When Elaine Traverse discovered the stolen Amelia Earhart statue four months ago, she thought the big cash reward that was on offer would be hers. It hasn’t turned out quite that way.
Instead, the Heart’s Delight-Islington, N.L. resident and her son — who has a criminal conviction for stealing copper — have become suspects.
Now she’s speaking out in an effort to clear her reputation, and her son’s.
“I feel like I’m a crook and I never did nothing wrong,” Traverse told CBC News this week. “I’m hoping that I can get the money so I can better myself.”
On the afternoon of Aug. 1, Traverse said she pulled into a forest access road off Route 74, about halfway between Victoria and Heart’s Content, so her dog could relieve itself.
She said the dog became agitated and started barking, and when she investigated, she noticed something unusual in the brush.
It was the cut-up pieces of the Amelia Earhart statue that had been stolen in late April from a municipal park in Harbour Grace, about 25 kilometres away from where Traverse found the damaged work of art.
The discovery, however, has transformed her quiet life into a nightmare.
When the police became involved, Traverse said pressure started to mount on her and her adult son.
“He doesn’t have a clue, and I don’t have a clue,” Traverse said when asked if they had anything to do with the theft and damage to the statue.
It’s believed the thieves intended to sell the bronze to a scrap metal dealer. But the theft was big news, which likely prevented the culprits from following through with their plan.
The town and its partners offered a $25,000 reward for information that would help find those responsible, and lead to the return of this prized work of art. Newco Metal’s $10,000 contribution to the reward was contingent on an arrest and conviction for the theft.
She found the missing Amelia Earhart statue, and expected the reward. Instead, she’s under a cloud of suspicion
The statue honours Amelia Earhart, the famous aviator who left the airstrip in Harbour Grace in the spring of 1932 and made history by becoming the first woman pilot to complete a solo transatlantic flight.
Meanwhile, after being evicted from her government-owned house in Heart’s Delight-Islington, Traverse thought her run of bad luck was over, and that the reward would be hers.
“It would give me a place to live. I’d have a vehicle. I wouldn’t be stranded the way I am now,” she said.
But Traverse said she’s been treated like a criminal by the RCMP, and she’s deeply hurt. She said the people in her community have also “changed towards me.”
“I’m a person that helps everybody that needs help. I’ve done good all my life. I have done nothing wrong. I found a statue,” she said.
Traverse met CBC News on Tuesday at the site where she found the statue. Her son joined her, but would not do an interview.
She understands why the police would be suspicious. Traverse said her son was in jail in April when the statue was stolen. She said he was serving time following a conviction for stealing copper wire from a utility company.
“My son did steal copper from Light and Power, but he had nothing to do with this statue. As a matter of fact, the day after the statue was stolen, when I told him in jail that it was stolen, he didn’t know a thing about it until I spoke to him about it,” said Traverse.
In an effort to clear their names, Traverse said they have both agreed to take an RCMP-administered polygraph test.
“I feel upset because if it was anybody else, they would have their money right away,” she said.
The RCMP will only say their investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made.
The reward is being co-ordinated by the Town of Harbour Grace, but town officials declined comment on the reward when contacted this week by CBC News.
Meanwhile, the statue has been fully restored by sculptor Morgan MacDonald.
A new stainless steel skeleton has also been installed, so Amelia will be a tougher target for thieves.
“She’s all back together and looking in fine form now,” said MacDonald.
The statue will be secured to a new platform and rededicated during a ceremony next spring.
The town’s insurer is paying for the restoration.
What’s less certain is whether Elaine Traverse will get the reward money.
“Someone’s got to say who stole it… and for me to get the money. My nerves are getting the better of me,” she said.
Amelia Earhart, meanwhile, had nerves of steel. So perhaps fittingly, her statue is now reinforced with iron.
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