Bristol boy puts 11-year collection back up after police response

Adam Stanchfield, 11, will replace his stolen Halloween decorations on his Bristol front lawn this Friday night. The fifth grader had previously taken down his entire display after multiple items were removed from his property over several weeks.

Krystal Stanchfield, Adam's mother, stated that the collection consists of personal items acquired through birthday gifts and allowance savings since 2019. She estimated that seven to eight individual items were taken, including four or five inflatables, tombstones, and silver lights used for animatronics.

The family began setting up the display during Labor Day weekend. The decorations have evolved over the years, moving from inflatable figures to sections featuring characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Stanchfield said the repeated thefts, which occurred every weekend, caused her son to remove the items and post a sign thanking the thief for ruining his holiday.

Local involvement began when neighbors noticed the sign and shared the news on the Bristol Talks Facebook page. Bristol police subsequently took a statement from the family and reviewed video footage the parents collected. Officers visited the home on Friday morning to confirm they had leads to explore. Stanchfield provided photographs of the missing items so officers could identify them if found.

Stanchfield noted that other residents in the area reported similar losses. The police are now patrolling the neighborhood at night. This increased security allowed Adam to decide to reinstall his decorations before the holiday.

Stanchfield said the community's response helped her son understand that not everyone is cruel. After Halloween, the family plans to store the remaining items for an annual Christmas display.