Investigation Underway as Elderly Couple Found Dead in Queens Fire
Authorities in New York City are investigating the tragic deaths of an elderly couple who were found dead in their home after a fire on September 8. The couple, identified as 77-year-old Frank Thomas Olton and 78-year-old Maureen Olton, were discovered by firefighters who responded to the blaze in their two-story home in Queens.
According to police reports, the couple was believed to have been attacked before the fire was set. The NYPD is now searching for a suspect, identified as 42-year-old Jamel McGriff. Security cameras captured him outside a pawn shop attempting to sell two cellphones shortly after the incident.
NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch expressed concerns for community safety, stating that McGriff should be considered armed and dangerous. The investigation suggests that he entered the couple’s home, attacked them, and then ignited the fire.
Fire Department officials confirmed that they extinguished the flames but found both individuals deceased at the scene. McGriff is described as a man in his 30s to 40s, with a dark complexion and medium build, last seen wearing a black hat and jacket, along with blue jeans and black sneakers.
Reports indicate that neighbors had seen an unfamiliar man knocking on doors, asking to charge his cellphone. Surveillance footage shows McGriff knocking at the couple’s back door in the morning before being let inside. He was seen leaving the home in the afternoon.
Worried neighbors contacted the couple’s son, a paramedic with the New York City Fire Department, who rushed to the house and made the grim discovery. Local media also reported that the husband was found tied in the basement, although officials have not yet confirmed details of how the couple died.
The NYPD is urging anyone with information about the case or the suspect to come forward.
