Artifact stolen from Wayzata 9/11 memorial, reward offered for its return

Somebody ‘forcefully removed’ and took the artifact from Panoway Plaza Park on Aug. 29, police said.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 12, 2024 at 11:54AM
(Wayzata Police Department)

Wayzata police are offering a $1,000 reward in hopes a glass artifact stolen from a 9/11 memorial in a city park will be returned.

Police believe the glass artifact was “forcefully removed and stolen” from a granite memorial in Panoway Park on Aug. 29, and only a small fragment left behind.

The memorial stood in tribute to Gordy Aamoth Jr., a Wayzata resident who died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.

Several items were inlaid on the top of the granite memorial, including a glass artifact recovered from the site of ground zero in the rubble of the twin towers. The artifact was found near Aamoth’s remains, police said.

“This simple glass artifact holds immeasurable value to many, including Gordy Aamoth’s family,” police said. The artifact has no tangible value.

Wayzata Crime Prevention Coalition is offering the reward and asking for help in recovering the artifact “so everyone can reflect on its significance.”

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Tim Harlow

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Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. 

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