Amazon’s ‘Alexa’ to the rescue -records 9-year-old boy’s voice, implicates him in theft
Amazon’s ‘Alexa’ helped victim identify burglar
Echo device recorded voice of 9-year-old neighbor who broke in and stole valuable
All items were recovered
Police found and returned most of the stolen woman’s belongings, but kept the Echo device as evidence.
A 9-year-old boy from Gloucester, Mass. is facing breaking and entering and larceny charges after Amazon’s Alexa recorded his voice during a break-in.
Alexa captured the boy’s voice from an Echo device he stole from his neighbor’s home, The Gloucester Times reported.
He also stole an iPhone, phone charger and cash from her apartment Tuesday, the media outlet reported.
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The boy entered his neighbor’s home through a first-floor screen on three different occasions to collect the valuables.
He also stole an unopened Amazon package that was sitting on his neighbor’s porch.
The woman told police that an audio clip of a voice on her phone, recorded by Alexa from the stolen Echo device, sounded like her neighbor’s son’s.
Gloucester police spoke to the boy, who at first denied knowledge of the thefts.
He later confessed to breaking into the woman’s home three times to steal the missing items.
He led officers to the stolen goods, which he had stashed outside his home.
The boy told officers he couldn’t find $46 in stolen cash, but officers later found the money stuffed inside a sneaker in a closet.
Police returned most of the stolen woman’s belongings, but kept the Echo device as evidence. It was ruined by being kept outdoors.
The child is facing charges of breaking and entering and larceny in juvenile court.
Last month the device came to rescue of a New Mexico woman. Alexa called police as her boyfriend was assaulting her and threatening to shoot her with a firearm. Cops arrived on time to avert a major disaster.
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