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A tragic development has emerged from a Michigan prison where a man, recently sentenced for a horrific crime, was found dead in his cell. This occurred just two weeks after Jarvis Butts, aged 43, was sentenced for the brutal killing of a pregnant 13-year-old girl.
The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed that Butts was discovered lifeless on March 26 at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center located in Jackson. Despite the immediate efforts by staff to revive him, their attempts proved in vain, as stated in a release to Oxygen. Authorities have labeled the death as an apparent suicide, with the Michigan State Police stepping in to conduct a thorough investigation.
Butts had admitted to second-degree murder in February, a charge stemming from the death of Na’Ziyah Harris, and faced additional charges related to multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct. On March 12, the court sentenced him to a prison term ranging from 35 to 60 years.
A significant aspect of his plea deal included Butts agreeing to cooperate with authorities by revealing the location of Harris’ body. However, despite his claims, her remains have tragically yet to be discovered, as reported by Fox 2 Detroit.
As part of the plea, Butts agreed to provide investigators with a statement on where they could find Harris’ body—yet her remains have still not been recovered, according to Fox 2 Detroit.
“One of the most important aspects of the plea agreement was giving Na’Ziyah’s family some semblance of closure,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said. “The disclosure of the location of her body was crucial.”
Maria Miller, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office, told Oxygen, that Butts did reveal the information before his death.
“We have not revealed what he said,” Miller said. “That is a police investigation matter.”
Police have said they will continue to search for the remains.
“The Detroit Police Department is aware of the death of Jarvis Butts, who was convicted of killing 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris,” Detroit Police said in a statement following Butts’ death. “Although the legal process ended with a conviction in court, our work is not done. Our department will follow all leads for a homicide and continue our efforts to locate the body of Na’Ziyah Harris to help bring closure to her family.”
The 13-year-old disappeared on Jan. 9, 2024, according to an earlier statement from police.
Worthy said text messages between the two revealed that Butts met up with the missing teen that day, per Fox 2 Detroit. Worthy also alleged that Butts had groomed the teenager for several years.
Prosecutors alleged, per WXYZ, that Butts killed the teen after discovering that she was pregnant with his child.
He was also accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old relative and another young girl, reported WDIV-TV, and received a 10 to 15 year prison sentence in connection to those charges against him to run concurrently with his murder sentence.