Buffalo, New York: Remains of missing 12

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The remains of a 12-year-old boy who went missing in 2020 have been found inside a Buffalo house, and the death is being investigated as a homicide, police said Monday.

Jaylen Griffin was last seen on Aug. 4, 2020, when he left his East Buffalo home for a nearby convenience store at about 11 a.m. His body was found Friday in a house about 5 miles away (8 kilometers), in South Buffalo.

He had been dead “for a considerable amount of time,” Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said at a news conference.

The remains were found by someone who had reason to be in the occupied, multi-family house but did not live there, according to the commissioner. He declined to provide additional details about the body’s location or condition.

Jaylen’s identity was confirmed through the use of dental records on Monday, he said.

After his disappearance, the boy’s picture appeared on billboards and flyers that promised rewards for information. Family and neighbors prayed at candlelit vigils and police followed up on numerous tips, including some from psychics who contacted investigators, Gramaglia said.