Dr. Seuss' Lorax Is Back in La Jolla, Was Missing for 1 Year

A 2-foot-tall, 300-pound "Lorax" statue stolen from the La Jolla home of Dr. Seuss' widow more than a year ago was found today and returned to the Geisel estate.

Audrey Geisel and a groundskeeper had noticed the custom-made bronze statue, valued at around $10,000 and crafted to resemble the title character of the 1971 children's book written by Theodore Geisel using the pen name Dr. Seuss, was missing from the garden of the estate on Encelia Drive on March 26, 2012.

Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, daughter of Audrey Geisel, created the two statues: one for the family and another for the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in Massachusetts.

The chain of events that led to the recovery of the figurine began last week when a 22-year-old man walked into a police station in Bozeman, Montana, and stated he had knowledge of crimes committed there, in San Diego and in Hawaii, San Diego police Lt. Kevin Mayer said.

The information he provided led detectives to a canyon area covered in thick brush off the 7500 block of Country Club Drive in La Jolla, where the statue was recovered about 9:30 this morning and returned to the Geisel estate, according to the lieutenant.

Mayer said the investigation into who took the statue was ongoing and charges were pending. He asked anyone with information to call police at 858-522-1700, or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

—City News Service