“We always loved the Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Whoville, so we knew that’s what we wanted to do,” Linda Braly said.

So the whole family — including Braly’s then-86-year-old grandmother — went about constructing and painting nine Whoville residents plus the Grinch in his sleigh. For 14 years, the Bralys have displayed their Whoville scene during the Christmas season, and while there have been a few pranks — people switching out characters between Candy Cane Lane residents’ yards, for instance — no one had ever stolen anything. Until this year.

Braly said the family woke up Christmas Eve morning and found Cindy Lou gone. At first they hoped it was just a joke, but “She seems to be gone for good,” Braly said.

The disappearance has hit the family hard because Cindy Lou in particular holds a great deal of sentimental value. Braly’s grandmother, who has since passed away, spent time working on the Cindy Lou cutout. And Braly’s father, now 71, is battling stage 4 kidney cancer.

“When he heard Cindy Lou was gone, you could tell it upset him,” Braly said.

The Bralys are asking anyone with information about the disappearance of the cutout to help secure its return.

“Cindy Lou really was our favorite,” Braly said. “Except for the Grinch. But he’s nailed to the tree, so I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”