Police: Baby Jesus Statue Taken, Replaced With Real Pig's Head In Haverill

Updated December 26, 2014

WBUR News & Wire Services

Police say someone stole a baby Jesus statue from a Nativity scene and replaced it with a real pig's head in Haverill.

The parish priest noticed the statue had been taken from the creche at Sacred Hearts Roman Catholic Church on Christmas morning.

Mayor James Fiorentini said during a Friday morning press conference that he is outraged by the crime at the South Main St. parish and that the desecration has "all the elements of a hate crime."

Police say the pig's head left in its place appears to have been recently severed, and investigators are seeking help from butcher shops and pig farms. Police say the perpetrator could face animal cruelty charges.

Meanwhile, a neighbor replaced the baby Jesus with one from her own creche.

Greenfield police say another baby Jesus figurine was also stolen from the Nativity scene on Greenfield Town Common, likely before dawn on Christmas Eve.

With reporting from the WBUR newsroom and the Associated Press

In Greenfield, police are searching for a missing baby Jesus doll believed to be taken on Christmas Eve. Police in Haverill are searching for a missing baby Jesus figurine that was replaced with a real pig's head. (Courtesy Greenfield Police Department via Facebook)

This article was originally published on December 26, 2014.