After the remains of a missing boy are found inside a Buffalo home, the focus shifts to how he died

BUFFALO, NY — The remains of a 12-year-old boy who went missing in 2020 have been found in a Buffalo home and the death is being investigated as a homicide, police said Monday.

Jaylen Griffin was last seen on August 4, 2020, when he left his East Buffalo home for a nearby grocery store at approximately 11 a.m. His body was found Friday in a home about five miles away in South Buffalo.

He had been dead “for quite some time,” Police Chief Joseph Gramaglia said at a news conference.

The remains were found by someone who had reason to be in the occupied multi-family home, but did not live there, according to the commissioner. He declined to provide further details about the location or condition of the body.

Jaylen’s identity was confirmed Monday through the use of dental records, he said.

After his disappearance, the boy’s photo appeared on billboards and flyers promising rewards for information. Family and neighbors prayed at candlelight vigils and police followed up on numerous tips, including some from psychics who contacted investigators, Gramaglia said.

“There are a large number of organizations, groups and people who have diligently searched for over three and a half years to find Jaylen, and unfortunately the outcome is not what we wanted,” he said.

Three months after Jaylen went missing, his 18-year-old brother, Jawaan Griffin, was fatally shot across the street from his home, police said.

Jawaan and Jaylen’s mother, Joann Ponzo, died in September at the age of 48, after an illness that acquaintances said was worsened by grief, according to local media.

An autopsy that could reveal clues about Jaylen’s death is expected to take months, Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane said.

“This is a tragedy and a terrible way to end this search,” Keane said. “This now begins a murder investigation.”

A candlelight vigil is planned for April 22, on what would have been Jaylen’s 16th birthday.