The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USA New York City couple in their seventies were found dead in their Queens home on Monday, victims of what police have described as a “horrific double homicide, robbery and arson”.Frank Olton, 76, and Maureen Olton, 77, were discovered around 3:30 p.m. The man was found tied to a pole and stabbed, while the woman’s body was severely burned as their house was engulfed in flames. A fire marshal later determined the blaze was intentionally set.The discovery came approximately 20 minutes after surveillance footage showed suspect Jamel McGriff, 42, walking near the couple’s residence. The Oltons’ son, a fire department EMT, alerted emergency services after their alarm monitoring service notified him of the fire.McGriff remained at large as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. He was last seen on video earlier on Tuesday pawning two mobile phones in the Bronx and “should be considered armed and dangerous,” Commissioner Tisch stated.open image in galleryThis image provided by the New York City Police Department Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, shows Jamel McGriff, a suspect in a double homicide, robbery, and arson which took place Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in New YorkTisch said McGriff, a serial robbery suspect on parole after a previous conviction, was going door-to-door in the borough’s Bellerose neighborhood asking if he could come in and charge his cellphone.After one homeowner rebuffed him, Tisch said, video showed McGriff approaching the Oltons’ home around 10:18 a.m. and talking with Frank Olton. He was allowed into the couple’s backyard and eventually entered the home with Olton through a rear door.McGriff remained in the home for nearly five hours and was next seen on surveillance video leaving around 3:08 p.m., Tisch said. He carried a paper bag and a duffel bag and wore a black hat, black jacket, black sneakers and dark blue jeans, she said. After getting the fire under control, firefighters entered the home and found Frank Olton’s body in the basement, tied to a pole with multiple stab wounds, and Maureen Olton’s body on the first floor with severe burns, Tisch said. Their exact causes of death are still under investigation, she said.“At this time, there is no known connection between Mr. McGriff, our suspect, and our victims beyond this chance encounter,” Tisch said at a news conference on Tuesday.McGriff has a “lengthy, violent” criminal history spanning several decades and is on parole after serving 16 years in prison for a conviction in a 2006 robbery, Tisch said. He is also wanted by police for two recent robberies — one at a Harlem GameStop store in July and another at a Manhattan Verizon store where the clerk noticed he had a fake gun and fought him off, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.McGriff also failed last year to register as a sex offender, Tisch said, which should have violated his parole. The NYPD and a regional fugitive task force that combines local, state and federal officers are working to apprehend McGriff, the commissioner said. “For the public, the message is clear: the suspect’s MO is to go door-to-door asking for some kind of assistance until he can gain entrance, so do not allow someone you don’t know or someone you’re not expecting into your home,” Tisch said.
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Warning as manhunt launched for suspect accused of killing elderly New York couple before burning their home
