Aug. 4 will forever be remembered by the South Buffalo community as the day 12-year-old Jaylen Griffin never came home.
On that fateful day in 2020, the beloved neighborhood boy disappeared without a trace during a routine walk to a corner store. Family members said Jaylen was taking a break from playing video games and making a quick run for some snacks, when he vanished.
For more than three-and-a-half years, police brushed him off as a runaway until April 12, when a maintenance worker stumbled upon his decomposed body stuffed in a random attic less than five miles from his home. The grim finding confirmed the insurmountable fears of loved ones, and Jaylen's case was turned over to the homicide department.
"He's home," said family friend Pastor Tim Newkirk during an interview with HNGN, "but he's in a box filled with ashes."
"I looked at the box and I touched Jaylen and spoke to him, but there's no justice, there's no peace," he added.
Jaylen's father, Brian Griffin, who is struggling to cope with the murder of his son, confirmed Jaylen died from a fatal stabbing before his body was dumped in the attic.
No arrests have been made.
The Buffalo Police Department states, "There are no updates to report. The case is still actively being investigated."
A redacted police report dated April 12 and obtained by HNGN offers little insight into Jaylen's murder investigation, noting only that officers responded to a call of a dead body and pronounced the juvenile victim dead at the scene.
On Sunday, the grieving father will return to the Sheffield Avenue home where Jaylen's body was found and address the community during a vigil marking the 4-year anniversary of his son's disappearance.
"He's gonna address the city and the family about his feelings toward Jaylen's case and losing his son. So we're going to spend that day remembering him on the last day that he was seen," said Newkirk, whose church, GYC Ministries, will also be launching its first annual backpack giveaway, honoring Jaylen ahead of the new school year.
"We shouldn't just remember him on Aug. 4," he added. "It should be every day for the fact that it's been four years since we've seen Jaylen, and there are so many questions that are still unanswered."
