Ohio mom's body found; boyfriend charged

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Ohio mom's body found; boyfriend charged
Ohio mom's body found; boyfriend charged - Yahoo! News

CANTON, Ohio - A massive search ended in sadness Saturday when authorities announced they found a body believed to be a pregnant woman who vanished from her home a week earlier. A police officer believed to be the father of the unborn child was arrested on two counts of murder. Jessie Davis, 26, who was due to deliver a baby girl on July 3, was reported missing after her mother found Davis' 2-year-old son home alone, bedroom furniture toppled and bleach spilled on the floor.

The boy gave investigators their first clues. "Mommy was crying. Mommy broke the table. Mommy's in rug," the boy said.

Thousands of volunteers had searched for Davis over several days, while investigators continued to question Bobby Cutts Jr., 30, who is the father of Davis' son but is married to another woman.

Investigators were mum on many details of their work until they announced Cutts was taken into custody Saturday and was to be arraigned on charges of murder in the deaths of Davis and her unborn child.

The Stark County Sheriff's Department also said a woman's body was recovered in Summit County at 3:30 p.m. Authorities did not give a location but said they believed it to be Davis.

Television news footage taken from helicopters above Cuyahoga Valley National Park showed investigators riding off-road vehicles to reach an area that is heavily covered with trees and brush. It also show authorities carrying a body bag on a stretcher and loading it into a white van.

Roger Riggins, an investigator with the Summit County medical examiner's office, confirmed a body was found at the southeast edge of the park, about 25 miles from Davis' home in Lake Township.

Tim Miller, director of Texas EquuSearch, an internationally active search group that organized the volunteer effort, said Davis' mother, Patricia Porter, and other members of her family were called together and told about the body in late afternoon.

"A lot of the community stopped their lives to looked for Jessie and that meant so much to her and the entire family that they knew they were not alone in this," he said.

During the investigation, a newborn baby girl was left on the doorstep of a home in a nearby county, raising questions about whether it belonged to Davis. DNA tests were being conducted when another woman confessed to leaving the child at the home.

An attorney for Davis' mother said the family had a roller coaster ride of emotions and had no comment.

"I've seen them laugh, cry, be angry — everything you can imagine," Rick Pitinii said. "They need to be together, and they need to be alone, and they need to grieve."

Cutts, a Canton police officer since 2000, has said he and his wife are separated and that she knew about the affair with Davis.

Chief Deputy Rick Perez said the case was still being investigated. He would not comment on whether there were any other suspects.

Telephone messages seeking comment were left at the office of Cutts' lawyer, Bradley Iams, and the home and office of the Rev. C.A. Richmond, who is Cutts' pastor. Iams' home number is unlisted. Cutts' wife also did not return a phone call.

Cutts has been on paid administrative leave from his job.

"There is no denying that this has resulted in giving a black eye in the opinion of the local community as well as the opinion of the rest of the nation," Canton Police Chief Dean McKimm said of Cutts' arrest.

The police department had tried to fire Cutts in 2003 when authorities conducting a drug raid on his cousin's home found Cutts' handgun hidden under a mattress. Canton police officials said Cutts gave the gun to his cousin for protection and said Cutts was lying when he reported the gun stolen. A federal arbitrator ordered the city to reinstate the officer, saying police had not proved the allegation.

Cutts pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge in 1998 after he was accused of breaking into the home of a former girlfriend. He was sentenced to three years' probation.
 
Police: Pregnant woman's body found; cop arrested
Police: Pregnant woman's body found; cop arrested - CNN.com

CANTON, Ohio (CNN) -- Authorities believe they recovered the body of Jessie Marie Davis, a pregnant Ohio woman missing for 10 days, Saturday, and a police officer with whom Davis had a relationship was arrested in connection with her disappearance, police said.

Canton police patrolman Bobby Cutts Jr., 30, was facing two murder counts in the deaths of Davis, 26, and her unborn child, said Rick Perez, chief deputy of the Stark County sheriff's department.

Cutts fathered Davis' 2-year-old son, Blake, and was also the likely father of her unborn child, a girl she planned to call Chloe. Davis was nearly nine months pregnant when she was last heard from June 13. She was due July 3. (Watch police announce they'd found a body )

The body was recovered in adjacent Summit County about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Perez said, but he would not provide further details. A police statement acknowledged the assistance of the National Park Service, but police would not say what assistance was provided.

The FBI said the body was was in the area of Cuyahoga Valley National Park in northern Summit County. A park spokesperson told CNN affiliate WKYC and the Akron Beacon Journal that it was recovered in Hampton Hills Metro Park, part of the county park system that is adjacent to the national park. (Map)

Video footage from CNN affiliate WKYC showed aerials of a wooded area and what appeared to be a body in a bag placed onto a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. Evidence technicians appeared to be working in a field.

Cutts was arrested Saturday afternoon, Perez said. Cutts is scheduled to appear Monday for arraignment in Canton Municipal Court.

Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero told reporters it was too early to say whether the case warrants the death penalty. "The charges could get elevated to a higher degree down the road."

Citing an ongoing investigation, police would divulge little regarding the case. They would not comment on whether additional arrests are expected, but said they continue to solicit tips by telephone and through the sheriff's department Web site.

Davis' family did not appear at an afternoon news conference where police announced the developments.

"They're grieving in private," said family attorney Rick Pitinii.

Asked their thoughts on the arrest, he said, "I think this whole process for them has been more about finding her -- instead of who is or is not at fault or at blame."

Detectives had searched the home of Cutts at least twice earlier this week.

The investigation started last week when Davis' mother, Patricia Porter, alerted police after she was unable to contact her daughter. When the mother went to the home, she found Davis' 2-year-old son, Blake, wandering in an empty house.

Police said furniture was broken, a lamp was toppled and bleach had been spilled on the floor, although there were no signs of forced entry. Davis' car keys and purse were in the home, but her cell phone and a comforter were missing.

Police said earlier that Blake told authorities that his mother was crying, she had broken a table and was "in the rug."

In an earlier interview with the local Canton Repository newspaper, Cutts denied any involvement in Davis' disappearance. He acknowledged that he was married, but said he was separated from his wife and that she was aware of his relationship with Davis.

Canton Police Chief Dean McKimm said Saturday that because Cutts is a police officer, he has given his department a "black eye" in the eyes of the local community as well as the nation. He urged people not to be too quick to judge the "isolated acts" of one "rogue officer."

Authorities earlier said Cutts had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the search for Davis.

Thousands of volunteers had shown up to help search for Davis' body, an effort organized by EquuSearch, a Texas-based nonprofit organization.
 
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