Vandals kidnapped a sunflower-bedecked former member of Jayhawks on Parade sometime overnight Saturday from the Legends Place Apartments, 4101 W. 24th Place.

Someone pried the statue “Kansan,” by Vernon Kauffman, nicknamed “Sunny” by apartment staff, from its pedestal and hauled it away, said Susan Rinke, manager of the complex. Staff members noticed it missing Sunday morning and filed a report with police.

“You can tell that they just kind of ripped it off,” Rinke said.

Staff members were looking through security camera footage Sunday for anything suspicious, but the cameras don’t cover the area where the Jayhawk was, Rinke said.

The 30 decorated Jayhawks were placed around the city in 2003. Businesses and organizations sponsored the birds, and some of them remained at the homes of their sponsors after the display ended, as was the case with “Kansan.” A few have been vandalized periodically.

The Legends staff wants its Jayhawk back.

“It feels like we’ve lost a friend,” Rinke said.