200-pound Shrek statue goes missing from Massachusetts town

(NewsNation) — Shrek has officially left his swamp.

Or, at least, a 200-pound Shrek sculpture is missing from a home in Hatfield, Massachusetts.

Officers from the Hatfield Police Department put out a Facebook post last week, announcing that the ogre statue was gone.

“If you have any information of his current whereabouts please reach out to our department or return him in the condition you found him,” police said in the post. “The dragon sculpture he lives with is frustrated and lonely.”

Shrek is the title character from the 2001 animated comedy film that puts a twist on well-known fairy tales. Before the movie, there was a William Steig book published in 1990 about the cranky green ogre.

Since the ogre statue went missing, it has gotten a lot of attention from news outlets such as the New York Post and CNN — as well as concerned Hatfield residents.

“I predict this case will have many layers. Like an onion,” one Facebook commenter said, quoting a line from the film. 

“I love that display! Joke’s over — time to return Shrek home to his swamp!” another wrote.

Officer Monica Lavallee of the Hatfield Police Department told NewsNation that Police Chief Michael Dekoschak said he had never had his inbox as full as it was after the department posted about the missing Shrek.

“It has been out there for almost two years now, and has really become this iconic little statue,” she said.

That’s why, despite the comical nature of the stolen statue, officers want it known that this theft was not a joke. A spokesperson for the Hatfield Police Department told Boston.com that the sculpture is not something that’s easily moved around, and “drag marks” show it “did not go willingly.”

“A crime was committed. This person’s property was stolen,” Lavallee said. “(The homeowner) personally made this sculpture. It cost him over $500 to make.”

At this point, though, the homeowner says the Shrek statue is “priceless” because he knows what it means to the townspeople, Lavallee said.

“He is devastated,” she added.

That’s why Lavallee and the other officers still hold out hope that Shrek will return, with the help of “the good faith of the public” and the reach of social media.