Police paid frequent visits to the house where missing 12-year-old Jaylen Griffin's remains were found nearly four years after he mysteriously disappeared, according to neighbors.
Jaylen's decomposed body was discovered concealed in the attic at 107 Sheffield Avenue in Buffalo, New York, last Friday, after he vanished on his way to a neighborhood corner store. A maintenance worker servicing the rental property came upon Jaylen's remains and called police. He was positively identified through dental records.
"I don't feel safe in my own house," one unidentified neighbor told WKBW-TV, following confirmation Jaylen's case transitioned to a homicide investigation.
Residents claimed different people constantly shuffled in and out of the house, and that police often responded to calls there.
"Probably about a year or two ago, I was walking my son down the street, and one of the ladies living in residence at the time chased me down with a bat," another anonymous neighbor told the station.
Court records indicate the home is owned by Sunrise West, LLC.
The company is named co-defendant, alongside Spectrum Health and Human Services – a non-profit, community health organization that helps people struggling with substance abuse find affordable housing – as well as tenant Deanna Withrow, in a 2022 negligence lawsuit.
The plaintiff is a next door neighbor who alleges Withrow caused $130,000 worth of damage to their home when she threw out clothing and debris that caught fire while she and a friend were smoking. As a result, the neighbor's home went up in flames, the documents state.
"Spectrum failed to properly and diligently to vet Ms. Withrow for the subject apartment, despite her propensity for smoking, and the need for Spectrum's services," the records read.
At least one registered sex offender also lived at 107 Sheffield Avenue up until last month, WKBW reported, citing jail records.
Speaking with Headlines & Global News this week, Jaylen's longtime family friend Pastor Tim Newkirk said the neighborhood where the pre-teen was found is a notably "high drug infested area... where there's gun violence, drugs, prostitution, overdoses and all kinds of different weird activities."
Shortly after his family reported him missing, police surmised he willingly disappeared.
"They left it as just a runaway case because of his age and pretty much didn't put that much emphasis on there being a suspect or any type of crime or foul play. They didn't believe that he was in any harm or danger," said Newkirk.
Meantime, Jaylen's homicide investigation remains underway.
Buffalo police did not immediately respond to HNGN's request for comment.
