Missing Na’Ziyah Harris: Suspect charged with her murder in court for preliminary hearing

(FOX 2) – The man suspected in the disappearance of Na’Ziyah Harris, a 13-year-old Detroit girl who disappeared in January 2024, will appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing.

While Harris’ body was never found, prosecutors Jarvis Butts, 41, of Detroit, has been chargedwith murders and rapes.

After lunch break: prosecutor calls more witnesses

Derek Wolfe was the first witness to take the stand after the court returned to session. He was working as a police officer in Detroit Public Schools when Na’Ziyah Harris disappeared.

Family and school witnesses testify Monday morning

The court broke for lunch around noon.

Before that, the Wayne County prosecutor called several witnesses to the stand during Monday’s hearing. It is the second hearing in the case after Butts first appeared in court in November.

Witnesses called to testify Monday morning include Na’Ziyah Harris’ grandmother, Anette Harris, who spoke about Jarvis Butts arriving at her home and the day the teen disappeared.

Shannon Harris, the victim’s aunt, also testified. He has five children with Butts and spoke about cases in which the suspect would pick out Na’Ziyah Harris and take her to his job at an auto shop.

The third witness was Marilyn Lee, a substitute teacher who taught at JE Clark Preparatory Academy, where Na’Ziyah Harris went to school. She taught on the day Harris was last seen and testified that she did not see the teen the next day, despite regular visits during the week at school.

Missing Na’Ziyah Harris: background of the case

An investigation into Butts uncovered an inappropriate relationship with Harris, who was the niece of a woman with whom the defendant had a relationship. Detroit police discovered that Butts had sent sexually explicit images to Harris years before she disappeared.

Evidence was later discovered that Butts knew Harris was pregnant. An analysis of her Internet search history revealed that she searched for abortions and red antifreeze consumption, the prosecutor said.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy alleges that Butts was in the Rouge River area the day after she disappeared, the same location where the clothing Harris was seen wearing on the day of her disappearance was found.

“The evidence in this case will clearly show that the defendant’s alleged actions were more than predatory. They were vultures: he expertly groomed and took advantage of Na’Ziyah,” Worthy said in a news release at the time. “We will prove that he killed young Na’Ziyah after discovering that she was pregnant with his child at age 13.”

Jarvis Butts in court for his arraignment

Timeline of Na’Ziyah Harris’s disappearance

Harris was last seen on January 9.

Prosecutors say she rode the bus to school, wearing clear-rimmed glasses, a white sweater with a black jacket over it, a colorful Rugrats puffer jacket with a fur-lined hood, light blue jeans and Nike shoes.

Data from a district-issued tablet showed she was at school that day, including a photo of herself.

The prosecutor alleges after school:

• He meets up with Butts and a co-worker and returns to his auto repair shop on Connor in Detroit.
• Butts’ sister sees Na’Ziyah in the store.
• Butts, the co-worker and Na’Ziyah were together in the co-worker’s car when they went to Ypsilanti and then returned to the store in Connor. Butts’ phone places him in these locations.
• Between 9:30 pm and 12:20 pm, Butts checked into a motel. There is a receipt confirming this and your phone places you at that location.