An estimated 300-pound bell stolen from Trinity Episcopal Church in Kirksville has been recovered near Newburg, west of La Plata.
The Adair County Sheriff's Office recovered it, Macon County Sheriff Kevin Shoemaker said Tuesday.
Adair County Sheriff Jason Lene and a Kirksville police detective retrieved the bell Monday from a man who had bought it, Lene said. Lene said the buyer did not know it had been stolen and is not a suspect.
Church members found the bell missing Saturday morning at Trinity, at Mulanix and Harrison streets. Laura Gruber Harden, the church's bishop's warden, said the priest and a member arrived for a meeting, parked, and realized the bell was gone.
The theft was reported to the Kirksville Police Department. Church leaders offered an $800 reward Sunday for its return.
Investigators received an anonymous tip Monday morning.
The rector said Monday the bell appears undamaged. The church said it is cooperating with police.