Christina Regusters spoke in a child-like voice, saying that she understood the charges against her during her first court appearance on charges related to the kidnapping and sexual assault of a five-year-old girl.
Regusters, 19, is being held on $4 million dollars bail.
Investigators with the Special Victim's Unit say Regusters may not have acted alone. Police say their investigation into the January 14 abduction and rape of the little girl is far from over.
Regusters was picked up, along with three other people, from a house investigators searched last week. Those three other people were released last night. Police say the investigation into the January 14 abduction and rape of the little girl is far from over.
The victim was taken from William C. Bryant Elementary School at 60th and Cedar Avenue in Cobbs Creek by a woman dressed in Muslim garb claiming to be her mother. She was found the next morning on an Upper Darby playground by a good Samaritan.
Since the abduction, police have spent a lot of time with the victim, jogging her memory and retracing her steps on the day she was abducted. During their time together, the victim told investigators that there was a "talking bird" in the home were she was kept during her abduction. That information helped lead police to a house on the 6200 block of Walton Avenue, just blocks away from where the 5-year-old was abducted.
"The girl's incredible. She's been a big help to us. She's gone through a lot of trauma, but she was still able to provide some information that proved to be very helpful to us," Ramsey said.
Investigators first visited the Walton Ave. home last week, collecting evidence and questioning residents. The questioning continued yesterday when police picked up four people, including Regusters, at the house.
After hours of interrogation, police arrested Regusters and released the others.
She's facing multiple charges, including criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, rape, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, contact with a minor, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, interference with the custody of a child, concealing the whereabouts of a child, indecent assault, simple assault, corruption of minors and recklessly endangering another person, according to police.
Investigators say DNA on the shirt the victim was wearing when she was found the day after her abduction linked Regusters to the crime.
In addition, police believe that Regusters is the woman seen in Muslim garb on surveillance video escorting the girl from her school.
"We believe that's a very strong possibility that she is the one that was in that garb," Ramsey confirmed.
They also say she had contact with the little girl prior to the abduction, although what sort of contact has not been determined.
"We've still got some work to do, but this is a strong step in the right direction," Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told NBC10.
