At least three other bodies were discovered in the upstate New York home, where the body of a 12-year-old who went missing nearly four years ago was found earlier this month, raising more questions about why it took years to find his body when, by many accounts, the house was a well-known trouble spot.
On April 12, Jaylen Griffin’s remains were found in a run-down house about five miles away from the Buffalo, New York, corner store near his home, where he was last seen in August 2020. He would have turned 16 years old last week.
Now, his father, Brian Griffin, is trying to find answers to the lingering questions about what happened when he disappeared.
The dilapidated house where Jaylen was found was known to police, according to neighbors who spoke anonymously to NBC affiliate 2WGRZ.
More than 160 police complaints have been linked to the multi-home since 2007, according to 911 logs, obtained by WIVB.
A body was found just two months before Jaylen went missing after a welfare check in June 2020. Another call in September 2022 points to the discovery of a body, while a third was discovered in August 2023, according to WIVB. One of the deaths was due to a drug overdose and the others died from natural causes, the local outlet reports.
After a reported fire at the house several years ago, the residents have been “transitional” and included “recent parolees, sex offenders, and people with mental disabilities… who were entering and exiting at all hours,” according to neighbors who spoke off-camera to reporters. None of the neighbors, however, said they saw anyone matching Jaylen’s description.
“How did he end up here? Was he moved? The questions are still remaining,” said Pastor Tim Newkirk of GYC Ministries, a community group that led searches in the South Buffalo neighborhood in an interview with NewsNation.
“How long was he dead? How long was he deceased? Was he found in something that was locked and had to be opened? And did a certain aroma come out that would be a major complaint to this community? This looks like the type of community where if anything is taking place somebody will report it, or say something,” he noted.
In a press conference on April 15, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia indicated the body was severely decomposed, had been in the house for “a significant amount of time,” and had to be identified through dental records. It could be weeks or even months before a cause of death is determined.
Community leaders who rallied around the family have pinpointed a fatal flaw in the investigation: police identified Jaylen as a runaway.
“When Jaylen initially went missing, they publicized him as a runaway in which they (law enforcement) are only required to do the minimum or nothing at their discretion. By New York State law, they only have to use 40 percent or less of the resources on runaways,” explained Kareema Morris, founder of Bury the Violence, on local news station 2-WGRZ. “We need to change that, there cannot be another opportunity for a child to end up missing for years, missing for weeks and deceased.”
Morris is among a group of community leaders determined to change the law so that other missing children don’t fall through the cracks the way Jaylen did. She’s taking the issue to the New York Assembly — and beyond if she has to.
New York is one of ten states required to submit missing children to NaMus, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. But as Morris points out, the information is often out-of-date and inaccurate. “Runaways” should be categorized differently to draw more attention to cases like Jaylen’s when the first 48 hours are so crucial.
“Law enforcement needs to list them as a vulnerable or endangered child. This is the most vulnerable population to become victims of violent crimes,” said Morris.
Jaylen’s case languished for years until a recent push by two detectives within the Buffalo Police SVU Unit began about six months ago. The renewed interest prompted Crime Stoppers WNY to offer a $7,500 cash reward in March to anyone with information on the missing boy. Shortly after, a maintenance man tipped police off to a body in the attic of the multi-unit house.
Jaylen’s family experienced several tragedies in the wake of his disappearance. Three months after he went missing, his older brother, Jawaan Griffin, was fatally shot across from his home when he was 18. Then, in the fall of 2023, Jaylen’s mother died.
“I’m reminded by his mother Joann Ponzo, who on her dying bed said, don’t stop looking for my son,” Newkirk said.
“Finding Jaylen’s remains gave his father, Brian, a small measure of peace. “But now, we have more questions. Who was so inhumanely disgusting to kill a baby?” Morris told News 4.
Gramaglia described an exhaustive search, that included cadaver dogs, numerous home searches, and coordinated grid searches within Buffalo and beyond the city limits.
“We followed up on every tip that came in, including multiple psychics that called in tips… in an effort to leave no stone unturned,” he stated.
But still, that was not enough to save Jaylen.
“We need to change the resources used, the time frame that’s used and we need to make them (runaways) a priority,” Morris told 2-WGRZ. “It’s sad enough that a missing child isn’t a priority, but to have stipulations to use less because of the word ‘runaway’ is disgusting.”
Bury the Violence has started a petition, #JaylensLaw, to strengthen New York State law for “runaway” children and funnel more resources into search efforts.
