Virgin Mary statue beheaded in Palm Springs

A church in downtown Palm Springs was vandalized overnight. Parish officials said the Virgin Mary statue was beheaded outside of Our Lady of Solitude Church and the statue of Jesus was also defaced.

Our Lady of Solitude is located at 151 Alejo Road, just west of N. Palm Canyon Drive.

Parish Secretary Lupita Jaquez said both statues are located outside of the church and the vandalism was discovered early Thursday morning. The Palm Springs Police Department is now investigating.

According to police, the damage to the concrete statues is estimated at about $2,000. It’s unclear what the vandal(s) used to cause the damage.

Jaquez said this isn’t the first time the church has been vandalized. A month ago, two plaster statues in the church courtyard were smashed, and over a year ago, somebody tagged the parish doors with graffiti.

Officials urge anyone who saw anything suspicious to call the Palm Springs Police Department at 760-323-8116 or Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-STOP (7867).