February 11, 2009 4:39 PM
- Text
New Arrest In Missing Mom Case
(CBS/AP)
A former classmate of a man suspected of murdering a pregnant woman was arrested Sunday on a related obstruction of justice charge, the FBI said.
Myisha Ferrell was arrested hours after the body of 26-year-old Jessie Davis was found in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, still carrying her dead, nearly full-term fetus. The Summit County medical examiner on Sunday confirmed the body was Davis'.
Sheriff's deputies and FBI agents arrested Ferrell after breaking down the door of her apartment and searching the home, agent Scott Wilson said.
The Stark County Sheriff's Department refused to discuss the arrest, saying any information made public would hurt their case. Ferrell was to be arraigned Monday, Wilson said.
Davis was last heard from on June 13th, reports CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano. The search for her grew daily, with thousands of volunteers canvassing Ohio forests, farms and neighborhoods.
Saturday afternoon, Davis' body was found in Cuyahoga National Park, about 25 miles from her home, adds Solorzano.
Davis, of Lake Township near Canton, was reported missing after her mother found Davis' 2-year-old son, Blake, home alone, with bedroom furniture toppled and bleach spilled on the floor. Blake gave investigators some of their first clues, saying: "Mommy was crying. Mommy broke the table. Mommy's in rug."
As volunteers searched for Davis, investigators questioned Bobby Cutts Jr., 30, a police officer who is Davis' boyfriend and has an estranged wife. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on charges of murdering Davis and her fetus.
Davis' relatives have said they believed Cutts, of North Canton, was the father of both Blake and the fetus Davis was carrying.
Justin Lindstrom, 27, an upstairs neighbor of Ferrell's, said officers spent two hours searching the woman's apartment Saturday night before leaving with several full, brown paper bags and bottles of bleach from the basement.
Wilson would not describe what the deputies seized or say how Ferrell might have been involved.
Lindstrom said he had not seen the downstairs tenant over the weekend and rarely spoke to the woman, except to ask her to turn her music down. He said he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary around the time Davis disappeared.
"I heard loud noises in the middle of the night, every night," he said.
There was no immediate response to messages seeking comment Sunday from Davis' family members and Cutts' lawyer. Cutts' pastor, the Rev. C.A. Richmond, declined to comment as he entered services in Canton on Sunday.
Lindstrom said he never really hit it off with Ferrell, who lives in the apartment with her 11-year-old daughter.
"She's not exactly your ideal neighbor. She and I haven't gotten along since day one," said Lindstrom, who moved into the building in January. He said she had parties every night.
"We're talking carloads at a time — four and five carloads — and until 3 or 4 in the morning," Lindstrom said.
Ferrell worked at a Denny's restaurant until quitting her job Friday, Lindstrom said. A manager at Denny's, who declined to give his name, confirmed that Ferrell had worked there but declined to comment further.
Officials at the Stark County jail said that Ferrell had not been processed and that they had no information about whether she had a lawyer.
Davis' body was found in an area known as Top O' the World because of its elevation. The area contains a dirt road, a small dirt parking area and a couple of benches overlooking a grassy field.
The body was found in that field, said Roger Riggins, an investigator for the medical examiner's office.
Davis' mother has said she planned to name the baby Chloe. Just down the road from where the expectant mother's body was found, someone posted a sign saying, "God bless you Jessie and Chloe, forever in our hearts." People had placed flowers and red and yellow ribbons just below a sign identifying the park.
Myisha Ferrell was arrested hours after the body of 26-year-old Jessie Davis was found in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, still carrying her dead, nearly full-term fetus. The Summit County medical examiner on Sunday confirmed the body was Davis'.
Sheriff's deputies and FBI agents arrested Ferrell after breaking down the door of her apartment and searching the home, agent Scott Wilson said.
The Stark County Sheriff's Department refused to discuss the arrest, saying any information made public would hurt their case. Ferrell was to be arraigned Monday, Wilson said.
Davis was last heard from on June 13th, reports CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano. The search for her grew daily, with thousands of volunteers canvassing Ohio forests, farms and neighborhoods.
Saturday afternoon, Davis' body was found in Cuyahoga National Park, about 25 miles from her home, adds Solorzano.
Davis, of Lake Township near Canton, was reported missing after her mother found Davis' 2-year-old son, Blake, home alone, with bedroom furniture toppled and bleach spilled on the floor. Blake gave investigators some of their first clues, saying: "Mommy was crying. Mommy broke the table. Mommy's in rug."
As volunteers searched for Davis, investigators questioned Bobby Cutts Jr., 30, a police officer who is Davis' boyfriend and has an estranged wife. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on charges of murdering Davis and her fetus.
Davis' relatives have said they believed Cutts, of North Canton, was the father of both Blake and the fetus Davis was carrying.
Justin Lindstrom, 27, an upstairs neighbor of Ferrell's, said officers spent two hours searching the woman's apartment Saturday night before leaving with several full, brown paper bags and bottles of bleach from the basement.
Wilson would not describe what the deputies seized or say how Ferrell might have been involved.
Lindstrom said he had not seen the downstairs tenant over the weekend and rarely spoke to the woman, except to ask her to turn her music down. He said he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary around the time Davis disappeared.
"I heard loud noises in the middle of the night, every night," he said.
There was no immediate response to messages seeking comment Sunday from Davis' family members and Cutts' lawyer. Cutts' pastor, the Rev. C.A. Richmond, declined to comment as he entered services in Canton on Sunday.
Lindstrom said he never really hit it off with Ferrell, who lives in the apartment with her 11-year-old daughter.
"She's not exactly your ideal neighbor. She and I haven't gotten along since day one," said Lindstrom, who moved into the building in January. He said she had parties every night.
"We're talking carloads at a time — four and five carloads — and until 3 or 4 in the morning," Lindstrom said.
Ferrell worked at a Denny's restaurant until quitting her job Friday, Lindstrom said. A manager at Denny's, who declined to give his name, confirmed that Ferrell had worked there but declined to comment further.
Officials at the Stark County jail said that Ferrell had not been processed and that they had no information about whether she had a lawyer.
Davis' body was found in an area known as Top O' the World because of its elevation. The area contains a dirt road, a small dirt parking area and a couple of benches overlooking a grassy field.
The body was found in that field, said Roger Riggins, an investigator for the medical examiner's office.
Davis' mother has said she planned to name the baby Chloe. Just down the road from where the expectant mother's body was found, someone posted a sign saying, "God bless you Jessie and Chloe, forever in our hearts." People had placed flowers and red and yellow ribbons just below a sign identifying the park.
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