PROVO, Utah — Authorities are investigating a major act of vandalism that caused extensive damage to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Provo, with police estimating the destruction to be worth several thousand dollars.
According to the Provo Police Department, the incident was discovered just before 1 p.m. on April 29. A relative of a church leader arrived at the building and noticed signs of damage. The meetinghouse had last been secured around 10 p.m. the previous night.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found widespread destruction throughout the facility. Inside the chapel, a piano had been overturned, and shattered glass littered parts of the building. Investigators noted particularly severe damage to the organ at the front of the podium, where numerous plastic fragments were scattered on the floor — believed to be broken keys from the instrument.
Additional damage was found in the women’s restroom and nursing room, where multiple water pipes had been broken. Several sinks had been left running, which led to flooding in parts of the building. Officers described the carpet in those areas as “saturated.”
The boiler room and several control panels were also tampered with, adding to the complexity and cost of the damage.
Police are working with the Missionary Training Center nearby, which has a surveillance camera pointed toward the south end of the church. Authorities hope the footage may help identify the perpetrator or shed light on when the vandalism occurred.
While the total cost of repairs is still being assessed, officials say the damages will likely amount to thousands of dollars. As of now, no suspects have been identified, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Provo Police are asking anyone with information to come forward as they continue to piece together what happened.
