Jun 24, 2007 3:05 pm US/Eastern
Body Verified As That Of Missing Pregnant Woman
CANTON, Oh. (WJZ/AP) ―
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Ohio police officer Bobby Cutts Jr. has been charged with killing the woman said to be carrying his unborn child. (File)
WJZ
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A body believed to be that of 26-year-old Jessie Davis was discovered dead along with an unborn fetus she had been carrying for nearly nine months. (File)
CBS/The Early Show
A massive search ended in sadness Saturday when authorities announced they found a body that has since been confirmed as 26-year-old Jessie Davis.
Davis was also nearly nine months pregnant with what would have been her second child, when she went missing nearly two weeks ago.
A police officer believed to be the father of the unborn child was arrested Saturday on two counts of murder.
During the search for Davis, Bobby Cutts Jr. repeatedly denied his involvement in Davis' disappearance.
Thousands of volunteers had searched for Davis over several days, while investigators continued to question Cutts.
Cutts is also the father of Davis' 2-year-old son, even though he is married to another woman. Cutts, a Canton police officer since 2000, has said he and his wife are separated and that she knew about the affair with Davis.
Davis was due to deliver a baby girl on July 3. She was reported missing after her mother found Davis' toddler son home alone, with 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.
Investigators were mum on many details of their work until they announced Cutts was taken into custody Saturday and was to be arraigned Monday on charges of murder in the deaths of Davis and her unborn child.
The Stark County Sheriff's Department said Davis' body was recovered in Summit County at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Authorities said her body was found in a wooded area of Cuyahoga National Park.
The cause of death has not yet been declared and medical examiners said it may be hard to determine due to the advanced decomposition of Davis' body.
Television news footage taken from helicopters above Cuyahoga Valley National Park showed investigators riding off road vehicles to reach an area that was heavily covered with trees and brush. It also showed authorities carrying Davis' 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 the 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 discovery.
"A lot of the community stopped their lives to look 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."
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.
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