Melania Trump statue goes missing after previous artwork destroyed by arson
Slovenian police are investigating the disappearance of a Melania Trump statue, which was created after a previous wooden statue of the U.S. first lady was destroyed by arson.
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Slovenian police are looking for a missing bronze statue of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. The figure, created by U.S. artist Brad Downey, had been placed in the village of Rozno, near Malenia Trump's hometown of Sevnica. The statue is shown here on Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Local people look at the bronze statue of Melania Trump on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. (AP Photo)
Melania Trump was born and grew up in Slovenia before moving abroad as a fashion model and eventually marrying now-U.S. President Donald Trump. (AP Photo) (AP)
Police say someone sawed off the statue from its ankles where it was placed on a tree stump. The remains of the statue are shown here on Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Relja Dusek)
The theft of the statue was reported to Slovenian police on May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Relja Dusek) (Relja Dusek/AP)
It's not the first time artist Brad Downey has had a statue of Melania Trump disappear. A previous wooden figure, erected in the same place, was destroyed by arson. It can be seen here in this image from July 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Miro Majcen)
The original wooden statue of Melanie Trump had mixed reviews from locals. It's shown here on July 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Miro Majcen, FILE)
The initial wooden statue, shown here on July 5, 2019, was life-size. It depicted Melania Trump in a blue outfit and high heels. (AP Photo/Miro Majcen)
It's unclear whether Melania Trump had ever seen the wooden or bronze statues. Her husband, U.S. President Donald Trump, has never visited Slovenia during either term. (AP Photo/Miro Majcen)
