Stolen Jesus statue found smashed in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS -- A 400-pound "Homeless Jesus" statue stolen from in front of a closed downtown St. Louis homeless shelter has been found, but it was cut into pieces.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Thursday the bronze statue of Jesus sleeping on a bench was stolen March 5 from the New Life Evangelistic Center. The Rev. Larry Rice said Thursday surveillance video showed a man selling the statue to somebody in a scrapyard parking lot. He said police in East St. Louis, Illinois, recognized the man.

Rice said pieces of the statue were found Monday at the man's home. No arrests have been made.

Rice sees an inspirational Easter message in the ordeal. He said the broken pieces "represent the broken lives we work with daily, that are put together through the power of the resurrected Christ."