Woman Replaces Baby Jesus Statue Stolen From Haverhill Church

HAVERHILL (CBS) – Parishioners at a Haverhill church were stunned to find that the baby Jesus statue was stolen and replaced by a pig's head, and one woman decided to make sure the nativity scene wasn't incomplete for long.

The baby Jesus statue was stolen from the Sacred Hearts Church in Haverhill on Christmas morning. One day later, the nativity scene is again whole after a woman dropped off the baby Jesus statue her family purchased this year.

"I can't change the world, but I can change my city," said Brenda Burns, who donated the replacement baby Jesus statue. "I'm bringing this, and I'm asking everybody to do the same. Make a statement. You don't have to come here and hold a sign to be destructive. Just come to let everybody who drives by know. Not here. Not my city."

Police are asking for the public's help finding the person who took the statue and replaced it with a pig's head.

As parishioners entered the church for mass on Friday, many expressed disbelief that the incident occurred in their parish.

(Click here to see the somewhat graphic photo of the pig head left at the Haverhill nativity scene)

"I'm thoroughly appalled. I feel terrible aobut that. It's very, very sad. I can't believe anybody would do that," one parishioner told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens.

During a Friday press conference, Haverhill police said the pig's head was "freshly decapitated" and doesn't appear to have come from a butcher shop.

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