Stolen Amelia Earhart statue from N.L. town has been found — cut up in pieces

A statue depicting Amelia Earhart is shown after being recovered by the Harbour Grace RCMP in this recent handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — RCMP

HARBOUR GRACE — Newfoundland police say a life-size statue of famous aviator Amelia Earhart has been found months after it was stolen from a park northwest of St. John’s.

RCMP say they received a tip that the bronze figure was located in a wooded area about 25 kilometres northwest from where it had once stood in the town of Harbour Grace.

They say the statue commemorating Earhart’s successful transatlantic flight was cut into pieces, but all of the parts have been accounted for.

The parts were returned to Harbour Grace, where Earhart took off from on May 20, 1932, to Northern Ireland to become the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean.

Harbour Grace Mayor Don Coombs is rejoicing that the statue is back home after it was taken in April.

He says the statue will be repaired and returned to the stone platform overlooking the airstrip where Earhart began her famous journey.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025.

The Canadian Press