She found the Amelia Earhart statue but instead of a reward, she's become a suspect

When Elaine Traverse discovered the stolen Amelia Earhart statue four months ago, she thought the big cash reward that was on offer would be hers. It hasn't turned out quite that way.

Instead, the Heart's Delight-Islington, N.L. resident and her son — who has a criminal conviction for stealing copper — have become suspects.

Now she's speaking out in an effort to clear her reputation, and her son's.

“I feel like I'm a crook and I never did nothing wrong," Traverse told CBC News this week. "I'm hoping that I can get the money so I can better myself."   

On the afternoon of Aug. 1, Traverse said she pulled into a forest access road off Route 74, about halfway between Victoria and Heart's Content, so her dog could relieve itself.

She said the dog became agitated and started barking, and when she investigated, she noticed something unusual in the brush.

It was the cut-up pieces of the Amelia Earhart statue that had been stolen in late April from a municipal park in Harbour Grace, about 25 kilometres away from where Traverse found the damaged work of art.

The discovery, however, has transformed her quiet life into a nightmare.  

When the police became involved, Traverse said pressure started to mount on her and her adult son.

“He doesn't have a clue, and I don't have a clue," Traverse said when asked if they had anything to do with the theft and damage to the statue.  

It's believed the thieves intended to sell the bronze to a scrap metal dealer. But the theft was big news, which likely prevented the culprits from following through with their plan.

The town and its partners offered a $25,000 reward for information that would help find those responsible, and lead to the return of this prized work of art. Newco Metal’s $10,000 contribution to the reward was contingent on an arrest and conviction for the theft.

The statue honours Amelia Earhart, the famous aviator who left the airstrip in Harbour Grace in the spring of 1932 and made history by becoming the first woman pilot to complete a solo transatlantic flight.

Meanwhile, after being evicted from her government-owned house in Heart's Delight-Islington, Traverse thought her run of bad luck was over, and that the reward would be hers.