Gone again: Second angel statue vanishes from Horry County beach

The mystery of North Myrtle Beach’s missing angel has a sequel.

Days after a beloved concrete marker known as the “Angel of Hope” disappeared from its location atop a sand dune at Cherry Grove Point in Horry County, a replacement — this one clad in black with a cardinal perched on her hand — quickly vanished as well.

On Aug. 25, Dee Moss and her friend Diane Lee visited the section of beach where the new angel was located after learning of it on Facebook. The original statue was removed from its home some time last weekend.

But when the friends arrived, there was no sign of her successor either.

“I’ve been here 25 years and had seen the angel forever,” Moss told The Sun News. Brightly painted shells and other trinkets lain at the statue’s in tribute to loved ones were tossed into a nearby marsh, Moss said.

Erected in 2016 by a woman named Rhonda, the statue became a symbol of resiliency and optimism, surviving several hurricanes and giving people a quiet place to reflect.

North Myrtle Beach spokesman Donald Graham said the statue was located on county property, and Horry County Police spokeswoman Mikayla Moscov couldn’t immediately be reached for comments.

Donna Wright, who was also on the beach Aug. 25, said many in the community miss Rhonda’s gift to them.

“Everybody that talks on the beach loves the angel and just this week when we heard it was gone, it just hurts,” he said. “You always walk past and you smile. We lose people, and it’s kind of nice to go by and say, ‘good morning.’”