Whomever broke into an Oak Bay church last weekend made off with a valuable and dear item.
An Eastman 405 cello, its case and a carbon-fibre bow, were stolen from the Emmanuel Baptist Church at 2121 Cedar Hill Cross Rd. overnight on April 13.
The value of the instrument is estimated at $3,500.
Also taken in the break-inwas a Toshiba 17-inch laptop, a cellphone and other electronic items.
Someone pried a screen off a window to enter the church.
Oak Bay police lifted fingerprints at the scene and are running them through an identification system, which is expected to indicate a suspect within about two weeks, Const. Laurence Riel said.
ecardone@vicnews.com