• Courtesy
• Deborah Van Ness' nephew, Joseph, on the T. rex

Twenty years ago, Carl Witke was driving in Montpelier when he spotted a plastic Tyrannosaurus rex in a pile of free stuff. As his two kids watched, Witke wrestled the green, five-foot-long T. rex onto the top of his Subaru and brought it back to their Worcester home. While the kids have since grown up and moved away, the distinctive dino, a former piece of playground equipment made of durable plastic and dubbed "Willy," has tirelessly stood vigil at the end of their driveway.

Until recently, that is. When Witke and his partner, Deborah Van Ness, returned from vacation on September 9, the local landmark was missing.

Van Ness called the police, who suggested putting the word out on social media and Front Porch Forum. That prompted testimonials from those who had taken its presence for granted, as well as sympathy, offers of help and suggestions for where the dinosaur might be. ("Hopefully someone is taking it on a global adventure," one online comment read.)

A neighbor reviewed security footage from the days during which the dinosaur might have disappeared.

"It was very sweet of them, but they did not see the dinosaur," Van Ness said.

Willy has already led a storied life. The T. rex came to the family bearing some BB gun holes and has survived two floods. It served as climbing equipment for kids and a conversation piece for neighbors.

"They must have worked hard to get it out of that spot; there is an indent in the lawn where it had settled in over the years," Van Ness said. She hopes the thief has a change of heart.

"We love that thing," she said.