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Prairie Village will replace concrete urn stolen from traffic island at 78th and Roe, but questions remain

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The city of Prairie Village is working to replace a decorative urn that was stolen from the traffic island just east of the intersection of 78th Street and Roe Avenue.

Peggy Couch, Prairie Ridge Homes Association secretary, said her nephew-in-law who tends the island noticed the urn was missing the last week of July.

Couch immediately made a police report and started contacting city staff to see what could be done to find or replace the urn.

Missing urn at 78th and Roe
It’s unclear weather the urn, approximately three feet in height, was bolted down or not, Couch said. Above is the east island missing the urn.

Some Prairie Ridge HOA board members think it could have been a prank, but Couch said hauling off an approximately three-foot-tall, concrete urn would take a bit more organization and manpower.

Why someone would want to steal an urn is unclear, she said.

“Our whole board is just shocked that somebody would have the nerve to steal it,” Couch said. “What are you going to do with it? And if you’re gonna have one, it seems like you ought to have two.”

There is another urn at the same intersection in another traffic island just to the west of Roe and diagonal to the island from which the missing urn was taken.

No leads in investigation

Eric McCullough, a Prairie Village police officer, said the urn was stolen sometime between the evening hours on July 24 and 8 a.m. on July 25.

There are currently no leads on the theft, though she said officers will provide extra patrols in the area for now to prevent future thefts, he said.

McCullough said it’s fairly uncommon for an urn to be stolen, but it’s not uncommon for them to be replaced.

Sometimes, the urns are hit by vehicles, said Meghan Buum, assistant city administrator.

An urn at 81st and Roe was replaced in fall 2019, but Buum said that one was simply deteriorating — not stolen or damaged.

Buum said city staff will identify a few suitable replacements and Prairie Ridge will make the final decision on a new urn.

City staff plans to present Prairie Ridge with a few options in the next couple of weeks, she said.

Urn at 78th and Roe
The urn directly across the street on the west island at 78th and Roe is still there. Couch said it is identical to the urn that was stolen from the east island.

Still, some Prairie Ridge homeowners said they hope it doesn’t become a trendy. There are several urns along Roe between 75th and 79th Streets.

“I don’t know what the best remedy for this is if it’s going to happen again,” Couch said.

While the city is working with Prairie Ridge to replace the statue, Couch said the homeowner’s association would prefer the original be returned.

If anyone has seen or heard anything about the urn, they can contact the Prairie Village Police Department at 913-642-6868.

About the author

Juliana Garcia
Juliana Garcia

👋 Hi! I’m Juliana Garcia, and I cover Prairie Village and northeast Johnson County for the Johnson County Post.

I grew up in Roeland Park and graduated from Shawnee Mission North before going on to the University of Kansas, where I wrote for the University Daily Kansan and earned my bachelor’s degree in  journalism. Prior to joining the Post in 2019, I worked as an intern at the Kansas City Business Journal.

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