'Boy in the attic's' mom's harrowing final words before she died of a broken heart are revealed
The search for a missing 12-year-old came to a gruesome close last Monday when police discovered his badly decomposed body in an attic, just months after his own mother's death.
Jaylen Griffin was last seen on August 4, 2020 as he headed to a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, but never returned home.
A desperate search ensued, with community members and police putting up flyers and combing the city for any signs of the missing boy.
The search concluded on April 12, when police found Jaylen's body in the attic of a home just after 10 a.m. They publicly announced the discovery three days later.
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.
The body of 12-year-old Jaylen Griffin was found in an attic in Buffalo, New York, nearly four years after his disappearance
The discovery came too late for Jaylen's mother, Joann Ponzo, who died aged 48 in September
A maintenance worker stumbled upon the body at 107 Sheffield Avenue last Monday
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.
She told Buffalo News that the heartbroken mother was reluctant to speak to reporters about her son's case, as she lacked the confidence.
But she was a familiar face at all of Jaylen's vigils, where she could be seen releasing paper lanterns into the sky.
A month before her death, Joann was seen crying and praying for her son to be found during one of the ceremonies.
Ponzo continued to cling to her son's memory. Months after Jaylen's disappearance, she posted a birthday message to Facebook - her last post before the account went silent.
'Wherever you are I pray that you are safe and able to enjoy your day,' she wrote.
While Ponzo was hesitant to speak to members of the media about Jaylen's case, she attended all his vigils and was seen sobbing at one of the ceremonies just a month before her death
Jaylen's body was found five miles from where he was last seen, nearly four years after he left the family home and headed to a nearby convenience store
The boy's body was so badly deteriorated that the medical examiner's office had to identify him using dental records
Morris told the publication that Ponzo struggled to envision her child any other way than when she last saw him.
When an age-processed image was released to picture Jaylen at 15, his mother was dismayed. 'That’s not my son. It doesn’t look like my son,' she said.
Ponzo also 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. He told his mother that he was heading to a convenience store nearby.
But it was at 107 Sheffield Avenue, a dark, foreboding residence amid a sea of white and gray houses, that his body was recovered.
A maintenance worker 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.
Homicide detectives arrived just before 10:30 a.m. and said they would need more time a the scene because of a 'dead on arrival.'
Months after Jaylen's disappearance, Ponzo posted a birthday message to Facebook, reading, 'Wherever you are I pray that you are safe and able to enjoy your day'
The Buffalo Police Department held a press conference on April 15.
'The body that was located in the house had been there for a significant amount of time,' Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said.
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.'
District Attorney Mike Kane echoed Gramaglia's condolences.
'This is a young boy. He's 15 years old. This is a tragedy and it's a terrible way to bring this search to a conclusion,' he said.
Morris also spoke at the press conference, 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.