Jarvis Butts, the man convicted of killing Na’Ziyah Harris and sexually assaulting multiple girls, has died while behind bars, according to sources.
His cause of death was not revealed.
Butts was incarcerated after being sentenced to 35-60 years in prison two weeks ago. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections inmate tracker, Butts was currently being processed through the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center.
The 43-year-old pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of Harris, who was 13. He was also sentenced to five 10-15-year sentences for sexually assaulting children.
Harris was last seen getting off a bus in Detroit in January 2024. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said text messages show that she met up with Butts the day she disappeared.
The prosecutor said evidence also showed that Butts, who knew Harris’s family members, allegedly groomed the girl starting in 2022. Harris was pregnant when she was killed, and Butts was allegedly the unborn child’s father.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Butts searched for abortions, abortion pills, and drinking red anti-freeze before Harris’s death.
Harris’ body was never found, but as part of his plea, Butts was required to provide a statement about the location of her body.
“One of the most important aspects of the plea agreement was giving Na’Ziyah’s family some semblance of closure. The disclosure of the location of her body was crucial,” Worthy said.
After Butts was charged with the murder of Harris, he was charged with varying degrees of sex crimes against five girls between the ages of 4 and 13. Those crimes happened before Harris’ disappearance.
Butts also has a previous sex crime conviction for an assault against a child.
