DETROIT – The disappearance of 13-year-old Na’Ziyah Harris will be treated as a homicide, authorities confirmed.
Authorities held a press conference Thursday, Sept. 26, to announce the new findings in the case.
The full press conference can be watched in the video player at the bottom of the page.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy said there was an overwhelming amount of evidence that showed Harris has died, but a body has not yet been found. Additionally, Harris was allegedly pregnant and was looking to get an abortion at the time of her disappearance.
Worthy called the suspect a “classic expert groomer and pedophile.”
Harris, a student at J. E. Clark Preparatory Academy on Detroit’s east side, was last seen Jan. 9. She was last seen getting off a school bus at Cornwall Street and 3 Mile Drive, near Warren Avenue and Outer Drive.
Na’Ziyah’s disappearance was reported to Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), who launched an investigation the very next day, Jan. 10. After hitting a roadblock, they brought the case to the Detroit Police Department in February.
Police got to work immediately and canvassed the east side community where Na’Ziyah lived and was last seen. It was the first of many searches.
More than a dozen local, state and federal departments have searched all over Detroit, Clinton Township and around Ann Arbor. Specialized water rescue and recovery teams have assisted in some of the searches.
Worthy said Harris had planned to meet with someone before her disappearance. She allegedly met up with 41-year-old Jarvis Butts that day and they went to Ypsilanti before returning back to Detroit, where Butts checked into a motel.
Butts is facing child porn, criminal sexual conduct and murder in Harris’ death and sexual abuse.
Worthy said Butts targeted and befriended women to get close to and sexually abuse their daughters.
Butts and Harris had reportedly known each other because he was the father of her cousins. The abuse of Harris reportedly began in 2022 with sexually explicit texts. Text records allege that Butts knew she was pregnant and that he began searching online about abortions, abortion pills, and drinking red anti-freeze.
He was tracked to the Rouge River in Detroit the day after her disappearance, where police would later recover the clothes Harris was last seen wearing. Authorities said there was damage to the clothing that could indicate a struggle.
“He groomed and preyed upon Na’Ziyah with expertise,” Worthy said. “We will prove that he killed young Na’Ziyah after he found out she was pregnant at 13 with his child.”
Butts was charged with first-degree murder, child sexual abusive activity and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He is expected to be arraigned Friday, Sept. 27.
Additionally, Butts has been charged with criminal sexual conduct in connection with two other minors he reportedly sexually abused.
White believes there could be more victims.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Detroit Police Department’s Major Crimes Division at 313-596-2260.
If you want to remain anonymous, you can submit information to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-SPEAK-UP or going to their website.
