BUFFALO — He was just 12. That was the heartbreaking fact Bishop Darius Pridgen drove home Tuesday at the funeral for Jaylen Griffin.
Jaylen was last seen on August 4, 2020, when he left his home on Warren Street to go to the store. His body was found last month.
WATCH: 'An absolute tragedy': Police find body of Jaylen Griffin, young boy missing since 2020
On April 22, family and friends came together to celebrate what would have been Griffin's 16th birthday.
WATCH: ‘I had good times with him’: Birthday memorial for Jaylen Griffin as family mourns loss of young boy
On Tuesday, family, friends and many of the people who searched for him over the last three and a half years gathered for his homegoing at True Bethel Baptist Church.
"He was not a runaway," Priden said in his passionate eulogy. "He was 12 years old. If 12-year-old children don't come home, it's not a runaway. It's a missing person's report. He was 12."
Jaylen's father, Brian Griffin, held his son's cremated ashes in an urn Tuesday.
"It is still fresh to me. You know, he's been missing for three-and-a-half years. It's been a long time. It's been a long journey and I'm hurting," he said.
He thanked the community's support throughout the ordeal.
Jaylen's grandmother Shirley Banks said she's comforted to know that her grandson will be reunited with his mother, her daughter Joann Ponzo, who died last year not knowing where he was.
"Really, I'm feeling good all over inside as I know my grandson got his wings as he did and I know his mother is shining down," she said.
Kareema Morris of Bury the Violence, who was among those who searched for Jaylen, is struggling to comprehend how a young boy could meet such a terrible end.
"Children are losing their lives….There's no reason for this," she said.
Pastor Tim Newkirk of GYC Ministries, who also helped in the search, spoke at the funeral. He called for justice for Jaylen.
"Who killed Jaylen Griffin? We're not done. We're not resting," he vowed.
Now Jaylen's case has gone from a missing person case to a homicide investigation.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Crimestoppers WNY at 716-867-6161. There's a $7,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest or conviction.
