By Mary O’KEEFE

On June 23, homicide investigators arrested Aramazd Andressian Sr., 35, for the murder of his son, 5-year-old Aramazd Andressian.

The young boy, who was known to family and friends as Piqui, was last seen at 1 a.m. on Friday, May 21 after spending the day with his father and his father’s family at Disneyland. His mother Ana Estevez reported her son missing on April 22 when neither he nor his father showed up for a scheduled custody exchange.

Earlier that morning South Pasadena police had responded to a report of an unconscious man found next to his car in Arroyo Park in South Pasadena. That man was Andressian; however, his son was nowhere to be found.

Nine weeks after Piqui was reported missing and after hundreds of hours of searching areas that stretched from Anaheim to Santa Barbara, the little boy has not been found.

Andressian had been released shortly after his arrest and investigators continued their efforts to find Piqui. Law enforcement has now determined that there is enough evidence to arrest Andressian even though the body of the young boy has not been found.

According to Lt. Joe Mendoza, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Homicide Bureau, investigators have interviewed everyone connected to the case, obtained multiple search warrants and physically searched hundreds of miles during the investigation.

“We have continued our surveillance on [Andressian],” Mendoza said.

Andressian had been in Las Vegas where, Mendoza said, he was not behaving as a father whose son was missing. Piqui’s mother has handed out flyers, been cooperative with law enforcement and never stopped looking for her son.

“His actions were not consistent with a grieving parent,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza added they were concerned that Andressian was making plans to go to a country where he would not be extradited. He had shaved his beard and dyed his hair altering his appearance.

The investigation included 22 different agencies in addition to LASD, including South Pasadena, Glendale and Los Angeles police departments.

“This case has taken an extraordinary amount of cooperation across agencies,” said District Attorney Jackie Lacey during a press conference. “Last week my office filed one charge of murder against the child’s father.”

She added although it may seem unusual to file charges before finding the child, “I am confident Mr. Andressian committed this crime.”

Mendoza said the alleged motive for this crime could have been a tumultuous divorce.

“Evidence shows it was a preplanned event,” he said.

When Andressian was first detained he allegedly gave false statements to law enforcement.

“He has not been cooperative whatsoever,” Mendoza said.

Investigators found through surveillance video that Andressian had been at Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County later in the day on April 21; however, his son was not seen with him at the time.

The investigation does not stop with the arrest of the father. Law enforcement continues to track down every tip and every lead. Andressian is thought to have traveled from Anaheim to Santa Barbara and back to South Pasadena.

Piqui is described as 5 years old, weighing 55 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. The child was last seen wearing a gray and white striped shirt, gray sweatpants and tan shoes or a teal shirt and plaid shorts.

Aramazd Andressian Sr. was driving a 2004 gray four-door BMW with California license plate 5FIL646. The father is described as 34 years old, weighing 152 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with questions or information is asked to contact LASD Homicide Bureau, at (323) 890-5500 or contact CRIME STOPPERS online at http://lacrimesstoppers.org or phone (800) 222-8477 or, from a smartphone, download P# Tips for free.

There is a $30,000 reward being offered for information concerning this case.

  Mary Okeefe