Stolen bronze statue honoring boy who died from cancer recovered; 2 suspects arrested

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. (Gray News) – Two people have been arrested for allegedly stealing a park statue that honors a boy who died from cancer.

The now-recovered bronze statue was first reported missing from Jakey Duque Park in Miami Lakes, Florida, on Aug. 8, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives were able to track down the Jakey Duque statue on Aug. 12 and arrest one of two suspects as he was attempting to move it to another location.

A second suspect was later identified and arrested.

The sheriff’s office said 27-year-old Derick Coca and 26-year-old Damian De Los Santos both face a grand theft charge.

The bronze statue is valued at approximately $8,000.

The city of Miami Lakes called the sculpture a memorial to Jakey’s battle with cancer and a tribute to “the courage and resilience of the child and his family.”

“Thanks to the hard work of our Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office detectives, the stolen Jakey Duque statue has been safely recovered,” the agency said.