Murder of Jessie Davis
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (June 2007) |
Jessie Marie Davis, a near-term-pregnant 26-year-old Ohio woman, was first reported missing from her North Canton home on June 13, 2007, in a case that attracted national attention from the media of the United States. Her body was discovered on June 23, near Cuyahoga Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Davis' boyfriend, Bobby Lee Cutts, Jr., was subsequently charged with two counts of murder for killing her and her unborn child, which was due July 3. Myisha Ferrell, a high school classmate of Cutts, was later arrested on the charge of obstruction of justice in connection with the investigation.
Disappearance
Davis was last seen shopping at Acme Fresh Market, a local grocery store. Her mother reported her missing on June 13, 2007, when she found her 2-year-old grandson home alone, with bleach spilled on the floor and furniture overturned. A search of the area involving hundreds of people, including members of Texas EquuSearch, was launched. At the time of her disappearance, Davis was a resident of Lake Township in Stark County, Ohio.[1]
On June 23, 2007, Davis' body was recovered from a wooded area in neighboring Summit County, adjacent to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Her body was reported as in an "advanced state of decomposition". [2] An autopsy was performed on June 24, confirming the identity.[3]
Arrests
Bobby Lee Cutts, Jr.
Jessie Davis' boyfriend, Bobby Lee Cutts, Jr., was arrested and charged with two counts of murder.[4] At the time, he was a police officer in the Canton, Ohio Police Department, and the father of Davis' son and unborn daughter. He was married to another woman at the time, but the couple were in the process of being divorced.
At the time of his arrest, Cutts was a resident of Plain Township in Stark County.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page)..
[1]
Myisha Ferrell
The police raided the apartment of Myisha Ferrell, a female high school friend of Cutts, on June 23, where they seized cleaning supplies, among other things. The Canton Repository reported that:
A source close to Cutts told The Repository Saturday that Cutts said he asked a female friend help him remove Davis’ body from her home. Cutts reportedly said Davis’ death was not his doing, but he thought no one would believe him and decided to hide the body.[5]
Ferrell was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice.[6]
References
- ^ "Pregnant woman's body identified", Akron Beacon Journal, June 24, 2007.
- ^ "Second person arrested in Ohio woman’s death", MSNBC, June 24, 2007.
- ^ Joe Milicia, "Woman arrested in Davis case", Akron Beacon Journal, June 24, 2007.
- ^ "Police: Pregnant woman's body found; cop arrested", CNN, June 23, 2007.
- ^ Todd Porter, "Deputies raid home in search of evidence", Canton Repository, June 24, 2007.
- ^ "2nd Person Arrested After Missing Woman's Body Identified", WEWS-TV, June 24, 2007.