Ronald McDonald statue returns to Wisconsin McDonald's 9 months after being taken

RIPON, Wis., July 10 (UPI) -- It's unclear if the Hamburglar is a suspect, but a Ronald McDonald statue that disappeared from a Wisconsin McDonald's nine months ago has been recovered.

The statue, which was taken from a McDonald's in Ripon, showed up at a campground in the area. Officials from the Green Lake County Sheriff's Office were alerted and then McDonald's owner Jack King was called in to identify the body.

"We came down and identified him. Did a positive identification. I could tell right away that it was our Ronald, because he had shown some weathering effects on his shoes. I knew right away it was our statue," King told FOX 11. "Weren't sure we were going to get him back, but we're happy to see him. We're excited to get him back."

Officials believe that the statue ended up at the campground as part of a Fourth of July celebration.

Now that the $2,500 statue is back, he will no longer greet guests who are coming in to enjoy a Big Mac or Egg McMuffin.

"Right now, we're going to have him refurbished, and probably use him for special occasions. We're not going to display him out front again," King said.

No one has been charged with taking out the statue.

"We're waiting for the report from Green Lake so we can review [it] and then we will confer with Green Lake County district attorney," Ripon Police Capt. Bill Wallner told the Ripon Press.