The New York Police Department launched a massive manhunt Tuesday for 42-year-old Jamel McGriff, identified by authorities as the primary suspect in a Queens house fire that killed an elderly couple.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters McGriff is "armed and dangerous." Police said the suspect is accused of entering the couple's Bellerose home through a backdoor Monday morning and later setting the house ablaze, killing 78-year-old Maureen Olton and her 76-year-old husband, Frank Thomas Olton.
Police described a violent scene inside the 254th Street home. Authorities said Frank Olton was found in the basement bound to a pole and suffering multiple stab wounds; investigators allege he had been doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Maureen Olton's body was located on the first floor. Firefighters responded after alarms were triggered and the blaze was discovered.
Sources told investigators the couple are the parents of an FDNY paramedic. According to law enforcement accounts, surveillance footage captured the suspect leaving the residence after several hours inside; police have said the timeline is under active review as part of the investigation.
McGriff is a convicted sex offender and career criminal who served nearly 17 years of a 20-year state prison term on convictions that included robbery, a sex act and assault, state correctional records show. He was released in 2023 and remained on probation, and is listed on the state sex offender registry for a 2005 conviction in which he was found guilty of molesting a 23-year-old woman at knifepoint, according to the registry.
Police said McGriff has also been identified as a person of interest in an Aug. 31 attempted gunpoint robbery in Manhattan, when a suspect allegedly entered a store on Avenue of the Americas and tried to take cellphones. He has not been charged in that incident, and officials said he has not been formally charged in the Queens killings as of Tuesday evening.
Authorities did not provide details on a possible motive and said the investigation is ongoing. The NYPD urged anyone with information to contact investigators; tips can be provided to local precincts or through the department's tip lines.
The case has prompted scrutiny of supervision and monitoring of convicted offenders released on probation. New York state records cited by authorities show McGriff's lengthy criminal history and his status on the sex offender registry; officials said they are coordinating with state corrections and probation authorities as the search continues.
Detectives continued to canvass the neighborhood for witnesses and review additional surveillance footage from the area. No arrest had been reported by Tuesday night, and law enforcement officials said they were pursuing leads across the city and surrounding communities.
The NYPD warned residents in the area to remain vigilant and to report any sightings of McGriff or suspicious activity. The department said the investigation will proceed until an arrest is made and all questions about the events inside the Bellerose home are resolved.