OKC Police Hope To Track Down Owner Of Stolen Angel Statue

A brass angel, broken apart and nearly sold for scrap, has police looking for the rightful owner.

Authorities are looking for the criminal to crack a case, working backwards to figure out whose angel is no longer watching over them.

Workers at Metal Check alerted police when a man tried to trade the five-foot angel for cash. The head, arms and legs were cut off.

"A guy brought it in, but his story didn't quite check out. He said he ran into it with his car and he wanted to tear it up or something. But we just didn't buy the story," said Jimmy Nanez of Metal Check.

5/4/2012 Related Story: OKC Police Look For Owner Of 5-Foot-Tall Brass Angel Statue

They didn't tell him that, initially they unloaded the statue as if they were accepting it, then called police.

Police say they know the man who presented the angel for payment is no saint. He was arrested previously for stealing metal. Now police are trying to figure out if the man stole the angel, but until then she won't be scrapped.

"We are not in the business to buy stolen stuff. We are in the business of buying scrap metal," Nanez said.

The five-foot antique is estimated to be worth thousands of dollars, yet for scrapping the brass, Metal Check would've paid $300.

If you have any information on the angel's owner, call Crime Stoppers at (405)-235-7300.