Shivangi Sinha
In February 2009, Pamela Butler vanished without a trace. She was supposed to have dinner with her mother, Thelma Butler, but never showed up or sent any message. A missing person report was soon filed, and her brother, Derrick Butler, expressed his suspicions about Jose Rodriguez-Cruz to the police. However, there was no concrete evidence at the time. For a long while, Derrick himself remained under suspicion. Despite this, he never stopped advocating for justice for his sister. In NBC’s ‘Dateline: A Haunting Stretch of Road,’ he spoke about the emotional toll of the years-long legal process and how he coped with it.
Derrick Butler Raised His Suspicion About Jose Rodriguez-Cruz Very Early
Derrick Butler grew up alongside his sister, Pamela Butler. Their mother, Thelma Butler, didn’t have many resources, but Pamela’s determination to build a better life for herself served as a powerful inspiration to Derrick. When she eventually got a home of her own, she frequently invited her brother over and supported him in every way she could. On February 14, 2009, Pamela was expected to join Thelma for lunch, along with her then-boyfriend Jose Rodriguez-Cruz, but she never arrived. Derrick immediately became concerned and contacted the authorities.
His suspicions were so strong that he confronted Jose himself, demanding that he take off his shirt to reveal whether he had any scratches or signs of a struggle that might indicate involvement. Jose complied, and Derrick didn’t notice anything alarming. However, with no other leads in the case, detectives eventually turned their attention to Derrick himself, especially since he was the beneficiary of Pamela’s life insurance policy. Still, there was no concrete evidence pointing to him. In fact, Derrick remained a persistent figure at the police station, continually seeking answers and advocating for progress in his sister’s case.
In 2017, it was due to his relentless efforts that a cold case team began re-investigating Pamela’s disappearance, which ultimately led to Jose’s conviction. Derrick agreed to the offer of a guilty plea because he desperately wanted to know where his sister’s remains were, so he could lay her to rest. However, those remains were never recovered. Determined not to stop there, Derrick pushed for renewed focus on Marta Rodriguez’s case as well, and his efforts helped secure a longer conviction for Jose and also the finding of her remains.
Derrick Butler is an Advocate for His Community Today
Derrick Butler remains a determined advocate for justice, especially for victims from marginalized communities. He has been vocal about his belief that Jose Rodriguez-Cruz should remain incarcerated for the rest of his life, describing him as a violent criminal who should never be free again. In 2021, Derrick appeared in the HBO documentary ‘Black and Missing,’ where he candidly discussed the challenges of seeking justice for racial minority victims and alleged how such cases are often deprioritized by authorities. He spoke about the deep frustration he felt when no one took his concerns seriously at the beginning of Pamela’s investigation and the overwhelming relief that washed over him when he received a phone call in the middle of the night informing him of Jose’s arrest.
His commitment to justice has not wavered over the years. According to the latest available records, Derrick is currently living in Temple Hills, Maryland. He previously worked as an automotive teacher at Frank W. Ballou Senior High School in Southeast Washington, D.C., although it is not publicly known what his current profession is. Regardless of his job title, he continues to dedicate his life to his sister’s memory and to broader advocacy.
Read More: Marta Haydee Rodriguez: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
