Jayce Griffin, Adrian’s grandson, was found unresponsive in a home in Urbana, Ill., recently and declared dead at the hospital. He was in the care of his father, Alan Griffin.
Adrian Griffin coaches the Milwaukee Bucks. His son, AJ Griffin, plays for the Atlanta Hawks.
The Bucks’ coach said, “My grandson Jayce was very special to me, and my family and his passing is an agonizing tragedy that will be felt forever. I appreciate your respecting our family’s grief and privacy at this time.”
The Champaign County coroner said preliminary results from an autopsy “revealed no evidence of trauma nor foul play,” and “the death of Jayce Griffin appears to be from natural causes.”
The boy’s mother, Jasmine Riggs, told CBS 58 that her son had a respiratory infection several days prior to his death. A doctor told her they found fluid in his lungs after his death.
On Sunday, the aunt of AJ Griffin, Rhonda Cloin, urged her church to pray for the family.
She said, “Before we move any farther in the service, I want to ask everyone to gather around my family, they’re on the front row. Many of you probably have already heard but our little buddy, Jayce, the little boy that’s always at church with me, he unexpectedly went to Heaven yesterday. Our hearts are heavy, but we know he’s with Jesus. We have to hope that we get to see him again.”