Police: Missing boy whose body was found in South Buffalo home died by stabbing

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Jaylen Griffin, the 12-year-old boy whose body was found in a South Buffalo home after being missing for nearly four years, died from a stabbing, a Buffalo police spokesperson confirmed to WIVB News 4.

Griffin’s body was located in April inside the attic of a Sheffield Avenue home, just one week before what would’ve been his 16th birthday. After the discovery of his body, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said his death was being considered a homicide, and that it appeared the boy had been dead for a significant period of time.

Griffin was last seen in August 2020 after leaving a corner store near his home on Warren Avenue. He was reported missing two days later.

The residence where Griffin’s body was discovered is no stranger to law enforcement. Since 2007, more than 160 complaints were made to police regarding the home, including calls about domestic violence, fires and the discovery of bodies.

A City of Buffalo spokesperson told WIVB in April that before the discovery of Griffin, three bodies had previously been found at the property, with two dying from natural causes and the other from a drug overdose.

In the wake of the discovery of Griffin’s body, vigils have been held in the boy’s honor to pray for justice.

Crimestoppers WNY continues to offer a $7,500 reward for anyone who has information on Griffin’s killer.

Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the WIVB News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here .