A bronze statue of Melania Trump was sawed off at the ankles and stolen this week in the first ladys native Slovenia, police said.The statue replaced a wooden one that was erected near her hometown of Sevnica in 2020 at the end of President Donald Trumps first term after it was targeted in an arson attack.Both statues were a collaboration between Brad Downey, an artist from Kentucky, and a local craftsman, Ales "Maxi" Zupevc.The original figure, made ofwood andcut from the trunk of a linden tree, portrayed the first lady in a pale blue dress, similar to the one she wore at Trumps 2016 inauguration.FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP TURNS 55: HER LIFE IN PHOTOS, FROM SLOVENIA TO WHITE HOUSEThe newstatue was placed on the same stump as the old one and modeled after theprevious design.In July 2020, Downey said the statue would be made "as solid as possible, out of a durable material which cannot be wantonly destroyed," according to The Guardian.Slovenian police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangussaid Friday that police were investigating after the vandalism and theft were reported Tuesday.Franja Kranjc, a worker at a bakery that sells cakes with the first ladys name in support of her, told The Associated Press the rustic likeness wasnt well liked.WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY SAYS STATUE OF LIBERTY GOING NOWHERE, REPLIES TO FRENCH POLITICIAN"I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the first lady of the USA," Kranjc said. "So, I think its OK that it's removed."Zupevc said he and Melania Trump were born in the same hospital, which partly inspired himto create the design.Hecarved the statue with a chainsawand sanded it with a power tool."I plugged in my angle grinder. I worked and made mistakes finished the hair the eyes and all. Then, I called my brother, who said, Spitting image of our waitress. And so it was," Zupevc said during a documentary filmby Downey on the making of the original statue.A plaque next to the statue says it is "dedicated to the eternal memory of a monument to Melania which stood at this location."Born Melanija Knavs in nearby Novo Mesto in 1970, the first lady grew up in Sevnica while Slovenia was part of the Communist-ruled former Yugoslavia. An Alpine nation of 2 million people, Slovenia is now a member of the European Union and NATO.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe Associated Press contributed to this report.