmond Hill's community and culture.
Ward 1 Coun. Carol Davidson said the turtle, created by artist Steve Worthington and installed in 2014, had become like “a member of the family” in the Lake Wilcox community. The damage wasn't limited to the missing artwork. A mounting column for one of the bronze paddle displays was also damaged.
The City has reported the thefts to York Regional Police and its insurance company. Staff are reviewing the original project plans, identifying the designers and determining what it could cost to replace the missing artwork and repair the damage.
Security around the park is also being stepped up, with additional bylaw patrols outside regular park hours and increased monitoring.
Residents near Lake Wilcox, Sunset Beach Road and Northlake Road are being encouraged to check doorbell and security-camera footage for anything unusual that could help investigators.
And there's still hope the artwork could somehow find its way home.
As Davidson put it, residents should “keep your eyes peeled for a big tortoise” if one happens to turn up somewhere.
Anyone with information is asked to contact York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423. |
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My daughter cried when I told her. That turtle was the first thing she ran to every time we visited the park. Please bring it back.
Priya SharmaThat broke my heart to read. My son was the same way, straight to the turtle the second we walked in. I really hope they can get a replacement made.
Stories like your daughter's are exactly why Mayor West called this heartbreaking, that turtle wasn't just art, it was a landmark for an entire generation of Lake Wilcox kids.
Keep your eyes peeled for a big tortoise. I mean if someone just has a bronze turtle sitting in their backyard that is going to be hard to hide.
Councillor Davidson's "keep your eyes peeled" line did make us smile too, but you're absolutely right, a full-sized bronze turtle is not the easiest thing to quietly tuck away.
james_rhillHa, right. A big bronze turtle is not exactly something you can tuck in a corner and forget about. Someone in the area has to know something.
More bylaw patrols is fine but that only helps going forward. Damage is already done. Hope the insurance covers a full replacement.
The city says staff are currently reviewing original project plans and working to determine full replacement costs, so hopefully the insurance review will give a clearer picture of what can be recovered.
TorontoNorthMomThat is my question too. Bronze art like that is not cheap to reproduce and Steve Worthington would have to be involved again ideally. Hope the city actually follows through and does not just leave an empty spot there for years.
Steve Worthington put real work into that piece. Installed in 2014 and it became part of the neighbourhood in no time. Really sad to see it gone like this.
It really speaks to Steve Worthington's craft that the piece embedded itself so deeply into the community in just over a decade, which makes its loss all the more gutting.
Carol B.Agreed, you could tell it was made with care. Kids loved it immediately which says a lot. Hopefully the original project files make it easier to recreate if it comes to that.
Bronze sells for good money at scrap yards. This was not random, someone planned it. Hope the scrap dealers in the area are paying attention.
Dave PatelExactly my first thought. Scrap yards should be required to log purchases like this and flag anything that looks like it came off a public installation. Worth calling York Regional Police tip line just to flag that angle.
That's a sharp observation, and it's worth noting that the city's insurance company has already been notified, investigators will likely be looking closely at exactly the kind of channels you're describing.
I live on Northlake Road and had no idea this happened. Going to check my doorbell cam right now.
lake_wilcox_localGood call. Even something that seemed minor at the time could help. A truck idling late at night, anything. Worth a look.
Thank you for checking, every bit of footage from the Northlake Road area could be a real help to investigators, so please do share anything suspicious with York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423.
They sawed off the foot and left it behind. That is honestly the most disturbing detail in this whole story.
It's a chilling detail, and the fact that one sawn-off foot was left behind tells investigators quite a bit about how the theft was carried out, which is part of why the city has passed the case on to York Regional Police.
Mike TranRight, like why leave the foot? Makes it even creepier. They must have been in a rush and just grabbed what they could carry. Still a pretty bold move in a public park.
That turtle meant so much to so many people. My kids grew up climbing on it every summer. Whoever did this has no soul.
Thank you for sharing that, it's those summers of kids clambering on it that made the turtle so much more than a sculpture, and exactly why the community is rallying so strongly in response.
Sandra K.Same here, we have so many photos with that turtle over the years. It felt like a permanent part of the park. Hard to explain to the kids why it just vanished.