PORT ANGELES — Christmas came early for a handful of Port Angeles residents whose baby Jesus statues, which were taken earlier last week, mysteriously reappeared.
The figurines, which were taken from Nativity scenes, were returned to the front yards where they were taken Thursday night or early Friday morning.
Merri Wilson, whose family displays a light-up plastic Nativity set in west Port Angeles every year, said the garbage collector discovered the missing baby Jesus statue near the curb and held it up for her to see.
Wilson and her granddaughters, Ariel Wilhite, 12, and Trinity Grace Wilhite, 9, of Olympia, redisplayed the statue.
“We positioned it where it belonged,” Wilson said.
Out of curiosity, Wilson drove around the neighborhood to check on other Nativity scenes where baby Jesus statues had been taken.
“Every Nativity we saw had their baby Jesus in it,” Wilson said.
Kristina Russell of west Port Angeles also had a baby Jesus statue taken last week.
“We got up this morning and the Jesus was returned,” Russell said on Friday.
“We’re really excited.”
Russell’s light-up baby Jesus had been tossed in the yard, Wilson said.
Wilson found the figurine, put it back in place and plugged it in.
“I’ve been getting up every morning thinking maybe, just maybe, it would be back in the yard,” Russell said.
Russell said it was “disturbing” that someone had trespassed on her property and taken the statue in the first place.
She added that she was pleased that someone had the sense to return it.
Wilson said she was “keeping the faith” that someone would return the statues.
She speculated that it was just a prank and the pranksters got scared when the word got out in the Peninsula Daily News earlier this week.
Wilson said the return of the statues shows the good side of humanity.
“I think it’s wonderful they came back,” she said.
“I’m happier for the people who put them back than I am for the people who lost them.”
On the other side of town, Annie Powers reported Friday morning that the ceramic baby Jesus taken from her yard in the Mount Angeles neighborhood of Port Angeles had been returned.
Elsewhere, John Burkheimer of Port Angeles said he found a baby elf figurine in his yard near the Eighth Street bridges.
The elf does not belong to him.
Burkheimer phoned police in hopes of reuniting the elf with its owner.
“I haven’t touched it,” he said.
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
