For the third time since a pregnant woman disappeared, leaving her 2-year-old home alone, investigators on Wednesday were at the home of a Canton police patrolman who is the father of the boy and the unborn daughter.
Sheriff’s deputies blocked off about a 100-yard stretch of street in front of Bobby Cutts Jr.’s home, and FBI agents were in the front yard as neighbors stood in the street. At least 10 FBI agents and deputies carried boxes from a white truck into the home, where shades were drawn. They carried out a dark case.
Investigators continue to talk with Cutts and are evaluating geographic areas before launching another search for Jessie Davis, Stark County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Rick Perez said at a news conference Wednesday.
Cutts told a newspaper he had nothing to do with Davis’ disappearance and that he has slept little and had no appetite since she vanished.
“The last five days have been a nightmare. It won’t end,” Cutts told The Repository of Canton on Tuesday.
Investigators say they have no suspects. On its Web site, the FBI lists the case as a kidnapping. But FBI spokesman Scott Wilson in Cleveland said the label is standard whenever foul play is a possibility, and the agency doesn’t know whether Davis was abducted.
Davis, 26, due to deliver a girl July 3, hasn’t been heard from since a phone call with her mother June 13.
No connection with found newborn?
Investigators were testing the DNA of a newborn girl left in a basket Monday on a school nurse’s doorstep, about 45 miles from Davis’ home. They cautioned, though, that they don’t believe the two cases are connected.
Davis’ mother reported her missing on Friday after discovering her 2-year-old son, Blake, alone in their home with the furniture askew. A pool of bleach was on the bedroom floor, and the contents of Davis’ purse were scattered in the kitchen. Her cell phone and a comforter were missing.
Blake told investigators: “Mommy was crying. Mommy broke the table. Mommy’s in the rug.”
Wayne County Sheriff Thomas Maurer said he doubted the baby found near Wooster was connected to Davis, but officials were using “every caution we can” to eliminate the possibility.
A doctor determined the baby was less than 24 hours old when she was found, Maurer said. She was taken to Wooster Community Hospital, where her DNA was collected using a mouth swab, he said. The test results aren’t expected until early next week, said Robert Budgake, director of the Canton-Stark County Crime Lab.
Meanwhile, a volunteer group called Texas EquuSearch announced Wednesday that it will use dozens of community helpers, a drone airplane and sonar equipment in an attempt to find Davis beginning Thursday.
“We’re holding onto that hope that maybe she’s still alive out there and that would be the greatest thing in the world, but realistically we know after a period of time that that normally doesn’t happen,” said Tim Miller, the group’s director.
The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Davis’ whereabouts.