The broken head had gone unnoticed because it had been placed back on the statue. The parish council, based near the New Mexico line in San Luis, voted Sunday to ask for the investigation.

The sheriff said charges could include desecration of a venerated object, criminal trespass, defacing property and bias-motivated crime.

Payne would not rule out a lawsuit seeking the cost of replacing or repairing the statue. The Rev. Patrick Valdez, the parish pastor, referred questions to Payne.

Olsen called the missionaries' actions "inexcusable" and said respect for other faiths is a "cardinal tenet" of the LDS Church.

"The church has worked for many years side by side with leaders and members of other faiths, including the Roman Catholic Church, and has often helped them with construction or renovation of buildings for religious worship. We have also worked hand-in-hand with Catholic Charities in providing humanitarian assistance to alleviate suffering across the globe," he said.

"The church expresses its profound regret and sincere apologies to the members of the Roman Catholic faith, to the members of the Sangre de Cristo Catholic Church and the townspeople of San Luis, for this senseless act."

Olsen said church leaders would look for ways to repair the damage that has been caused to relationships with the community.

Photobucket released a statement saying that it had no record of the shrine photos but that its rules forbid content that is illegal, obscene or threatening.