A bronze likeness of Melania Trump in Slovenia, her birth country, has been stolen after being cut off at the ankles, according to police reports.

The bronze statue was a replacement for a wooden statue erected near Sevnica, her hometown, in 2020, near the end of Donald Trump’s first presidential term. The original wooden statue was previously damaged in an arson attack.

Both statues resulted from a collaboration between Brad Downey, an artist from Kentucky, and Ales “Maxi” Zupevc, a local craftsman.

The original wooden statue, carved from a linden tree trunk, depicted the former First Lady in a pale blue dress, similar to the one she wore at President Trump’s 2016 inauguration.

The new bronze statue was placed on the same stump as the original and was modeled after the initial design. Downey stated in July 2020 that the statue would be made “as solid as possible, out of a durable material which cannot be wantonly destroyed,” according to The Guardian.

Slovenian police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus stated on Friday that an investigation was underway following reports of the vandalism and theft on Tuesday.

Franja Kranjc, who works at a bakery selling cakes named after the former First Lady, told The Associated Press that the statue was a rustic representation. 

“I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the first lady of the USA,” Kranjc said. “So, I think it’s OK that it’s removed.”

Zupevc said that he and Melania Trump were born in the same hospital, which served as partial inspiration for his design. He carved the statue using a chainsaw and sanded it with a power tool. 

“I plugged in my angle grinder. … I worked and made mistakes … finished the hair … the eyes and all. Then, I called my brother, who said, ‘Spitting image of our waitress.’ And so it was,” Zupevc recounted during a documentary film by Downey about the creation of the original statue.

A plaque located near the statue reads that it is “dedicated to the eternal memory of a monument to Melania which stood at this location.”

Born Melanija Knavs in Novo Mesto in 1970, the former First Lady was raised in Sevnica while Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia under Communist rule. Slovenia, an Alpine nation with a population of 2 million, is currently a member of both the European Union and NATO.

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