Haverhill, Massachusetts: Thief Steals Baby Jesus From Church Nativity Scene, Replaces It With Real Pig’s Head
Someone stole the figurine of the Baby Jesus from a nativity scene outside a church in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and replaced it with a real pig’s head, WFXT (Boston) is reporting.
The Baby Jesus theft took place sometime before dawn on Christmas Day from the Sacred Hearts Church in the small town about 35 miles from Boston. The parish priest called police to report the theft Christmas morning.
In footage posted by WHDH (Boston), the severed pig’s head appears wrapped in plastic. It is an actual head from an actual pig, and not a model or a prop. The pig’s head was discovered, uncovered, but was wrapped in plastic before WHDH filmed its footage. It is unclear, as of this post, if police had wrapped it in plastic by that time, or if someone else had done it for propriety’s sake.
Readers can see photos of the actual severed pig’s head on WCVB’s Twitter feed.
The stolen Baby Jesus doll was imported from Italy and cost $3,000.
It’s also unclear, as of this post, if the vandal himself owned the pig that was used for the crime, or if the pig was stolen. Haverhill police are investigating the incident and planned a news conference for today.
Police will also look into whether an animal was tortured as part of this act #fox25
— Catherine Parrotta (@CatherineNews) December 26, 2014
Another Baby Jesus was also stolen from another nativity scene — but not replaced with a pig’s head — from another location in nearby Greenfield. Police are unsure if the two crimes are related. According to WCVB reporter Catherine Parrotta, a similar crime took place years ago in Haverhill.
Police say pigs heads were also left at a church in the Ward Hill section a few years ago. That crime was unsolved #fox25
— Catherine Parrotta (@CatherineNews) December 26, 2014
This is not the only act of vandalism against a religious display this Christmas. On Tuesday, a Florida woman wearing a T-shirt that read “Catholic warrior” tore down a display hosted by the Satanic Temple at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, according to this Inquisitr report.
Fortunately for the parishioners at Sacred Hearts Parish, a friend replaced the stolen Baby Jesus with a new figurine.
The newly placed statue #fox25 pic.twitter.com/SFmMQZ4QDl
— Catherine Parrotta (@CatherineNews) December 26, 2014
Brenda Burns, who is not a parishioner at Sacred Hearts, bought a replacement Baby Jesus to replace the one that was stolen and vandalized with a pig’s head.
