Eight years later, stolen baby Jesus statue returned to suburban owners

Christmas may be over, but a suburban family got one more special present on Thursday — a long lost baby Jesus.

Eight years after it vanished from their annual nativity scene, the Urbaniak family placed their baby Jesus figurine back in the manger outside their Inverness home.

The statue, part of a complete nativity scene that police estimate is worth thousands of dollars, was stolen nearly a decade ago then turned up in Hoffman Estates, where police had been trying to find its owners ever since.

The Urbaniaks had given up hope they would find the missing piece, but family and friends saw a newspaper article about Hoffman Estates police having the statue, reprinted in a Polish newspaper, and came forward, said Sgt. Darin Felgenhauer.

Stanislaw and Halina Urbaniak said they were glad to have the baby Jesus back and are looking forward to having a full nativity set for next year's holiday season.

When the baby Jesus first disappeared, the Urbaniaks called a few local police departments, but didn't think to call Hoffman Estates, said the couple's 13-year-old daughter, Patricia Urbaniak.

“I was surprised no one broke it or auctioned it off,” she said. “We thought it was gone forever.”

The large nativity scene has been in the Urbaniak front yard since the family moved to Inverness 12 years ago.

“It was really sad when it was taken,” said Lucas Urbaniak, 17.

The special figurine was replaced by another baby Jesus, which was stolen last year, and then later by a plastic statue.

Police said they have no tips on who may have stolen the original figurine.

Although Christmas decorations often are stolen, Felgenhauer said the Urbaniak's statue took on a special meaning for the department, as did the mission of finding its home.

Chris Moore, manager of the police department's property room, said she just knew this was the year a home would be found for the baby Jesus. She said she even prayed for it.

After a newspaper article about the statue, Moore said the department received hundreds of calls from families hoping to adopt the baby Jesus if no one else could give it a home. Even the managers of the nativity scene at Daley Plaza in Chicago expressed interest.

As the family gathered Thursday to put the baby Jesus back in the manger, Stanislaw Urbaniak thanked the Hoffman Estates police for bringing it back. The family plans to leave the nativity scene on display for the next few weeks.

“That's the true story of Christmas right there,” Moore said.