Post by LadyBlue on Jun 20, 2007 1:56:56 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Canton Patrolman Bobby Cutts Jr., the father of Jessie Marie Davis' 2-year-old son and unborn child, kneels on the ground while helping others search for clues in Davis' disappearance in Lake Township on Sunday.
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Investigators have grown increasingly guarded in their comments surrounding the disappearance of Jessie Marie Davis, declining to even call it an abduction or speak of possible suspects at this point.
Despite the curious scene discovered in Davis' bedroom last week, investigators still consider the pregnant woman's disappearance amissing-person case.
In a news conference Monday, investigators would say only that Davis, 26, was ``possibly'' the victim of foul play.
The Lake Township woman has not been heard from since speaking to her mother Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Canton Patrolman Bobby Cutts Jr., agreed Monday to take a week of administrative leave at the suggestion of the city.
City Safety Director Bernard Hunt said it is common practice to give officers a mental break when trauma strikes their lives, on or off duty.
He also said that investigators have told him that Cutts, a married father of two, is neither a suspect nor a person of interest in Davis' disappearance.
``We just feel that based upon the officer's family situation that has occurred to him and his children, it would be difficult for him to perform his job as a city of Canton police officer,'' Hunt said.
Cutts, 30, a six-year veteran, is cleared to resume duty after Friday.
In Monday's news conference, the FBI, Ohio Highway Patrol and Stark County Prosecutor's Office said they are working with sheriff's detectives on the case. They said their first step is to learn more about Davis' last known days.
The FBI on Monday searched Davis' house and also Cutts' house.
Phone records
Investigators said they began the process of obtaining Davis' cell phone records in an effort to establish a timeline for her activities last week.
Detectives are also testing a piece of bleach-soaked carpet they collected from Davis' bedroom.
Patty Porter, Davis' mother, said that when she went to her daughter's home Friday morning after failing to reach her by phone for more than a day, the bedroom smelled of bleach.
Bleach can be used to conceal or destroy blood or DNA.
In addition, Davis' bed comforter and cell phone were missing from her home. A bedroom table lamp was knocked over, and a mattress was shoved into a nightstand.
Further, Davis' 2-year-old son, Blake, whom Porter found alone in the house when she arrived around 8 a.m., has said his mother was gone, crying, and ``in the rug.''
Blake is believed to have seen something, based on his comments in relation to the bedroom scene, but investigators have not indicated that he saw anyone with his mother when she disappeared.
The boy was questioned Friday by detectives and a representative of Stark County Children Services.
``We feel that there is possibly foul play; however, we're still investigating (it) as a missing person,'' said Rick Perez, the county chief sheriff's deputy.
Gary A. Rini, a Cleveland-area crime scene expert and former law enforcement officer, said that based on the information released to the public, it appears very likely that Davis was the victim of a crime. Further, he said, she was probably taken by someone she knows and not by a stranger seeking her baby.
He said he bases his opinion on the compassion shown to Blake when he was left unharmed, the lack of forced entry into Davis' home, and an effort by someone to cover up the crime with bleach, which he called a ``real red flag.''
``In an abduction (of a baby), there's no cleanup. They go in there quick and remove it,'' he said.
Law enforcement's secrecy around the case is no surprise in investigations such as this. Rini said detectives will work their case from the crime scene and move outward through ``exclusionary'' methods; talking to everyone associated with Davis.
``Obviously, they're looking at the people closest to her,'' Rini said. ``And the fact that the child was not taken tells you something. No forced entry tells you something. The scent of bleach and an attempt to cover up something, specifically evidence of blood, tells you something.''
No suspects
Perez said there is no suspect or person of interest. He reiterated that Davis' boyfriend continues to cooperate in the investigation. Officer Cutts' wife, Kelly, has as well, he said.
Cutts is the father of Davis' son and unborn daughter, whom she has already named Chloe Leeann. Davis' due date is July 3.
``At this time, we have no persons of interest. We have no suspects,'' Perez said. ``There are no suspects to eliminate.''
William Evans, an Akron lawyer and a noted polygrapher retained by police and criminal defense teams alike, said the Davis crime scene does not exclude the possibility of a stranger as an abductor. He pointed to several notable crime cases in which a stranger entered a home undetected.
He also said the child being left unharmed could simply mean a stranger/intruder didn't see the boy or didn't feel a threat of being identified by the child.
Nonetheless, he said, investigators are likely to focus on those close to Davis before venturing outward to strangers. He said 90 percent of crime victims know their assailant.
``Investigators always look at the means, opportunity and motive. And a good investigator will look at the motive first,'' Evans said.
Investigators hope Davis' cell phone will give a better indication of her whereabouts Wednesday night through Friday morning. Police dogs were brought to her home the day after she was reported missing, but they found nothing leading them outside the home.
``We're trying to put the timeline together to find where Jessie Davis was prior to her disappearing at 9:20 p.m., the last time that we know that she was at home Wednesday evening,'' Perez said.
Perez said no searches are planned. One was conducted with 60 to 70 volunteers Sunday.
Perez said he is satisfied with the department's performance in the case. ``We're trying to locate her. We're taking any tips, any phone calls, any e-mails that come in that we can follow up,'' he said. ``Our main concern now is to locate Jessie Davis.''
Tips may be left at a hot line, 330-430-3818, or at the sheriff's Web site, www.sheriff.co. stark.oh.us. There is a Jessie Davis alert for users to click.
Porter has custody of Blake at her Uniontownhome, and she has retained a local lawyer to handle the deluge of media calls she has received since the story broke.
Davis' story has gone nationwide, with the major TV and cable networks descending on Stark County along with the talk show likes of Nancy Grace and Greta Van Susteren reporting on the case.
``I don't think anybody is prepared for something like this,'' said Davis' sister, Jane Davis. ``We continue to pray and hope somebody finds something.''
www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/local/states/ohio/counties/stark_county/17388701.htm