An incarcerated Michigan man had allegedly died by suicide after pleading guilty to multiple sexual assault cases.
According to Click on Detroit, Jarvis Butts, who was found guilty of murdering 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris among other convictions, was found dead in prison on Thursday.
The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed Butts’ death and reported the death as a suicide.
In February, the 43-year-old pleaded guilty in six sexual assault cases, which included one second-degree murder charge for the death of Harris, several second-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, and one third-degree criminal sexual conduct charge. As part of his plea deal, some charges were tossed out.
On March 12, Butts received a 35 to 60-year prison sentence for Harris’ murder and received another 10 to 15 years for the five other sexual assault charges, which were to be served concurrently. His earliest release date would have been Sept. 26, 2059.
Harris went missing in January 2024, and her body still hasn’t been found. According to Fox 2, the teen was pregnant at the time of her death, allegedly with Butts’ child.
In addition to his involvement in Harris’ death, Butts was accused of assaulting an 8-year-old relative and another young girl.
An insider told Click on Detroit that Butts confessed to abandoning Harris’ body in Rouge River, Michigan, the same location where authorities had already found an inside-out pink jumpsuit, black jacket, and a red and black shoe.
A U.S. Border Patrol officer later testified in court about discovering the clothing and surmising that the items “had not been there for a long period of time, as there was no discoloration in the clothing and no evidence of animals getting into it.” He characterized the clothing as looking “fresh.”
For more information about suicide prevention or to speak with someone confidentially, call or text with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
