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Karen and Orlando Duque made an emotional public appeal Saturday for the return of a bronze statue honoring their late son from a park in Miami Lakes. The sculpture, which depicts their 5-year-old son Jake “Jakey” Duque, has gone missing from Jakey Duque Park at Northwest 154th Street and 89 Avenue. The Duques emphasized the irreplaceable emotional value of the artwork created by Art & Sculpture Unlimited.
Jakey was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, a rare and aggressive brain tumor on October 11, 2019, when he was 4 years old. He succumbed to the disease on June 8, 2020. City officials unveiled the memorial statue on May 8, 2021, as part of a broader community initiative to honor the young boy’s memory and his family’s struggle.
Orlando Duque said the statue holds deep significance for both his family and the community at large. The parents stated they are not seeking criminal charges against whoever took the statue, instead asking only for its safe return to the park where it serves as a tribute to their son’s brief life.
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