Jarvis Butts, convicted of killing teenager Na'Ziyah Harris and sexual assault, dies in prison; cause of death and charges explained

In a shocking turn of events, Jarvis Butts, the man convicted of killing a minor identified as Na'Ziyah Harris and sexually assaulting multiple girls, has died inside prison. According to Fox2 Detroit, the Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed that Butts, who was 43, died on Thursday (March 26, 2026) at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson.

This comes two weeks after he pleaded guilty to a total of six cases, including Harris’s murder, and was sentenced to 35 to 60 years behind bars, according to TMZ. He was also sentenced to five sentences for sexually assaulting children.

During sentencing on March 12, 2026, the judge said … “Mr. Butts, you’re going to have many years to sit and dwell on your horrible actions. And it's often noted that justice is blind, but eventually Mr. Butts' justice sees everything," as quoted in a video shared by TMZ.

Death under probe

Speaking on the incident, MDOC officials said his death is being investigated by Michigan State Police as a suicide. The exact cause of death has not been identified at the time of filing of this report.

"MDOC staff provided life-saving measures, which were unsuccessful. The Michigan State Police have been called to the facility to investigate; the death is currently being reported as a suicide," officials said in a statement, as quoted by Fox2.

Jarvis Butts convicted of murder and sexual assault

Butts, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of Harris, who was 13. Besides the murder charge, he was also sentenced to five 10-15-year sentences for sexually assaulting children.

After Butts was charged with the murder of Harris, he was charged with varying degrees of sex crimes against five girls between the ages of 4 and 13.

Those crimes reportedly took place before Harris' disappearance. Butts also has a previous sex crime conviction for an assault against a child.

What do we know about Na'Ziyah Harris?

Fox2 reported that Harris was last seen getting off a bus in Detroit in January 2024, and according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, text messages show that she met up with Butts the day she disappeared.

The prosecutor said evidence also showed that Butts knew Harris's family members, and he allegedly groomed the girl beginning in 2022.

The deceased girl was reportedly pregnant when she was killed, and Butts was allegedly the unborn child's father. Butts searched for abortions, abortion pills, and drinking red antifreeze before Harris's death, Fox2 reported, citing the prosecutor's office.

The body of Harris was never discovered, but as part of his plea, Butts was required to provide a statement about the location of her body.