Police: Pregnant White Woman’s Body Found; Black Cop Arrested
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Searchers recovered a body Saturday afternoon that they believe is that of Jessie Marie Davis, a pregnant woman who disappeared June 13, police said.
Bobby Cutts Jr., the father of Davis’ 2-year-old son, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, including that of Davis’ unborn child, said Stark County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Rick Perez. Cutts is also believed to be the father of Davis’ unborn child.
Cutts is an officer with the Canton Police Department.
Perez said the body was found in Summit County, not far from Davis’ home in Stark County’s Lake Township.
About 1,000 volunteers turned out to search for a pregnant mother Saturday, the third straight day searchers picked through rural areas of eastern Ohio.
Ned Davis, the father of 26-year-old Jessie Davis, begged volunteers to continue their efforts, spending much of the morning giving pep talks to groups of searchers.
“I thank them. I remind them to stay hydrated,” he said in an interview. “And most importantly I tell them to bring my Jessie back.”
Searching on Thursday and Friday of an area near Davis’ home yielded nothing more than a marijuana patch.
About 17 square miles have been covered, and coordinators are sending searchers on Saturday to another four square miles of mostly farmland and wooded areas, said Cindy Wisdom, a spokeswoman for search organizer Texas EquuSearch.
Teams of volunteers are also looking in targeted areas around the home of Davis’ boyfriend, Canton police officer Bobby Cutts Jr., Wisdom said.
Crews in helicopters were taking aerial photographs of the area and teams were preparing to search an unspecified body of water using sonar equipment, Wisdom said.
On Friday, a baby found three days after Davis was reported missing was ruled out as a clue to her disappearance. (Full story)
Authorities have said they’re working around the clock on the case, trying to find the comforter and cell phone that vanished with Davis from her home in nearby Lake Township, and they’re collecting information through a tip line.
Investigators have been mum on many details of their work, but they have quoted Davis’ 2-year-old-son, Blake, who may be their only eyewitness.
“Mommy was crying. Mommy broke the table. Mommy’s in rug,” the boy said.
Davis was reported missing one week ago Friday after her mother found the young woman’s bedroom in disarray, the furniture overturned and Davis’ young son home alone.
Davis’ mother, Patricia Porter, was the last person known to have spoken to Davis, on June 13. She said she’s focused on finding her daughter.
“We are not stopping and whoever’s done this, I hope they don’t think that we’re going home,” she said Friday. “No one’s going home and we are not stopping until we find her and find who did this to her.” (Watch Davis’ mom discuss her fears Video)
Authorities talked with Cutts and searched his home, but investigators repeatedly said he was not a suspect. Cutts, 30, has said he had nothing to do with Davis’ disappearance.
The pastor of the church Cutts attends has been praying with him every day and said Friday that Cutts, as a police officer, understands why the boyfriend of a missing woman would be under scrutiny.
“He understands what goes with the territory,” said C.A. Richmond Sr., pastor at Logos Baptist Assembly. “Of course he is anxious for a resolution and disposition of the whole matter and he is confident they will find he had nothing to do with her disappearance.”
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