South Boston

‘The Man is back!': Beloved statue containing family ashes returned safely

After it was stolen from a South Boston front yard last weekend, a Charlie Chaplin statue is back in the possession of its owners

A sentimental statue stolen from a South Boston family’s yard was returned, complete with a bow.
Jessica Doyle

After a week of worry, grief, and anguish, one South Boston family is celebrating the return of a sentimental statue that was stolen from their yard.

The Charlie Chaplin statue belongs to Jessica Doyle, whose father, Dan Doyle, hand-painted the piece before his passing in 2018. The statue contains the ashes of both Dan and his father, making its brief absence an agonizing loss for the Doyle family.

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Early this morning, however, Doyle found the statue at the edge of her house with a green bowtie wrapped around it "like it was being gifted," as she told NBC Boston. She took to Facebook to express her gratitude for its return.

"'The Man' is back!" She began.

"I would like to thank everyone for getting the word out and looking for my loved ones that have passed on," Doyle said via Facebook. "I would like to thank the person for bringing it back, and doing the right thing."

Though it would be seemingly instinctive to turn to anger after such an experience, Doyle instead reflected on the outpour of support and love she received in the wake of the statue's disappearance.

"Sometimes it's hard to focus on the good things when so much bad happens; but in this situation I would like to focus on all the kindness and help that was offered," she said.

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