Brett Elmore, owner of WJLX in Jasper, said the theft was discovered when landscapers went to clean up the area. The landscaper assured Mr Elmore he had walked the property, and the massive steel tower was nowhere to be found.

“I said, ‘It’s a 200-foot tower. You would see it somewhere if it was laying around,’’ Elmore said.

“It’s one thing to break into the building and steal the transmitter,’’ he said. “But it’s another thing to steal a 200-foot tower.”

The property where the tower once stood is behind the Marjac Poultry processing plant, which is surrounded by about 50 acres of woods. WJLX has five acres on the edge of that property.

Jasper police officers are still looking for those responsible.