CANTON, Ohio - Investigators were testing the DNA of a newborn girl left in a basket on a school nurse's doorstep, about 72 kilometres from a missing pregnant woman's home. They cautioned, though, that they don't believe the two cases are connected.

Jessie Davis was due to deliver a baby girl on July 3. Her 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 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, he said. She was taken to Wooster Community Hospital, where her DNA was collected using a mouth swab, he said. A bottle and can of formula left in the basket were sent to a state lab in Columbus to be analyzed for fingerprints and any other evidence, authorities said Wednesday.

The couple found the baby when they returned from dinner Monday night.

"My wife has been a school nurse and has dealt with young females in a confidential manner over a number of years," Don Redman said. Sue Redman also was a board member at a local free clinic.

In Canton, Stark County authorities said they had no suspects in Davis' disappearance.

Authorities searched the home of the father of her son and unborn girl over the weekend and again Monday night. Bobby Cutts Jr., 30, told a newspaper Tuesday that he had nothing to do with Davis's disappearance.

"The last five days have been a nightmare. It won't end," Cutts, a Canton police officer, told The Repository. He said he has slept little and has no appetite.

Cutts, who also has two children with his wife, said he and his wife were separated and that she knew he had a relationship with Davis.

He said he last spoke with Davis on Wednesday, about 90 minutes before she last spoke with her mother. Authorities say he is cooperating in the search for Davis.

On Tuesday, the Stark County Sheriff's Office released a surveillance camera photo of Davis pushing a shopping cart with Blake at a supermarket in North Canton. The time on the camera reads 6:24 p.m. Wednesday.

Cutts had an amicable relationship with Davis and shared parenting duties with her, said John Miller, president of the Canton patrolman's union. He said Cutts, now on leave, juggled parenthood with the demands of his patrol job on the midnight shift.

"He's a good officer. He's got no problems at work. He treats people well," he said.

In 1998, Cutts pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge and was sentenced to three years' probation after a former girlfriend accused him of breaking a door jamb and forcing his way into their home, causing her to fear for her safety, according to a police report from nearby Jackson Township.

About two years after his conviction in the disorderly conduct case, Cutts was hired by the Canton Police Department.

His personnel file also shows he won an appeal to overturn his firing in 2003 when authorities conducting a drug raid on his cousin's home found Cutts' handgun hidden under a mattress. Canton police officials accused Cutts of giving the gun to his cousin for protection and said Cutts was lying when he reported the gun had been stolen.

A federal arbitrator ordered the city to reinstate the officer, saying Canton police had not proven the allegation.

Davis' family has declined to talk about her relationship with Cutts. Her father, Ned, held back tears Tuesday in an interview, saying he's trying to block out all emotion and focus on his daughter's safe return.

"I'm a dad that wants his daughter back," he said.

Miller accused the Stark County Sheriff's Office of waiting too long to retrieve Davis' cell phone records. The sheriff's department has not discussed whether any clues have been found in cell phone records.