BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Police have released the cause of the death of a young boy whose body was found after being missing for four years.
Jaylen Griffin's body was found in April, nearly four years after he was first reported missing in Buffalo. Police say he was stabbed.
Griffin went missing back in 2020 and was the subject of a citywide search effort before being found dead four-years later at a home on Sheffield Avenue. His is death being investigated as a homicide. He was just 12 years old at the time of his disappearance.
Investigators did not provide further details on the investigation.
Griffin's father told 2 On Your Side at his funeral that he is still holding out for justice for his son's death, and that he won't feel closure will come until that happens.
"We need the village to stand up. We need the village to be proactive and not reactive. There's enough reaction. We need somebody on the front lines soon as they hear something, jump to action. Say something. Do something. It doesn't take you to move a train. It takes you to make a call or file a report or share information. This can't keep happening," said Kareema Morris, Executive Director of Bury the Violence.
"We still haven't got to the closure part yet. We need to find the culprit who is responsible for my son's death. But this right here, it eases the pain up a lot," said Brian Griffin, Jaylen Griffin's dad.
Griffin's dad says he remembers his son as a fun-loving kid who brought a smile to his face.
"He didn't do nothing but get up every morning and go carry groceries to patrons' cars for them just to make a couple of dollars every day. He wasn't a bad kid. He wasn't perfect either. You know, everybody has flaws, but he was my son. He's going to deeply be missed and loved," said Brian Griffin.
Again, Buffalo Police are investigating Griffin's death as a homicide. Crimestoppers WNY is still offering a reward of up to $7,500 for information leading to the arrest of the person who killed him.
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