Police are investigating the theft of an animatronic Chucky doll from a front lawn in Lincoln Park, Michigan, where the owner says her annual Halloween decorations have become a neighborhood attraction. The theft was captured on surveillance video, and the owner hopes someone will recognize the person or pickup truck shown in the footage.
Denice Greer told 7 News Detroit that the doll was taken around 7 a.m. Sunday. She said a dragging sound drew her attention, prompting her to run to the door. When she looked outside, she saw someone getting into a large red truck with the animatronic decoration.
Greer described the vehicle as a red Dodge RAM pickup. She reported the $300 loss to police and said the theft was the first time she had experienced such a violation in nearly two decades at her home. “I've been here almost 20 years, and this is the first time I've been violated,” she said.
For Greer, decorating is part of her enthusiasm for fall and Halloween. She spoke about her fondness for Michael Myers and the atmosphere surrounding the holiday. Each year, she puts decorations on her lawn, creating a display that neighborhood children anticipate visiting and interacting with.
The pleasure she gets from the display also comes from the response of people passing her home. Greer described the neighborhood as close-knit and said neighbors stop to thank her for putting the decorations outside. Those encounters, she explained, are a central reason she continues to decorate.
One woman told Greer that her autistic son enjoys the display so much that she has to drive past the house every day. Greer also said children who are blind and deaf want to visit to touch and feel the decorations. She described those experiences as a source of joy.
As she seeks the doll's return, Greer is asking the person who took it to consider the children who enjoy visiting her yard each Halloween. “Just bring my Chucky back. It's not for me,” she said, appealing for the return of a decoration that had become one of the neighborhood's favorite attractions.
Anyone who has information about the theft, or recognizes the person or truck in the surveillance footage, is encouraged to contact Lincoln Park police at 313-381-1800.