Thieves steal Indianapolis boy's giraffe statue

An Indianapolis family is looking for help finding a 500 pound giraffe statue stolen from their front yard.

"It was so heavy," said Ethan Evans. "How would they take it away without a truck?'

Ethan Evans collects toy giraffes and received the statue as a birthday present from his mother this year.

"I have never seen a child love an animal more than this boy loves giraffes," said Valerie Evans, who originally found the giraffe on Craigslist. "The first thought that came to my mind was, 'How?' It took three people to load it into our van and unload it and move it five feet up onto the curb."

Valerie said her young son struggles with two behavioral disorders, and looked forward to hugging the 6-foot statue every morning before school.

The giant giraffe disappeared while the family slept Monday night.

"It was right here," Ethan said, as he pointed to the spot where the statue used to stand.

Police officers told Valerie they thought the theft might have been part of a prank, but so far nothing has turned up.

For now Ethan said searching for his friend is almost as hard as describing his feelings.

"Sad," Ethan said. "It was kind of mean."

"They obviously didn't know what it meant to our family," Valerie said. "But it doesn't matter. They should have never touched somebody else's property."

"I just want him back," Ethan said. "That's what I think."