Jarvis Butts, convicted in the killing of 13-year-old Na'Ziyah Harris, died in a Michigan prison on Mar. 26, 2026, leaving unresolved the search for the girl's remains.
Butts was found dead at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. Officials said the death is under investigation and was being treated as a possible suicide.
Butts pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder in Harris' death and to multiple sexual assault charges in six separate cases. Prosecutors said the plea agreement required him to give a truthful statement about where Harris' body was located, according to People.
Harris vanished in Detroit in January 2024 after leaving a school bus stop near Cornwall and Three Mile Drive. Court records and prior reporting said she was pregnant at the time of her death, and prosecutors said Butts was believed to be the father of the unborn child.
Despite the plea deal, Harris' body was never recovered. Local reporting earlier this year said a source told investigators that Butts admitted dumping the body in the Rouge River area near 7 Mile and Berg, but the remains were not found, Click on Detroit reported.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said after sentencing that one of the most important parts of the plea agreement was giving Harris' family some measure of closure. She said the disclosure of the body's location was crucial, and that investigators were satisfied with the statement Butts gave at the time.
With Butts now dead, officials said the criminal case is effectively closed, but the search for Harris' remains continues. Police and prosecutors have not said whether any additional searches are planned based on information already collected in the case.
If you suspect child abuse or neglect in Michigan, call Children's Protective Services at 855-444-3911 any time, day or night, and call 911 right away if a child is in immediate danger. State and nonprofit child protection groups also list the national Childhelp hotline at 1-800-422-4453 for people seeking help or reporting concerns, as per Michigan.
Originally published on Lawyer Herald
