'Just heartless': Ybor City family pleads for safe return of exotic pet parrot stolen from front porch

Search for rare parrot stolen from front porch

FOX 13's Carla Bayron talked with an Ybor City family who is pleading for the return of their beloved pet parrot.

YBOR CITY, Fla. - A family is pleading for the safe return of their beloved exotic pet parrot.

Randi Mosley's front porch is quieter now.

"She greets everybody who walks by the house," said Mosley. "She has a big personality."

That's because her Congo African Gray parrot, Cleo, whom she owned for 12 years, is no longer in her cage. Cleo has been missing since she was stolen a little more than three weeks ago.

What they're saying:

"There could be something you are emotionally attached to inside a package, but to take somebody's pet, that's just heartless," said Mosley.

Timeline:

On August 16, a surveillance camera captured footage of a man walking up to Mosley's home on E 24th Ave. in Ybor City at 8:30 p.m.

At 10:30 p.m., he returned to make a phone call. Five minutes later, another man appeared wearing a ski mask and gloves.

The camera cuts out, but Mosley says the suspects snatched Cleo and escaped in a dark Honda SUV.

Cleo's owner says the police told her this was a crime of opportunity. She believes the suspects may have stolen Cleo because they thought they could sell her for quick cash.

She says she contacted multiple pet stores, and one owner told her two men tried to sell him Cleo, but he didn't take her because he thought she had a broken wing. It turns out Cleo does have a wonky wing. Mosley sent this information to the police.

After posting nearly 100 'MISSING' flyers in her neighborhood, she has this plea to those who took Cleo:

"Find a person or friend that you trust to bring her to us. I don't care," she said. "I just want Cleo back. That's all I want."

READ: Stolen $7 million dollar car remains a mystery

What's next:

A spokesperson for Tampa Police says this case is still an active investigation.

Mosley says she's offering a $2,000 reward for Cleo's safe return, no questions asked.

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