Jarvis Butts Found Dead in Prison Weeks After Sentencing in Na’Ziyah Harris Case

A Detroit man who admitted responsibility in the killing of 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris has been found dead in a Michigan correctional facility just weeks after receiving a lengthy prison sentence, according to state officials and local reports.

Authorities confirmed that Jarvis Butts died while in the custody of the Michigan Department of Corrections. Officials have not released an official cause of death, and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under active investigation.

Butts, 43, had pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder in connection with Harris’ death, along with multiple counts related to criminal sexual conduct involving minors. On March 11, a Wayne County judge sentenced him to 35 to 60 years in prison for the murder charge, alongside several concurrent sentences of 10 to 15 years. Under the terms of the sentence, he would not have been eligible for parole for at least 35 years.

Prosecutors revealed that Butts had engaged in a pattern of grooming and abuse involving Na’Ziyah and other young victims. At the time of her death, Harris was believed to be pregnant, with investigators alleging that Butts was the father. The teenager was last seen in January 2024 after getting off her school bus. Her body has never been located.

The sentencing hearing was marked by intense emotion, as family members expressed their grief and frustration in court. Loved ones spoke openly about the pain of losing Na’Ziyah and the sense that true justice could never fully be achieved.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy later stated that a critical element of the plea agreement required Butts to disclose information about the alleged location of Harris’ remains. Officials emphasized that recovering her body remains a priority, as it may offer the family a measure of closure in an otherwise devastating case.