Na'Ziyah Harris's father died searching for his daughter in abandoned houses and overgrown fields across Detroit.
The man who killed her took the location of her body to his grave.
Na'Ziyah Harris, a 13-year-old from Detroit, got off a school bus at Cornwall Street and 3 Mile Drive on January 9, 2024, and was never seen again.
Jarvis Butts was dating Na'Ziyah's aunt when he began sexually assaulting her niece.
What Text Records Revealed
Butts had just been released from prison after serving nearly 10 years for sexually assaulting another child.
The Plea Deal That Changed Everything
Butts pleaded guilty on February 12, 2026, to murdering Na'Ziyah Harris.
As part of his plea deal, he was required to tell the truth about what happened to Na'Ziyah's body.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said they were satisfied with his statement but did not disclose the details.
At sentencing, Na'Ziyah's grandmother Annette Harris stated "Every day I wake up without her I wake up feeling depressed" and cried throughout her entire victim impact statement, sobbing so hard she could not speak toward the end.
Two Weeks Later
A source told media outlets that Butts admitted to dumping Harris' body in Rouge River near 7 Mile and Berg, where police initially searched for the 13-year-old girl.
What the Family Lost
Na'Ziyah's cousin Roxy called Butts' death "a bit of a cowardly way out" and said the family still didn't get answers.
Her father, Murvin Jennings, became ill and died after searching for his daughter in abandoned houses and overgrown fields.
Na'Ziyah's body has never been found.