Jarvis Butts, the 43-year-old man recently sentenced for the murder of 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris, was found dead in his prison cell Thursday morning.
The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed that staff discovered Butts unresponsive at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center around 6:45 AM.
Despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead shortly after. Officials stated that the death of the convicted murderer is “currently being reported as a suicide.”
This development comes just two weeks after Butts was sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and multiple counts of sexual assault involving children as young as four years old.
Na’Ziyah vanished in January 202 after getting off a school bus in Detroit. Although her body was never found, Butts admitted to her death as part of a plea deal.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy previously noted that “the disclosure of the location of her body was crucial” to providing the family with closure.
While Butts reportedly gave a statement to authorities before his death, it remains unclear if his passing will impact the ongoing search for the young girl’s remains.
