A fairytale ending: Police execute search warrant, recover stolen mermaid and unicorn
Jeannine Winkel says her Christmas spirit has been restored after surprise rescue
A St. John's couple is celebrating a fairytale ending after police recovered their stolen mermaid and unicorn decorations.
Last week, Jeannine Winkel and Ian Jones were shocked to discover that their six-foot-tall mermaid and unicorn figures — which they've displayed in front of their home for the past four years — had been stolen right off their lawn.
On Friday, the couple received a call from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Officers had executed a search warrant on a property and had recovered both the mermaid and the unicorn.
Winkel said she had been optimistic that the decorations would be found — but she didn't think it would happen so quickly.
"I felt very happy, and it took me a moment to process and believe what they said, that they actually found these," she said in an interview with CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show.
According to a statement from RNC Const. James Cadigan, police recovered the decorations from a property in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's with the help of information from the community.
The investigation is ongoing.
Winkel said the couple has added extra security to their front yard — including cameras — to ward off future thefts. Also, she said she doesn't believe the figures, which have suffered damage through multiple winter storms and now a heist, have high resale value.
"They have quite the story to tell of their life," she said.
Still, Winkel said the mermaid and unicorn are important to her and her husband, and they're now back on the lawn.
Last week, Winkel said the theft had dampened her holiday spirit. But, now that her possessions have been successfully recovered, she said things have changed.
"I am looking forward to Christmas more and getting into the spirit, it has certainly helped," she said. "And also the bit of sunshine we've gotten the past couple of days."
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