Police fear kidnapped Armenian elder killed in Sydney

2026-02-24 - 17:54

Chris Baghsarian, an 85-year-old Armenian widower who was kidnapped from his suburban Sydney home on Feb. 13, has been found dead, according to unconfirmed reports. Police discovered remains believed to be those of the victim near a golf course about 50 kilometers away, following what authorities have described as a botched kidnapping. Even before the discovery, fears for his safety had been mounting as police intensified their investigation. Sources familiar with criminal patterns believed his chances were doomed once the kidnappers realized they had the wrong man — a fact police repeatedly emphasized over the airways and through media appeals aimed at reaching the perpetrators. Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Marks minced no words expressing his concern and urging the victim’s immediate release. “It’s not a great feeling we have in relation to his health and his survival, so every day for us is important,” he said, adding that the elderly man’s family is “devastated.” “This is not the world they live in; it’s taken them by shock,” he said. Despite their gross blunder, the kidnappers showed no intention of playing ball. They set up a temporary camp at an abandoned homestead a distance away after burning the getaway vehicle. They then switched to another car, which was also later burned, before fleeing to a rural village. When police finally reached the site, they stumbled upon the remains believed to be those of Chris Baghsarian. Chris was born in Jaffa but spent most of his childhood and youth in the Old Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. They were halcyon days, when he felt at home among the score of relatives and friends, the close-knit community of Armenians, survivors of the Armenian Genocide or their descendants. He had six uncles, two of whom died young, as well as four aunts and a dozen cousins, all bound by faith, love and devotion. He attended the Armenian parish school and, unlike some of his elder cousins who were prone to mischief, he was quiet and modest. His one great vice as a youth was smoking Lucky Strike or other American cigarettes, which he obtained at a discount from a staffer at a UN center. After leaving school, Chris apprenticed with a photographer, honing skills he later put to use working for a film distribution company in Sydney. He arrived in Australia in the 1960s. At the time, obtaining a migrant visa was a piece of cake. All one had to do was head to the British Consulate in East Jerusalem. In Sydney, he married and bought a house in North Ryde — the same house from which he was abducted. His wife passed away a few years ago. In the garden behind their home, she planted parsley and mint, allowing them to grow wild; when ready, she used them in her cooking, especially for tabbouleh. The backyard swimming pool there was often filled with visiting children. Beer in hand, Chris would relax on a lounge chair, watching them play — like a hawk, ready to pounce at the slightest hint of trouble. He kept in touch with his family and community in the Old City through letters, and later returned for a reunion with his ailing parents, relatives and friends. In their convivial company, he enjoyed a rare idyll, denied in the hectic run of life back in Australia. And after indulging in the “dang-the-calories” delicacies unavailable not yet available in Sydney, he returned home saddled with undeclared (body) weight.