A fugitive parolee accused of killing an elderly Queens couple and setting their home on fire remained at large Wednesday as investigators searched for the 42-year-old suspect, authorities said.
New York Police Department officials identified the suspect as Jamel McGriff and said he is wanted in the deaths of Frank and Maureen Olton in the Bellerose neighborhood of Queens. Neighbors and law enforcement sources said the couple were found dead inside their home after what authorities described as a prolonged and violent encounter.
Neighbors who reviewed security-camera footage described a sequence of events that began Monday morning when a man later identified as McGriff knocked on doors in the block asking to charge his phone. Surveillance video captured a brief conversation between McGriff and Frank Olton near the side gate of the home at about 10:15 a.m., then the two walking into the backyard, a neighbor who identified himself as Asif told reporters.
Asif said the footage shows McGriff lingering outside the back door for about 20 minutes before entering the house alone. The neighbor said he did not see McGriff leave the property again until midafternoon. Law enforcement sources said the couple was subjected to a sustained attack during the hours that followed.
Police officers who later entered the home found Frank Olton bound to a pole in the basement; detectives said he had been stabbed and set on fire. Maureen Olton’s badly burned remains were discovered on a floor above. Authorities said both victims suffered multiple stab wounds.
McGriff, who has a lengthy criminal history and is a registered sex offender, was released from prison in 2023 after serving a 17-year sentence tied to a 2006 conviction that included robbery, a sex act and attempted assault, according to court and corrections records cited by local media. State records show he failed to re-register as a sex offender in 2024 after his release. Authorities said he was also suspected of involvement in two recent robberies but was not jailed on a parole violation before Monday’s killings.
The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said its special investigations unit and parole officers were working with the NYPD and U.S. Marshals in the search for McGriff. The department did not provide further comment or answer questions about whether parole authorities had sought violations or taken other enforcement actions after the 2024 failure-to-register finding.
Questions about supervision and enforcement followed the slayings, with neighbors and local officials saying they were shaken that a person with McGriff’s record could be free in the community. "They were two of the kindest people you’ll ever meet," Tom Dillon, a cousin of Maureen Olton, said Wednesday. Neighbors described the couple as helpful and sociable; one longtime resident, Allen, said Frank had worked as a social worker and would often help others.
The victims’ son, a member of the Fire Department of New York who works as a paramedic, has been contacted by union leaders and family members, Oren Barzilay, president of the union representing paramedics and EMTs, said. Barzilay said the son was receiving support from family and friends and was "holding up," but provided no further detail.
Investigators have collected home surveillance footage and witness statements and are continuing a multiagency manhunt. The NYPD asked anyone with information about McGriff’s whereabouts to contact detectives; federal marshals and state parole officers were assisting in canvassing neighborhoods and following leads.
The killings have rattled the Bellerose community, which residents described as typically quiet and tight-knit. Local leaders and family members expressed grief and called for answers about how a parolee with prior convictions and a missed registration requirement remained at liberty while under suspicion in other crimes.
Detectives said the investigation was ongoing and that additional details, including formal charges and an official suspect alert, would be released as the case develops.