Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Mystery solved. The artist behind the iconic "Orange Man on the Hill" or "Man in the City" sculpture off I-96 says it was Lyon Township who cut down his 15-foot tall silhouette, not vandals.

It had stood at James F. Atchison Memorial Park for 10 years.

John Sauve says he received a letter from attorneys for Lyon Township stating after it "made contact with individuals" to address "numerous complaints from residents who found the sculpture inappropriate and frightening to their children," the sculpture was taken down.

Sauve says he never received a call himself.

"They know it's mine. Why not just a quick phone call? I would have been more than happy to work out a solution. Whatever that solution is, it's better to work with me than to cut it down and not tell me," he told WDIV Detroit.

The letter also mentioned, “lights were added to the statue, which is located in close proximity to the airport.”

Sauve says he has until Wednesday to remove the sculpture from the property, or the township will cut it up and haul it away.

"It's disheartening. It's challenging. It's expensive. There are a lot of things I have to do to make this either go back up or go somewhere else. But I see nothing but opportunities. So, we'll just see how it works out," he said.