Arrest Made In Make-A-Wish Stolen Statue, Police Searching For Second Suspect

A suspect has been arrested in the case of a stolen Phoenix Make-A-Wish Foundation statue.

The statue was that of Chris Greicius, a 6-year-old boy who died of leukemia in 1980 after the Department of Public Safety granted him his wish to be a police officer for a day. Make-A-Wish was co-founded by Greicius’ mother, Linda Pauling. Previous to the theft, the statue had been standing outside the Make-A-Wish Foundation headquarters near Highland Avenue and 16th Street.

On Wednesday, authorities reported they have one suspect in custody, Troy Burke, 32. Burke faces multiple felony charges in the connection to the Jan. 3 theft.

Camera surveillance caught two suspects driving up to the Make-A-Wish building and forcibly removing the statue from its fixed position and driving off with it in the back of their car. Police reported that they are still searching for the suspect. According to police, only a portion of the statue was recovered.

Burke faces two counts of fraud, one count of theft of stolen property and one count of drug offenses.

Anyone with information on the other suspect are asked to call the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-948-6377 for English and 480-837-8446 for Spanish.