Monterey statue of Junipero Serra decapitated

Police are searching for vandals that decapitated a statue of Junipero Serra at the Monterey Presidio earlier this week, becoming the second in a string of incidents targeting structures memorializing the recently canonized — and controversial — religious figure.

On Thursday, one or more vandals cut the head off the granite sculpture overlooking the Pacific Ocean, which has been in the Presidio since 1891.

The head is still missing despite an expansive sweep of the park, according to Monterey Weekly.

Police that oversee the Presidio could not be immediately reached for comment, nor could a park spokesperson.

It was the second statue of Serra to be vandalized in Monterey County since the divisive figure became a saint.

On Sept. 27, a statue of Serra was toppled over and splattered with paint in the Carmel Mission courtyard, according to a post on the church’s Facebook page. The Washington Post reported that vandals scrawled “Saint of Genocide” on a headstone in the park.

The mission reached out to volunteers, who helped clean up the vandalism.

An interview is conducted next to a statue of Junipero Serra at the Carmel Mission, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, in Carmel-By-The-Sea, Calif. Serra, an 18th-century missionary who brought Catholicism to the American West Coast, was elevated to sainthood Wednesday by Pope Francis in the first canonization on U.S. soil. less An interview is conducted next to a statue of Junipero Serra at the Carmel Mission, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, in Carmel-By-The-Sea, Calif. Serra, an 18th-century missionary who brought Catholicism to the ... more Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press Image 1 of / 55 Caption Close Monterey statue of Junipero Serra decapitated 1 / 55 Back to Gallery

“Let us remember that we live in a loving community and let us not be discouraged by such things,” reads a post on the Carmel Mission’s Facebook page. “As St. Serra said, ‘Always look forward, never back.’ ”

The canonization of Serra, who founded California’s mission system, drew ire from many American Indians who accuse the saint of enslaving native Californians.

Joaquin Palomino is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jpalomino@sfchronicle.com; Twitter:@JoaquinPalomino