A 41-year-old man from Michigan has been apprehended by law enforcement officials on suspicion of murdering a 13-year-old girl, who was allegedly pregnant with his child. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, led by Kym Worthy, has charged Jarvis Butts with first-degree murder, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and possession of child sexually abusive material. The charges are linked to the disappearance and presumed death of Na’Ziyah Harris in Detroit.
Na’Ziyah was reported missing by her grandmother on January 9 when she failed to return home from school. The last sighting of her was when she was getting off the school bus near her home on the east side of the city. Subsequent investigations revealed that she had met up with Butts after school, and he was seen checking into a local hotel later that evening.
Na’Ziyah has not been seen or heard from since that day, according to Worthy. Despite her active social media presence and close-knit relationships with family and friends, there has been no contact from her. Her social media accounts have been inactive, and she has not returned to school or reached out to any family or friends. She also missed her 14th birthday on September 16.
Over the following months, a comprehensive investigation was conducted into Na’Ziyah’s disappearance. This involved reviewing surveillance footage, interviewing witnesses, and examining phone records. Although Na’Ziyah’s body has not been found, authorities are confident that she is deceased based on the evidence gathered.
The investigation also revealed that Butts had begun grooming Na’Ziyah in 2022 and started sexually assaulting her shortly after. In the weeks leading up to her disappearance, Na’Ziyah discovered she was pregnant and informed Butts, who was identified as the father. According to Worthy, Butts was looking for ways for her to have an abortion. Police also found sexually explicit photos of her on his phone.
Further investigations into Butts’ past revealed that he had allegedly targeted other young girls. Charges have been filed against him in connection with two other cases involving girls under the age of 13. Butts is accused of sexually abusing a girl, now 20, between 2012 and 2014, and another girl, now 13, between 2015 and 2017. He faces charges of criminal sexual conduct in both cases.
Worthy stated that Butts had a pattern of befriending women to gain access to their young daughters. He had previously fathered children with Na’Ziyah’s aunt. Butts, a convicted sex offender, has been in jail since August on an unrelated charge. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges on Friday.