\n \u201cOh my God,\u201d Traverse said to herself.\n <\/p>\n
\n The statue of Earhart \u2013 the Kansas native who disappeared without a trace<\/a> while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 \u2013 had a mysterious disappearance of its own.\n <\/p>\n \n It had been standing proudly in a Harbour Grace park since 2007<\/a>, built with a private donation from a prominent local family as a monument to Earhart\u2019s first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean 75 years earlier, which began right there in one of Canada\u2019s easternmost communities.\n <\/p>\n \n When the bronze figure disappeared on the morning of April 24, town officials thought someone most likely stole it to sell the metal for scrap, and they put together private donations for a $25,000 reward to find it.\n <\/p>\n \n Traverse, who said she had fallen on hard times, saw an opportunity in August as she found herself standing several miles away from Harbour Grace and looking over Earhart\u2019s figure cut into five pieces, still intact.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI called \u2026 the mayor at that time, and I said, \u2018I was wondering if the reward was still being offered,\u2019\u201d Traverse told CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n It was, but Traverse said the mayor declined her offer to deliver the statue\u2019s pieces herself. Several days later, she was referred to an investigator with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who made it clear she shouldn\u2019t expect a fast cheque.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cFirst thing she said was, \u2018Do you want to speak to a lawyer? Because you could be arrested for this,\u2019\u201d Traverse said, still shocked by the implication.\n <\/p>\n \n The statue of the famous aviator \u2013 wearing a leather flight jacket and thigh-high laced boots \u2013 stood proudly in the Spirit of Harbour Grace Park, a roadside pull off overlooking the bay. The park also features a retired World War II-era DC-3 passenger plane named after the town.\n <\/p>\n \n The park is a visible sign of the community\u2019s pride in its unique place in aviation history. Earhart\u2019s voyage was one of 20 transatlantic flights attempted from the town\u2019s bucolic airstrip<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n The disappearance of the statue was a shock for locals and aviation buffs from around the world.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking to share that someone, under the cover of darkness, has stolen the statue of Amelia Earhart and one of the plaques commemorating her achievement,\u201d The Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots, wrote in a Facebook post.<\/a> \u201cWho would do such a thing?\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The only evidence of the theft that has been made public is surveillance video<\/a> from a gas station next to the park.\n <\/p>\n \n In the footage, distant headlights can be seen pulling up to the statue\u2019s location, followed moments later by screeching tires and a metallic clang. A minute later, the vehicle hurriedly pulls away. Although muffled voices can be heard, the video is too dark to identify people.\n <\/p>\n \n The discovery of the statue was a relief to town officials who had been trying to figure out if they could even afford to replace it.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe are thrilled to welcome Amelia home to Harbour Grace, and appreciate the public\u2019s assistance in finding this iconic statue,\u201d said then-mayor Don Coombs in a news release<\/a> from the RCMP.\n <\/p>\n \n But Traverse herself has not been mentioned in multiple announcements about the statue. In news releases since the discovery, the town<\/a> and RCMP<\/a> have referred only to \u201ca tip from the public\u201d that led Mounties to the statue.\n <\/p>\n \n When Traverse called to report the statue, she was advised not to move it and wait for law enforcement, a process she says took several days.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI used to go back twice a day to make sure she was still there,\u201d said Traverse, adding she was worried someone else might discover Earhart\u2019s statue and either take it or try to claim the reward.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cSo, when I got the call on August 8 to go to the RCMP building \u2013 yes, I had a big relief when the officers took her,\u201d she said.\n <\/p>\n \n That relief didn\u2019t last long once it was suggested she might be a suspect. Traverse was shocked, but thinks she knows the reason for the suspicion.\n <\/p>\n \n Her son, who she said was previously convicted of stealing copper, was with her when they spotted the statue. He has denied any involvement in the theft and declined to be interviewed or named by CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cBut he had nothing to do with (the statue\u2019s disappearance). He\u2019s innocent, and I\u2019m innocent,\u201d said Traverse.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe both passed a lie detector test saying we had nothing to do with stealing the statue or knew anything about it, and I\u2019m still no further ahead,\u201d Traverse said.\n <\/p>\n \n Ironically, Traverse says her son\u2019s record should prove he didn\u2019t take the statue.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cHe was in jail at the time,\u201d Traverse said. \u201cThey\u2019re just saying that he may have gotten somebody else to do it.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The photos they took when they first found Earhart\u2019s statue showed the pieces surrounded in thick vegetation growth and around trees, a fact she argues should dissipate the theory that they were planted there to be \u201cfound\u201d for the reward.\n <\/p>\n \n Representatives of the RCMP and the town of Harbour Grace have declined to comment on the specifics of Traverse\u2019s account of what happened.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cTo protect both the privacy of all parties and the integrity of this active police investigation, we are not able to provide any additional details at this time,\u201d a spokesperson for the RCMP of Newfoundland and Labrador told CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n In the four months since the statue was recovered, the community along the province\u2019s narrow Conception Bay has celebrated its return. And a local artist has been commissioned to reassemble and reinforce it before a rededication ceremony planned for next spring.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cFortunately, the Town\u2019s insurer covered the statue and base restoration costs, excluding the deductible,\u201d the local government said in a statement.\n <\/p>\n \n Meanwhile, Traverse has neither received a reward, nor faced criminal charges. Instead, she was left with a damaged reputation as rumors spread in the community.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cA lot of people are blaming me for stuff that I\u2019m not doing, and they\u2019re posting all kinds of stuff about myself and my family, and it\u2019s not right,\u201d she said.\n <\/p>\n \n For now, Harbour Grace officials have said little about how they think the statue was stolen in the first place, ensuring updates on the matter will be shared \u201cas appropriate\u201d while the investigation continues.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cAt this time, the identity of the person or persons responsible for the theft remains unknown,\u201d the RCMP said.\n <\/p>\n \n Noting the allocation of the reward is not the town\u2019s call, Harbour Grace Councilor Christina Hearn told CNN there was an \u201cexpectation\u201d from those who donated funds for it that it would lead to an arrest or conviction.\n <\/p>\n![\"Royal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/530242085-1181662263998773-5289334094492020698-n.jpg\")
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