The cause of death for the ‘boy in the attic’ has been revealed four years after he vanished after telling his mother he was going to the grocery store.
Jaylen Griffin’s badly-decomposed body was discovered by a maintenance man in the attic of 107 Sheffield Avenue in South Buffalo, New York, on April 12.
His father, Brian Griffin, has now revealed that Jaylen was stabbed to death with a sharp object, according to HNGN, citing the boy’s death certificate – but it remains unclear how many times he was stabbed or when he was killed.
The 12-year-old had last been seen before heading out to the grocery store near his Warren Avenue home – just five miles from where his body was found – on August 4, 2020.
He was reported missing two days later, but police classed him as a runaway until his body was discovered nearly four years after his disappearance, kickstarting a homicide investigation.
Jaylen Griffin (pictured), 12, who mysteriously went missing nearly four years ago was discovered in the attic of 107 Sheffield Avenue in South Buffalo – just five miles from his home
The house at 107 Sheffield Avenue (pictured) in South Buffalo, New York has a chilling past as several reports have been made about dead bodies being found there
Close family friend and spokesperson pastor Tim Newkirk of GYC ministries told WIVB: ‘How did he end up here? Was he moved? The questions are still remaining.
‘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.’
Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said in a press conference on April 15 that Jaylen’s body had been in 107 Sheffield Avenue ‘for a significant amount of time.’
While he was unable to elaborate on how long the body had been there, Gramaglia said it was so deteriorated that the medical examiner’s office had to confirm Jaylen’s identity using dental records.
‘First and foremost, I do want to extend my sincerest sympathies to the family of Jaylen,’ Gramaglia said.
‘This department has conducted extensive searches and I want Jaylen’s family to know that we are working diligently to bring the next closure for the family.’
But while father has received a sense of relief since his son was found, mother Joann Ponzo will never know as she passed away due to illness and a ‘broken heart’ in September 2023.
But while father has received a sense of relief since his son was found, mother Joann Ponzo (pictured) will never know as she passed away due to illness and a ‘broken heart’ in September 2023
Jaylen’s (pictured) body was so badly deteriorated that the medical examiner’s office had to identify him using dental records
It wasn’t only Jaylen’s mystery that gave Ponzo grief as his brother, Jawaan had also been shot and killed in front of the family’s home in November 2020.
After Jaylen’s body was found, neighbors have revealed that they had seen people moving in and out of the house and police had responded to the home ‘many times’ over the years.
It turns out that the house where his body was discovered has a dark history, as Jaylen was the fourth body found on the property over the last four years, according to WIVB.
A series of 911 logs revealed that the address has been the subject of more than 160 complaints since 2007 – ranging from domestic violence, fire, wellness checks, and the discovery of bodies.
Local police records found that a call for a welfare check at 2.18 pm on June 23, 2020, resulted in the discovery of a dead body at the Upstate New York house.
Separately, on September 11, 2022, a report of another dead body at 2:27 pm resulted in an arrest.
Another dead body was found in the yard of the house a year later in August 2023 after a call was put into police at 5:27 am – making it the third gruesome discovery.
The identities of these three bodies have yet to be revealed, and it is unclear if the cases which did not result in an arrest were treated as suspicious. DailyMail.com have contacted the local police for further information.
The litany of eerie discoveries comes as it was revealed the address has a long history of troubled residents – including sex offenders and criminals out on parole.
Officials told WIVB that while the multi-room home is not an official halfway house, it has housed people recently out of prison. Jail records show that a sex offender lived in the property until last month.
Neighbors, who chose to remain anonymous, told the outlet they have been in the area long enough to see the house frequently change tenants over the years.
After Jaylen’s (pictured) body was found, neighbors have revealed that they had seen people moving in and out of the house and police had responded to the home ‘many times’ over the years
Records from 911 logs show that over the last four years, there have been four dead bodies found at the address in Buffalo, New York
The identities of the other three bodies have yet to be revealed and it is unclear if these cases were treated as suspicious.
Jaylen was the most recent body found from that house, concluding a four-year search for him on April 12. His body was so badly decomposed that authorities has to identify him using dental records.
Notably, 107 Sheffield is not where he and his family lived. Him and his family lived around five miles away from this house.
The development came too late for Jaylen’s grieving mother, Joann Ponzo, who was laid to rest in September without knowing what had happened to her son.
Ponzo, 48, died at Sisters of Charity Hospital after her health rapidly deteriorated. It is unclear why she was sick, but friends and loved ones have said they suspect her illness was only aggravated by the loss of her children.
Three months after Jaylen’s disappearance, Ponzo’s elder son, 18-year-old Jawaan, was gunned down just steps away from the family home.
Kareema Morris, founder of Bury the Violence, worked closely with Ponzo before her death. Ponzo showed Morris a drawing that she found in their house weeks after Jaylen’s disappearance. It was scrawled with a message: ‘I’m gone already.’
Jaylen was last seen leaving his home on Warren Avenue in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood. His mother told People in 2021 that he disappeared shortly after walking his new puppy.
Joann Ponzo (pictured), 48, died at Sisters of Charity Hospital after her health rapidly deteriorated. It is unclear why she was sick, but friends and loved ones have said they suspect her illness was only aggravated by the loss of her children
Jaylen (pictured) was last seen leaving his home on Warren Avenue in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood. He told his mother that he was heading back out after returning from a walk with his new puppy
He had reportedly said to his mother that he was heading back out, which ‘wasn’t unusual’ as he would often carry people’s back from nearby stores to earn some pocket change.
A maintenance worker for 107 Sheffield sounded the alarm when he stumbled upon a body in the attic of the multi-unit home. The worker said he didn’t smell decomposing matter.
The new 911 police logs show that the call was made at 10.19am.
Homicide detectives arrived just before 10.30am and said they would need more time at the scene because of a ‘dead on arrival.’
Morris also spoke at the press conference on Jaylen’s body being found, where she shared a statement from the family thanking the community’s combined efforts to bring Jaylen home.
Jaylen would have turned 16 years old on April 22. A birthday memorial service was held in his honor.
