This is Woman charged in connection with slain Ohio mother
Story Highlights• Myisha Ferrell is charged with obstruction of justice; arraignment is Monday
• FBI searches a woman's home, bags of items removed, neighbor says
• Father of Davis' boy, policeman Bobby Cutts Jr., faces 2 murder counts
• CNN source says Cutts led police to the body


CANTON, Ohio (CNN) -- A woman has been charged with obstruction of justice in the case of the pregnant Ohio woman whose body was found over the weekend, the FBI said.

Myisha Ferrell is in the custody of the Stark County Sheriff's Department and will be arraigned on Monday, the FBI said.

The arrest comes on the same day officials confirmed the body they found Saturday is the body of pregnant Lake Township, Ohio, resident Jessie Marie Davis. The 26-year-old was reported missing more than a week ago.

In a phone recording, the examiner's office announced it had "positively identified the remains found," adding "fetal remains were also recovered."

The cause of death was pending, the office said. (Watch police announce discovery of body)

Davis had been due to give birth in early July when she disappeared. She was last heard from June 13.

The examiners began the autopsy Sunday after the body was recovered in an area of Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Summit County.

Officials have been tight-lipped about exactly where the body was found and how it was discovered.

On Sunday, a source close to the investigation told CNN that Canton police patrolman Bobby Cutts Jr., 30, led police to the body. (Listen to Cutts discuss the investigation June 19)

Authorities declined to confirm that.

Officers on Saturday arrested Cutts and charged him with two counts of murder -- one for allegedly killing Davis and the other for allegedly killing her near-term fetus.

Cutts was the father of Davis' 2-year-old son, Blake. He also fathered two other children with two separate women.

Asked by a newspaper reporter prior to the discovery of Davis' body whether he was expecting a second child with Davis, he said, "Possibly, yes."

He is set to appear Monday for arraignment in Canton Municipal Court.

The identification of Davis' body ended a search by thousands of volunteers.

The search was launched after family members and police could not contact Davis. Upon entering her home, Davis' mom found her son wandering alone in a dirty diaper and the house in disarray. Furniture was broken, a lamp was toppled over and bleach had been spilled on the floor, police said. (Map)

There were no signs of forced entry, and Davis' car keys and purse were in the home. But her cell phone and a comforter were missing, police said.

Another woman's home searched
Also on Sunday, FBI agents searched a woman's home in Canton and confiscated multiple bags of items Saturday evening, the woman's upstairs neighbor said Sunday. It's unclear at this time if that woman is Myisha Ferrell.

Hours after police recovered Davis' body and arrested Cutts, FBI agents used a battering ram to break down the door, said Justin Lindstrom, who lives in an adjacent duplex.

The owner was not present during the search, said Lindstrom, who added that agents asked him to call them if he heard from or saw his neighbor.

Lindstrom added that, during the week prior to Saturday, investigators had visited the home multiple times.

He said that, at one point during their searches, they asked him about a bed comforter they found in the building's laundry room.

Lindstrom said he told them it was his. Investigators have been on the lookout for a comforter belonging to Davis since discovering it was missing during a search of her home.

An FBI official told CNN Sunday that agents were continuing to search "multiple locations in the disappearance of Jessie Davis" and that they "continue to talk to people involved in the case that may have information that can help the investigation."

CNN's Jim Acosta contributed to this report.








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http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/24/missing.woman/index.html

Medical Examiner Confirms Body Was Jessie Davis, Fetus Still In Womb

June 24, 2007 07:54 PM EDT


The Victims: Jessie Davis & Unborn Daughter


The Primary Suspect: Bobby Cutts Jr.


The Accomplice Suspect: Myisha Ferrell (Cutts' high school friend)

UPDATE: Autopsy shows remains found in Ohio were that of pregnant woman, fetus was still in womb.

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A body found at the end of a days-long search for a nearly nine months pregnant woman is indeed hers, a medical examiner confirmed Sunday as investigators pieced together the case against a police officer accused of killing her.

The body found Saturday in a park was that of 26-year-old Jessie Davis, whose due date was July 3, the Summit County Medical Examiner's office said. Bobby Cutts Jr., who authorities suspect is the father of the unborn child, is charged with two counts of murder.

The cause of death had not yet been determined, and will not be announced Sunday said Lisa Kohler, the Summit County medical examiner. Her office had said it might be difficult to determine the cause of death because of the advanced state of decomposition.

The fetus was still inside the woman's womb, Kohler said as she left her office Sunday. She declined to comment further. Confirmation of Davis' identity had been announced on a recording from the medical examiner's telephone hotline.

The Background Information:

Authorities arrested the boyfriend of a missing pregnant woman on murder charges Saturday and said they recovered a body believed to be hers.

Jessie Davis, 26, had been missing for a week from her home, where her 2-year-old son was found alone, his diaper dirty, bedroom furniture toppled and bleach spilled on the floor.

Investigators said the toddler told them "Mommy was crying. Mommy broke the table. Mommy's in rug."

The Stark County Sheriff's Department said a body believed to be Davis was recovered in neighboring Summit County at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

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

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. The body, uncovered and unburied, was found in a field of tall weeds and grass, not far from a dirt road that leads to a parking area, he said.

Davis' boyfriend, Bobby Cutts Jr., 30, is to be arraigned Monday in Canton Municipal Court on two counts of murder, including the unborn child, the sheriff's department said. Davis was due to deliver a baby girl on July 3.

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

Possible Accomplice: Police have arrested 29-year-old Myisha Ferrell on Sunday. Ferrell is Bobby Cutts Jr's long time friend.

Myisha Ferrell was charged with obstructing justice and will be ararigned on Monday, June 24th.

Ferrell lived at 1245 Oxford Avenue NW in Canton, OH.

Late Saturday, sheriff's deputies searched the apartment of a high school classmate Myisha Ferrell, looking for pillows, a bed sheet, a cell phone, cleaning supplies and other evidence in the case.

An inventory of the search showed three cell phones, Lysol and Clorox cleaning solution bottles, three empty bottles of Febreze fabric freshener, garbage bags and a partial roll of duct tape were removed by deputies from the home, the newspaper reported.

Cutts has said he had nothing to do with Davis' disappearance.

Telephone messages seeking comment on the arrest were left at the office of Cutts' lawyer, Bradley Iams, and the home and office of the Rev. C.A. Richmond, his pastor. Iams' home number is unlisted.

The Autopsy: The body does belong to Jessie Marie Davis & unborn child

The body found Saturday in a park was that of 26-year-old Jessie Davis, whose due date was July 3, the Summit County Medical Examiner's office said. Bobby Cutts Jr., who authorities suspect is the father of the unborn child, is charged with two counts of murder.

The cause of death had not yet been determined, and will not be announced Sunday said Lisa Kohler, the Summit County medical examiner. Her office had said it might be difficult to determine the cause of death because of the advanced state of decomposition.

The fetus was still inside the woman's womb, Kohler said as she left her office Sunday. She declined to comment further. Confirmation of Davis' identity had been announced on a recording from the medical examiner's telephone hotline.

The Search Crews:

Thousands of volunteers searched on foot, horseback and all-terrain vehicles for Davis over several days. Cutts joined volunteers in an earlier search.

Tim Miller, director of Texas EquuSearch, an internationally active search group that organized searches around her home, said Porter and the rest of Davis' 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," Miller said Saturday after the sheriff's announcement.

Officer Bobby Cutts Junior's Background Info:

Cutts, a Canton police officer since 2000, is the father of Davis' son, and her family says he also is the father of the unborn child. Authorities had questioned him and searched his home during the investigation.

Cutts has said he and his wife, Kelly Renee Cutts, are separated and that she knew about the affair with Davis. He's 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 the arrest of a police officer.

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.

Jessie Davis' Family:

Rick Pitinii, Porter's attorney, said Davis' family had no comment.

"They have gone through an absolute roller coaster of emotions," he said. "I've seen them laugh, cry, be angry - everything you can imagine. ... It's tough."

"They need to be together, and they need to be alone, and they need to grieve."

She was such a pretty girl, I wish we still had hanging as the execution for murder....

This story has been pretty quiet. i think the dude confessed and is trying to plee bargin.

Sick F U C K's! It hasnt been quiet around here...Tons of coverage...Poor girl...And her poor son

And I dont want to come off as this hate monger...But I am so sick of these crimes...People need to be made and example of...People need to be scared to kill or rape someone...Not some guilty fn pleasure...I just dont get what the he ll is going on?!?!?! I am all for the death penalty in some situations.

The funeral for Jesse and her unborn baby was today. So sad.

funny how some "journalists" find the time to call this racist, cuz it was covered in the papers.....whip out the RACE CARD.

death by "love", funny huh?

CNN) -- A jury in Canton, Ohio, found former police officer Bobby Cutts Jr. guilty of murdering his pregnant girlfriend, Jessie Marie Davis, and their unborn child.


Grasping tissues and moaning, Bobby Cutts Jr. testitfied he never meant to hurt girlfriend Jessie Davis.

1 of 3 The jury of six men and six women reached the verdict after more than 21 hours of deliberations.

Jurors found Cutts guilty of aggravated murder for the unlawful termination of Davis' pregnancy and the aggravated murder of a child under the age of 13.

But the jury found him guilty of a lesser murder count in the death of Davis.

Davis was nine months pregnant when she disappeared. She had chosen the name Chloe for her daughter.

Jurors found that baby Chloe was killed during the commission of another crime, making Cutts eligible for the death penalty.

The penalty phase of the trial is set to begin February 25. Cutts will face a sentence of either 25 years to life with the possibility of parole, 30 years to life with the possibility of parole, life without parole or death.

As the verdicts were read, Cutts remained stoic, a stark contrast to his tearful testimony on Monday.

His and Davis' families left the courthouse without comment.

Jurors began deliberations late Tuesday afternoon. They had been sequestered, spending nights at a nearby hotel, cut off from exposure to the media and other potential influences.

According to testimony, Cutts, 30, rolled Davis' body in a comforter and dumped it in a park, leaving their 2½-year-old son, Blake, alone.

Cutts also was found guilty of aggravated burglary, two counts of gross abuse of a corpse and endangering a child, Blake.

Cutts sobbed on the witness stand as he admitted killing Davis and their unborn child. But Cutts insisted that their deaths were an accident.

"I didn't mean to hurt her," Cutts testified, clasping a handful of tissues. "This isn't real," he said he kept telling himself.

Prosecutors discounted Cutts' story, claiming he buckled under the financial pressure of child support, killed the mother of his child and then created a cover story to try to get away with it.

On the stand, Cutts said he went to pick up his son Blake and became agitated when Davis, 26, wasn't moving fast enough to get the boy ready. He said he tried to leave her house but she grabbed him to keep him from leaving, and he accidentally elbowed her in the throat.

Cutts told the jury he performed CPR on Davis and then tried to revive her with bleach. When he realized Davis was dead, Cutts said he panicked and put her in the back of his truck, so Blake wouldn't have to see his mother.

Myisha Ferrell, Cutts' longtime friend, testified for the prosecution that Cutts appeared at her home at 6 a.m. after Davis died.

She said she could tell he was distraught. When they left her home in his truck, she found out why.

"We drove off and he said something was wrong," she said. "He said, 'Something bad.' "

"He said something was wrong with his baby's mother."

Ferrell told the jury Cutts started speaking erratically as they drove, then blurted out, "She's in the back."

Ferrell admitted she helped dump Davis' body in a field and said Cutts later coached her on what to say to police.

Ferrell was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to lying to authorities and complicity to gross abuse of a corpse.

During closing arguments, prosecutor Dennis Barr said Cutts strangled and killed Davis and her unborn child because of his mounting debt and child support for what would have been his fourth child.

Cutts' own actions following Davis' disappearance were a clear indications of his guilt, he said.

"His reaction is the reaction of person who committed a crime and is trying to cover it up," Barr said.

Davis disappeared in June and the search for her attracted national attention. At that time, Cutts repeatedly denied he had any involvement. But Cutts eventually led police to her body.

"For nine days he kept the location of [Davis' body] a secret and went on about his life, every day knowing that Jessie and Chloe were laying there rotting away, destroying the evidence," Barr said.

Prosecutors also reminded the jury of the testimony of one of Cutts' friends, Richard Mitchell, who claimed the former police officer threatened to kill Davis one month before she disappeared.

"I'm going to kill that [expletive] and throw her in the woods," Mitchell quoted Cutts as saying.

In their closings, Cutts' attorneys acknowledged their client's poor judgment after Davis' death, but said the prosecution had not presented any witnesses to support their claim that Cutts was in financial distress.

They urged the jury to find Cutts not guilty on the basis that the prosecution did not prove their case that he intentionally killed Davis.

Fernando Mack, a defense lawyer, admitted Cutts' judgment lapsed when he wrapped Davis' body up and went to dispose of it, leaving their toddler alone with the bleach-soaked rug.


But he cautioned jurors against deciding Cutts' fate based on an emotional response to ugly facts. "Will it outrage you? Absolutely. But, Blake being left home alone doesn't tell you about aggravated murder."

"You don't know what happened in that house," defense attorney Carolyn Ranke said.

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