BOSTON -- Boston police are investigating a case of vandalism in the North End.

NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that someone beheaded a statue of Christopher Columbus. Police said the vandalism happened more than a week ago.

"Isn't that terrible," said one passer-by.

"I was shocked to see no head on it. I was curious," said another passer-by.

Boston police said someone reported the vandalism on June 2. A man told police that he spotted the head sitting next to the statue and as he attempted to pick up some of the marble pieces, a couple of men took the head and ran off. Several days later, the head was found in a North End doorway.

"It is a shame. I come here all the time to go to the dentist. It is usually a beautiful park here. And now we have people come in and destroy things. That is not fair. It is not right," said Lorraine Wilson, of Malden.

This is not the first time vandals have targeted the statue. Almost two years ago, park crews spent hours removing red paint that was dumped on the statue.

"Our parents didn't raise us to do something like that. We fix things, we don’t hurt things. And when I woke up and saw the head cut off, it kind of broke my heart," said Michael Ciaramella, of Peabody.

Boston police now have the head. The repairs could be costly, officials said, because the statue is made from Italian marble.