Officials say three teens were arrested after the city of New York’s beloved swan was eaten. 4 baby swans rescued

Three teenagers were arrested Tuesday after four baby swans were stolen from a New York pond and the mother was found eaten, city officials said.

In a statement on Facebook, the Manlius City Police Department said five swans were stolen from the Manlius Swan Pond over the weekend. Four of the birds were recovered while Faye, a beloved female swan, was killed.

“The mother swan has been consumed,” Manlius Mayor Paul Whorrall said, according to the Associated Press. “It’s sad to say, but that’s exactly what they did.”

Police said the swans disappeared Saturday, but officials were not notified until Monday, the AP reported.

After a notice was sent out about the missing swans, a concerned citizen spotted two of the little swans at a store in Salina and called police, Manlius Police Sgt. said Ken Hatter.

Manlius police rescued the two baby swans from the store and found the other two swan tails at a suspect’s home in Syracuse, about 10 miles northwest of the city, after one of the suspects, who worked at the store, confessed to the crime.

The three teens were charged with grand larceny, criminal mischief, conspiracy and trespassing, the police department said in a news release sent to USA TODAY.

Two of the suspects, ages 16 and 17, were handed over to their parents because they were minors, police said. The third suspect, who is 18, is awaiting arraignment.

According to police, Swan was given to a relative to cook

The baby swans, currently in the care of a biologist, will be returned to the pond in a few weeks when they are old enough to survive on their own, Hatter said.

As for Faye, Hatter said the teens gave her to a relative to cook with.

“They took it back to an aunt’s house and the aunt prepared it,” he said.

Swan hunting is illegal in the state.

“We are known for our swans,” said Mayor Whorrall

Biologist Michael Bean donated Faye and her partner Manny to the village of Manlius for its swan pond in 2010. The two mute swans are not native to the United States, but they are the largest birds in New York.

The village of Manlius is known for its swans, Whorrall said. “The swans have been a part of this village for well over 100 years,” he said.

Manlius police, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police and the Syracuse Police Department are investigating the incident.

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Contribution: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Manlius, New York, swans stolen from pond, killing Faye, officials say