Case Of The Missing Messiah Swiftly Solved In Wrentham

WRENTHAM, MA — The baby Jesus was never missing in Wrentham. It just was not his time to arrive on the town common manger quite yet.

There was a touch of concern Monday night when baby Jesus was reported missing from the manger set in the gazebo of Wrentham Common. Police Chief Bill McGrath even took to social media — posting "BABY JESUS GONE" — to ask the public's help in finding the essential piece to the nativity scene after visitors alerted Wrentham police to their concerns for the Christ Child.

McGrath said he checked with those responsible for the display, who confirmed to him that the baby Jesus should be in the display as of Monday, and therefore may have been stolen.

But some savvy social media commenters were there to help crack The Case of the Missing Messiah.

It turns out, they were right.

It is tradition in most nativity scenes not to place the baby Jesus in his cradle until Christmas morning when the story of Christmas says he was born. Upon further review, the Wrentham Jesus was not stolen after all, but ready to show up on schedule Wednesday morning.

McGrath went back to social media for a kinda, sorta mea culpa on Christmas Eve.

"BABY JESUS FOUND," he posted. "Divine Intervention?! No! ... Communication Problem??!! Umm, yes."

Chief McGrath tried to have some fun with the mishap when he consulted his "Book of Blame & Excuses" looking for a scapegoat in the Case of the Christmas Caper That Wasn’t After All, but in the end sought to assure concerned residents of the town that the baby Jesus was never missing after all.