The Misery Machine - The Case of Na'Ziyah Harris

Starting point is 00:00:00 When talking about an emerging case, it can be very difficult to keep the facts straight. It's natural for anyone with information to go on social media and tell the world what they know. Difficult for some people to sift through all the noise between facts and rumors. Some people would tell you that these cases should never be talked about until they're resolved, but as it pertains to a case that needs signal boosting, especially one where the victim has yet to be found, I think speaking about it is necessary. And many of you have reached out asking for us to shine a light on this one. Because of this, we'll be largely sticking to official sources today while the investigation is ongoing.

Starting point is 00:00:35 This is a story that needs to be told about a poor girl who's been missing for over a year. We stick with us while we tell you about Niziah Harris. Niziah Harris was born on September 16th, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. From the outside, she lived a fairly normal life. She was a straight-A student at J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy. Like many girls her age, she was active on. social media, especially TikTok. According to the 7-mile radio podcast, Niziah's birth was the product of a workplace affair.

Starting point is 00:01:08 Her father, Mervyn Jennings, was married at the time, and he and his wife were going through a rough patch heightened by his alcoholism. Niziah's mother, Shantel, was also using drugs at the time and was considered a party girl. According to Mervyn, the pair signed away their parental rights to Niziah's maternal grandmother, Annette Harris. He said that he did this to protect his wife's feelings, as well as to make sure that Annette was able to get the assistant she needed to care for Niziah. Mervin claimed that he visited Niziah when he could and even provided support for his young daughter. Allegedly, he lost contact with Nizai and Annette when they moved away during one of his many medical procedures.

Starting point is 00:01:49 According to Mervin, he had a heart condition that required surgery. At the time of our story, 13-year-old Niziah and Annette lived together in det. She was a beautiful young girl who often wore her dark hair and braids. But despite outward appearances, Niziah's life was far from normal, and she was an incredibly dangerous situation. Nizziah's aunt, Shannon Harris, had a relationship with a man named Jarvis' butts. Now, Jarvis had a history of predatory behavior with women and young girls. He would find women with young daughters and then build a relationship with them over time.

Starting point is 00:02:24 Then he would pray upon the minors and tell them to keep them. but a secret. He himself had fathered multiple children, including Niziah's young cousins. The earliest instance of this behavior was in 2005, which he was subsequently convicted for. He was released from jail he was put on the registry. In 2012 to 2014, he targeted a child between 8 and 10 years old. His third victim was between 4 and 6 years old when he did the same to her from 2015 to 2017. Jarvis infected this girl with Chalmedia. Some sources state that She was his biological daughter, and others claimed that she was the daughter of his girlfriend at the time. Niziah was Jarvis' fourth victim, and she was 11 when he began assaulting her.

Starting point is 00:03:08 Some family members didn't want him around Niziah for obvious reasons. His reputation proceeded himself, but their warnings went unheard. Between 2015 and 2022, Jarvis's had at least five CPS reports made against him detailing inappropriate conduct with children. Shannon was aware of these reports and even confided in other family members. Two of these reports were made by a pair of her relatives. The first was Jernel Smith Holland, who was said to be Shannon's aunt and Niziah's great aunt. During a birthday party in February of 2022, Jarvis lured Niziah and another unnamed minor girl into an isolated place and assaulted them.

Starting point is 00:03:47 Jornell learned about the attack from Shannon and urged her niece to make a CPS report. Shannon said she would, so Jernel trusted that all would be taken care. of, but it wasn't. In April, Jernel contacted CPS herself to report the incident at the birthday party. Shannon was subsequently contacted about her children's safety and for Jarvis' information. Another relative Kiwana Morton made her own report after speaking with Shannon about Jarvis. Kiwana reported potential inappropriate behavior within the family and made a point to mention Jarvis by name. He was interviewed for these accusations, which he denied. He also spoke with the unnamed girl in Kiwana's report and searched the home.

Starting point is 00:04:25 However, nothing else came from either of these reports. Later questioned by the press, CPS didn't provide any insight of further action taken to protect Niziah or of their investigation of Jarvis. Like in many preventable cases we've covered, it seems as if the information was recorded, filed the way, and forgotten about. While at least some steps were taken for the unnamed girl in Kiwanah's report, none were taken for Niziah. CPS did alert the Detroit Police Department about concerns for her safety, but they didn't follow up. Between 2023 and 2024, Shannon and Jarvis had broken things off. He was still in her life as the father of her children, and by extension, in Niziah's life too.

Starting point is 00:05:07 And to be clear, we have heard accounts that he was referring to Niziah as his niece even after the fact. Despite quickly moving on and even becoming engaged to another woman, he continued to see Niziah in secret. On January 9, 2024, Nizziah stepped off her. school bus on Cornwall Street in 3-mile drive. She was never seen by her family again. CCTV caught footage of Niziah getting on the school bus in the morning and leaving her campus later that day. Her bus driver saw her get off at her usual stop. Earlier that day, Nizziah used her school-issued tablet to message Jarvis. The text read as follows. Don't forget, be there before three. I will let you know what I'm leaving the school if you're not

Starting point is 00:05:55 there, I will wait. She followed up with, send okay if you see the message so I can delete your number. Jarvis replied, okay. Niziah also took this picture of herself, which would be the last picture of her taken alive. Annette Harris reported her granddaughter missing the following day on January 10th. She was and still is criticized for her delay in taking action, but she wouldn't be the only one. The Detroit public schools community distrable. tried handling the investigation on their own. They thought it was just a teenage runaway case and that they could get Niziah home by themselves.

Starting point is 00:06:34 School resource officer Derek Wolf was assigned to the case. Annette was puzzled as to how Niziah could disappear between her school bus stop and her front door, as the bus stop was only a short walk from her house. On February 13th, the community district turned to the Detroit Police Department when they realized it was beyond their expertise. Mind you, it took a number of the district. entire month for this change to happen. Investigators spoke to Niziah's friends and classmates

Starting point is 00:07:01 hoping to gain some kind of lead, but the students that knew her well did not share anything useful at first. But eventually, their silence broke. It's unclear how much Niziah confided in her friends. According to Chief of Public Safety, Libret Jackson, sometimes they may think they're helping a friend by withholding information, but they're not. The initial roadblock was a lack of cooperation by the students. She had told them that she planned on running away, but her classmates didn't tell us that initially. I don't know if they're being totally forthcoming now. Kids are extremely loyal to each other. With police searching for Niziah, Annette told reporters, I want my baby home, and I'm asking in the name of Jesus, and I stand on my faith that he's going

Starting point is 00:07:48 to bring a home. And we're asking anybody that has any information, any information. Any information. I don't care who it is. Please come forth, contact the police department. Her life could be in danger. We can't rule anything out, you know, and I'm hoping and praying that that is not the case. I'm standing on my face. The God is going to bring my baby home,

Starting point is 00:08:10 but it's been really rough. You know, footage of her getting on the school bus, and the bus driver did say that she did get off at her regular stop, okay? And she was supposed to have been coming home, like she don't really do. every day. When a child is missing, you got to look everywhere. I had no idea that it was going to be here. I was just told that this is where it was going to be. Nizai needs to be home with her family, and we love her. So if you are hyper in her, there is a law for that. And I'm asking that whoever,

Starting point is 00:08:41 whoever has any information about my granddaughter to please contact the police, please. Police quickly learned that Nizai was not the type to go MIA. She had no unaccompliant. excuse absences from school, and she was very active on social media. For her to go completely silent like this was completely out of character. On February 20th, the Detroit police released a missing person's flyer on their Facebook page that described Niziah as being 5'2 and 130 pounds. She was last seen wearing clear-frame glasses, a white sweater, a black jacket or hoodie, a pink and white Rugrats coat with a fur collar, light blue denim jeans, and blue and white Nike gym shoes. At the time she disappeared, Nizai was wearing her hair in two braided puff balls,

Starting point is 00:09:28 which could also be seen in her last selfie. On February 14, the police performed a grid search in Niziah's neighborhood within a four-mile radius from her home, even handing out flyers to neighbors and bringing out canine units. Active gang members and people who wouldn't normally be collaborating with police were out in full force, participating in these searches. The chief of public safety was hopeful they could bring her home alive and well. But in his words, we can't operate on hope and we have to operate on information. Now, before Niziah went missing, her father, Mervyn suffered a stroke made worse by his chronic heart condition. He was hospitalized when he learned that his daughter was reported missing. It said that he and his wife, Niki, were among the people out searching

Starting point is 00:10:13 for Niziah on the days his condition allowed. Mervin said in an interview, Some people don't even know me, and they're coming out. They came up to see me at the hospital. They asked me some questions about my daughter. Have I seen her? And I haven't seen my daughter. You have moments in your life where you do think you're standing alone. Nizai's disappearance caused a divide in her family.

Starting point is 00:10:40 Some relatives were upset that Jarvis was allowed to be so close to Niziah, especially unsupervised. In my opinion, he shouldn't have been allowed near her at all. Detective Jason Mays and his partner interviewed Jarvis' butts on February 15th, as he was already in the Wayne County Jail on unrelated charges. He claimed he hadn't seen Niziah since late December to early January and said they were both in her grandmother's home. He was also asked about texts between them.

Starting point is 00:11:08 Jarvis also told investigators Nizai often came to the auto shop he worked at to visit his daughter. Jarvis was asked about what his day was like on January 9th. and he said he had some criminal charges to take care of. This was somewhat true. He had criminal charges filed against him for carrying a concealed weapon, and his new fiancé had taken him to the police station so he could turn himself in. However, the date he was supposed to turn himself in had been pushed back to February. While incarcerated, he called a coworker and asked them to retrieve his phone, as he had left it in a truck and wanted to get it before the police did. On March 6, investigators brought their search efforts to a pond near the intersection of Gradiot

Starting point is 00:11:46 Avenue and Quinn Road and Clinton Township, just behind a shopping center. It was thought Niziah could be there, or that they could find evidence of her being there. However, their initial search did not yield any results. On March 7th, a woman named Valerie Smith called the Detroit Police Department with evidence. For two weeks, Valerie walked past a lost school ID card. One day, she picked it up and recognized Niziah's face immediately. March 12th, U.S. Border Patrol agent Wyatt Barnes located discarded clothing in the area of seven mile and burr near the Rouge River. He found a shoe, a pair of pink overalls, a black hoodie with a set of headphones in its pocket and a towel. One article of clothing was reported to be damaged in some way, pointing to some

Starting point is 00:12:30 kind of altercation. Later come out that there was blood evidence found on it. However, there were no major updates after March. It took until August 15th for more updates to be made to the public. background information and a timeline of events from January 9th. When Niziah got off the school bus, she met Jarvis and one of his co-workers and they took her to the auto shop. According to reports, Jarvis's sister was in the building at the time. She saw Niziah, but didn't say anything to her. Jarvis, Niziah, and the coworker later went to Ipsilani before returning to the auto shop. Jarvis rented a room at the Park Crest Motel from 9.30 p.m. on January 9th to 1220 p.m. on the 10th. The workers at the front desk would later provide these

Starting point is 00:13:15 records to the police. Jarvis's phone was tracking his location during this entire period and placed him near the Rouge River on January 10th, after Niziah went missing and before her clothes were found. Investigators found many text messages between Niziah and Jarvis of an explicit nature, which we're not going to read for you. Some of these messages included pictures. By going through the messages, police found a potential motive. On September 26, 2023, Nizai told Jarvis she had missed her period. She had taken a pregnancy test before and it had come back negative, but she needed to test again and didn't have the money to buy another.

Starting point is 00:13:57 She told Jarvis, you ain't scared to get a plan B, get a pregnancy test, and bring it later today and just act like you have to use the bathroom. On November 27th, Nizziah texted Jarvis, and said, I just want to talk. I really don't want to lose you. Can we talk later? Yes or no. I don't know what your problem, but I need you to bring me what I need tonight. It's hard doing all this gym shit with this baby, and if I don't do him, I'm going to get an F. During this time, Jarvis's search history recorded him researching how to terminate a pregnancy, both through medical means

Starting point is 00:14:33 and through more unsafe methods. One specific result investigators found involved, involved drinking red antifreeze. Evidence from Nizziah's devices suggested she was also conducting similar searches. On August 15th, the Detroit Police Department submitted an arrest warrant request to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. Not long after Jarvis was arrested. At first, it was thought that the arrest was tied to Nizai's disappearance, but this wasn't the only reason. Prosecutor's office was building its case against Jarvis for all his past assaults against children. In September 26th, the Detroit Police Department announced that they were pivoting from a missing person's investigation to a homicide investigation. Although her physical

Starting point is 00:15:15 body was never recovered, the police and the prosecutor's office felt there was enough evidence to show that Niziah was no longer alive. Prosecutor Kim Worthy said in a statement, the evidence in this case will clearly show that the defendant's alleged actions were beyond predatory. They were vultuous. He groomed and preyed upon Niziah with ever. expertise. It will prove that he killed young Nizai after he found out she was pregnant at 13 with his child. That same month, Prosecutor Worthy addressed the public in a press conference where she summarized the investigative efforts and the plans moving forward. Just gave a warning to any parents that were listening to her. We all must, we must be very careful who we led into our hearts and

Starting point is 00:15:59 our homes and our lives, especially if you have children. We must be very careful who we have around our children and elders respectively. We must also be very careful who we leave our children with, even if they are in a relationship partners, family, and friends. I'll say that again, even if they are relationship partners, families, or friends. Life can be hard enough at times. But when it comes to our children, we must be deliberative,

Starting point is 00:16:25 we must be diligent and laser focused on their safety. And sometimes we must make decisions about them and their lives that we need to be able to be able to be may not like and that they may not like, but it's for the betterment of them and their safety and their future. When something doesn't feel right, even if it's just that voice in your head, it usually isn't right. And sometimes when we are attentive and we do everything right by our children, things can

Starting point is 00:16:54 still happen and still go very wrong despite our best efforts. This can happen to good watches of children. But we must always ask ourselves at the end of each and every day, what we must always ask ourselves, Was I right by each member of my household in terms of their safety, that I do write by my children? On September 27th, Jarvis was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, child essay activity, and second-degree criminal sexual conduct of a person under 13. There were also additional charges filed for acts of essay he committed before praying on Isaiah. Jarvis was held in jail until his preliminary hearing on October 10th, where he was brought before Judge Alia Sabree. In light of the danger he posed to the community, Jarvis was denied bond and was also charged as a fourth-time offender.

Starting point is 00:17:40 Niziah's paternal aunt Tiffany Jennings stayed out of the public eye until after Jarvis's arrest. She was asked by reporter Sean Lay, who was responsible for protecting Niziah from Jarvis, to which she said. Oh, what a loaded question, right, Sean? In my personal opinion, with no affiliation, There are multiple parties involved, as many have already stated. And I just have to hold on to hope that the entire truth will come to light. This is the beginning of the truth. And we're very grateful for this part, but the entire story will come out.

Starting point is 00:18:21 Nizai was only beginning to repair her relationship with her father and her paternal family by extension. But in this interview, Tiffany implies that those closest to Niziah had a hand directly or indirectly in everything that happened to her. Niziah's family members were in the courtroom audience throughout the legal proceedings that took place between November 1st, 2024, and January 6, 2025. Prosecution not only focused on Niziah, but on the other girls Jarvis targeted as well. Now 20 and 13 years old, two of Jarvis's prior victims took the stand. Jarvis' co-worker Cordell King Wright was also incarcerated at the Wayne County Jail for unrelated charges,

Starting point is 00:19:01 was brought in as a witness. He testified that he and Jarvis had picked Naziah up on their way back from AutoZone and brought her back to the auto shop on the 9th. He said he did not see her after that day. Jarvis's sister, Tijuana Butts, also testified that she was at the auto shop on January 9th and saw a little girl getting in and out of Jarvis's white Cadillac escalade. She later realized that this little girl was Niziah. Juana also was able to identify some of the clothes that Niziah was wearing that day.

Starting point is 00:19:31 Jarvis's former fiancé, Tashiana Davis, was among the prosecution's witnesses. As we mentioned earlier, she was his ride to the police station when he had to turn himself in. He testified he was always protective of his phone because he was a habitual cheater. She stayed with him despite these affairs because she saw him as good with kids. Yes, you heard that correctly. In addition, one of Jarvis's former girlfriend said he borrowed her car on January 9th. When she got the car back, she found a... pair of glasses inside. They were identical to the set in Azaya often wore.

Starting point is 00:20:07 Testimonies from investigators furthered the case against Jarvis. The text messages between Nizai and Jarvis were presented in court. The earliest were dated back to September of 2022. Nizai would have only been 12 years old. In one exchange, Jarvis visited the Harris house when no one was home. He told Nizai he left with a pair of her underwear. He solicited Nizabeth. He solicited Nis. Zaya for explicit pictures of herself, made sexual advances, and guilt tripped her when she wouldn't do what he wanted. In the end, Judge Alia Sabri had harsh words for Jarvis and everyone that failed Niziah. You've been sent over there for a day with your head down, hitting between and behind your attorney with your mask on and taking vigorous notes. I want you to pay attention and listen

Starting point is 00:21:00 to everything I have to say. I have been trying to figure out for the last five days, youth. At one point I thought you were cognitively impaired in the beginning of this exam. And then maybe you had the brain of a 10-year-old and that's why you were doing such things. But as I heard more and more testimony, you were just the true definition of a .

Starting point is 00:21:24 Watching you laugh and brag about all the women you have with different women and the children and the girlfriends and making babies to groom them and having them in your presence cleaning up, quote, cleaning up your shop. My little girls around you, Hadland, you hear you say. You've ruined Zaya.

Starting point is 00:21:44 You played my game with her. We all heard that. You controlled her emotionally. She was exposed to so much at such a young age. The text messages between you two were disgusting to hear and to think that she had you saved in her phone as bays for life. Niziah deserves so much more. And while I mentioned other people that failed her, Jarvis Butts, you are the monster in this whole picture. She did deserve love from her parents and everyone who was in her life.

Starting point is 00:22:23 She was ignored, she was neglected, and you took complete advantage of that. She wanted someone to love her, and she will never know what that feels like. Your children deserve more. As much as the defense counsel has raised issues on count one, all that has done is raise the question of fact for the charge. which means that this will be for a jury or a judge here at Third Circuit. I pray for the healing of all the victims and the young girls and possibly boys who have come into contact with you. As a community, we should look at this case as a prime example of how much work we have to do when it comes to protecting our children and especially our black girls.

Starting point is 00:23:13 I pray for closure and healing for all those people. who have been traumatized by you. And for you, George Bush, I wish you a speedy tribe and that justice be delivered. Detroit-based rap artist Trayvon Gardner, known professionally as Skilla Baby, followed Niziah Harris' story.

Starting point is 00:23:36 The news broke that Niziah was officially declared dead. Skillababy mourned her loss. He made a post on his Instagram where he announced that he was willing to cover the entire cost of a memorial service for Niziah. Its account still exists, but it's been wiped of all activity. There are still some screenshots of this particular post.

Starting point is 00:23:55 Niziah's cousin, Roxy, confirmed that many celebrities, including Skilla Baby, had reached out to her. She told reporters, my goal was to make sure Niziah Harris' story reached worldwide, and it reached worldwide because this isn't only happening in the city of Detroit, but it's happening everywhere. Now, more women and more young girls are speaking up, and that was my ultimate goal for not only Niziah to get justice for every young girl and every young woman who has ever been sexually abused to get justice. In addition, Mark D'Andre of the Seven Mile Radio podcast used his platform to help

Starting point is 00:24:32 spread Nizai's story across Detroit as early as February of 2024. Mark interviewed family members during his live segments, including Nizai's biological father, Mervyn Jennings. At first, Mark worked closely with Nizai's cousin Roxy. But Mark and proxy parted ways in January of 2025. She shared the following post on her Facebook account, which reads in part, I regret to inform you all with a very heavy heart. They am no longer associated or part of the seven-mile radio team with Mark due to irreconcilable differences. Please respectfully refrain from sharing any social media content associated with seven-mile radio with me. This decision was not an easy decision to make. However, it is best for

Starting point is 00:25:19 me in my current journey in life at this time. I wish you the best in all of your future endeavors. Thank you for your gracious support and understanding. We mentioned seven mile radio podcasts earlier in this episode, but there are a lot of creators such as Black Girl Gone and Chinatra speaks that have done deep dives into the parts of the case that the media hasn't covered, such as Zaya's family dynamics and the rumors that have been unfolding on social media. Since we can't corroborate some of what's been said with official sources, we won't be covering those points today. However, if that's something that interests you, we'll be sure to link their channels for you to check out.

Starting point is 00:25:58 In February of 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services released a lackluster official statement. It read, our hearts go out to the family and friends of Naziah Harris. But we can't discuss specific cases due to state and federal laws. MDHHS is deeply committed to ensuring the health and safety of all children. children. There were many petitions created on change.org seeking justice from Niziah. One of these was created by Tamara Liberty Smith, Vice Chairwoman for the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, and also Mervyn Jennings' friend of 35 years. She included an open letter to

Starting point is 00:26:34 Child Protective Services, which read, The safety and well-being of our children must be our utmost priority. Recent events have highlighted a critical gap in the enforcement of CPS rules, allowing children to remain in environments where their safety is compromised by known violators of these rules. Zaya Harris' tragic passing underscores the need for immediate action. Her life was cut short because a known file was allowed to have contact with her, despite existing CPS guidelines intended to prevent such scenarios. We believe that this tragedy could have been avoided with stricter enforcement and oversight. We urge CPS to, one, review and strengthen policies,

Starting point is 00:27:14 re-evaluate current policies related to the custody and care of children who may be exposed to no modafiles, ensuring that these policies are robust and comprehensive. 2. Enhance monitoring and compliance. Increase monitoring and enforcement efforts to ensure compliance with CPS rules, particularly in cases where a child's safety may be at risk. 3. Implement mandatory reporting and accountability measures. Establish mandatory reporting and accountability protocols for caregivers and guardians who knowingly placed children in unsafe environment. 4. Provide better support and resources. Offer more support and resources for families and caregivers to make informed decisions that prioritize the safety of children. Tamara's petition currently

Starting point is 00:27:56 has over 30,000 signatures and is still open today. We'll have it in the description and the pin comment below. There are other petitions out there on the web that are advocating for the arrest of Niziah's grandmother Annette and her aunt Shannon as they allowed Jarvis into Niziah's life. Jarvis is scheduled to go to trial on October 6, 2025. He's facing a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, as he's yet to go to trial, he is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Dziah's father, Mervyn Jennings, died in August of 2024. It's unclear if he ever learned his daughter's fate or the man responsible for it.

Starting point is 00:28:39 His family and friends spoke to the public on his. his behalf, asking for justice to be served. Tomorrow Liberty Smith told the press, he died of a broken heart. He passed not knowing where his daughter was. That's the reason he got sicker. He was searching relentlessly for her. And now, he's left the earth with no answers. I'm just hoping the family can get the justice they deserve. I'm not sure we're even looking for a living person anymore, but the family still wants answers. and for whoever did this to be punished.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Na'Ziyah Harris

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