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Talking bird helped break school abduction case

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia detective has testified about a foul-mouthed bird that helped lead police to the woman charged with abducting a 5-year-old from school.

The girl said she heard a talking bird during the 19 hours she spent blindfolded in a house where she was sexually assaulted.

She also glimpsed the back of the west Philadelphia house before she was abandoned at a park.

Detective Daniel O’Malley testified Friday that he focused on the bird as he worked the case in January 2013.

He said a tip led him to the house where 19-year-old Christina Regusters lived with a loud macaw who cussed out investigators.

Regusters knew the girl from an after-school program where she worked.

Her lawyer has argued that police have the wrong suspect. Regusters’ trial resumes next week.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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