A Michigan man accused of the murder and sexual assault of a minor committed suicide in prison on Thursday, two weeks after being sentenced.
Jarvis Ramon Butts, 43, of Detroit, was charged and convicted of the sexual assault and murder of then-13-year-old Na'Ziyah Harris, who went missing in 2024. He was sentenced on March 12 to between 35 and 60 years for her murder and several other sexual assaults against minors. Authorities found him unresponsive on Thursday at an intake facility.
A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed in a statement to NTD News that Butts was pronounced dead on Thursday morning at the Charles E. Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson, a processing facility for prisoners before they are transferred to state prison. Department of Corrections staff were called to administer live-saving measures, but those efforts were unsuccessful. State police were investigating his death; at this time it has been ruled a suicide.
Na'Ziyah was never seen again. Authorities concluded that she was dead based on the fact that she was not active on social media after that date, nor did she have any contact with family or friends. She had no history of life-threatening medical issues, nor of any unexcused or unexplained absences from school. Clothing consistent with the outfit Na'Ziyah was wearing on the day of her disappearance was discovered in Detroit near the Rouge River, in an area known to Butts; the clothing was damaged, indicating a struggle.
Detroit Police found that Butts had a sexual relationship with Harris since September 2022. They had exchanged sexually explicit images. In September 2023, she informed him that she had missed her period, and by November, he was aware that she was pregnant; web searches from his phone showed that he was looking up abortions, abortifacient drugs, and drinking red anti-freeze.