By The Opinion
28 Sep 2024, 17:53 PM EDT
The case of the disappearance of 13-year-old teenager Na’Ziyah Harris, who was last seen on January 9, 2024, took a turn when Detroit authorities announced the arrest of Jarvis Butts, a 41-year-old man, accused of first-degree murder in relation to the disappearance and death of the minor.
The authorities’ hypothesis is that the man sexually abused the teenager and impregnated her, and when he found out about the situation, he murdered her. The prosecutor’s office announced the arrest at a press conference, generating a mixture of relief and pain in the hearts of those who knew the young woman.
Na’Ziyah was last seen on January 9, approximately 400 meters from her home. His grandmother reported him missing that same day, after not returning from school.
“Today we charged Jarvis Butts with first-degree premeditated murder, as well as second-degree criminal sexual conduct and possession of child sexual abuse material,” said county prosecutor Kym Worthy.
“Mr Butts sought out women and befriended them to have sexual relations with their young daughters. He had relations with his mothers, but his true desire was to have sexual relations with his young daughters. That’s what the evidence will show,” Worthy said.
The messages that gave him away
Text messages indicate that Na’Ziyah met with Butts on the day she disappeared, Worthy claimed. “We have evidence that at 9:30 pm that day, Mr. Butts checked into a motel and Na’Ziyah has not been heard from since,” he explained.
The report details that the man began sending sexually explicit text messages to Na’Ziyah since September 2022, to which she responded by sending him sexually explicit photographs of herself.
“In November 2023, evidence suggests Butts was aware of her pregnancy,” the statement said. “His phone records reveal that he searched the Internet for information about abortions and abortion pills.”
Butts is being held in the Wayne County Jail on $250,000 bail, where he has remained since April on other charges.
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