It doesn’t have much monetary value, but a three-foot tall gnome taken from the front porch of a west-end home carries important sentimental value for Jennifer Buchanan and she wants it back.
The decorative statue was the last thing her mother gave her before dying by suicide in 2013.
“I know it’s just a gnome to a lot of people, just a stupid thing that was on the porch, but it’s something that was really special to our family,” Buchanan said.
“The kids thought it was Santa Claus. They would always walk by it and talk to it,” she added, noting her children are ages two and four. “Now they don’t have anything to stop and talk to. They keep asking me where Santa is.”
The gnome was taken from an Alison Place porch, near Gateway Drive, at about 5 a.m. on Friday. At the time, no one was home, but the theft was captured by a security camera above the door.
After reporting the theft to police, Buchanan said she drove around the neighbourhood hoping to spot the gnome, either at someone’s home or tossed aside, to no avail. That’s when she turned to Facebook and began promoting a $100 reward for its return.
“On our porch, you can still see the outline of the footprints where he was,” she said. “We just want him back home.
“He’s an important part of our family.”
Buchanan asks that anyone looking to return the gnome email her at [email protected] to make arrangements.
The suspect is described as a male, between five-feet nine inches and six feet tall, with a slim build. At the time, he was wearing a blue hoodie, dark pants and a dark-coloured mask.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call Const. Robert Smith at 519-824-1212 ext. 7388, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
