A man from Detroit, Michigan, who was found guilty of murdering a 13-year-old girl he groomed and impregnated, has died in his prison cell.
Corrections officials indicated that Michigan State Police are treating the death as a suicide, according to reports.
The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed that 43-year-old Jarvis Butts passed away Thursday at the Charles Egeler Reception and Instruction Center in Jackson.
“MDOC staff attempted life-saving measures without success. Michigan State Police were called to conduct an investigation, and the death is currently classified as a suicide,” authorities reported.
Butts was sentenced just two weeks prior to his death for the murder of Nazia Harris, as well as for sexually assaulting other girls. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Harris’ case, receiving a sentence of 35 to 60 years in prison, along with additional 10 to 15-year sentences for sexually assaulting other minors.
Authorities are still investigating concerns about the whereabouts of Nadjia’s body. It was reported that a part of Butts’ plea agreement required him to disclose where he left Nadjia’s remains, but he never provided that information.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy stated that text messages indicated Butts met Harris after she got off a bus in Detroit, just before she was last seen in January 2024.
“Prosecutors believe these messages show that Butts, who had a connection with Harris’ family, had been grooming her since 2022. At the time of her murder, Harris was pregnant, and presumably, Butts was the father of the unborn child,” the report noted. Additionally, it mentioned that Butts was searching for abortion options and had consumed red antifreeze shortly before Harris’ death.
Survivors and families affected by Butts’ actions expressed their emotions during his sentencing. One sister said, “My brother knows that I am a victim of sexual assault, and he understands the pain it has caused. How could he do this to an innocent child?”
Now, with Butts’ death, Harris’ family worries that they will never uncover her body’s location.
“It feels like a cowardly way out, but he created his own consequences,” expressed the girl’s cousin. “We still have so many unanswered questions about Nadjia. It just doesn’t feel complete.”
Reports indicate that Butts victimized children as young as four years old, with some victims being related to him.
