Suspects arrested in kidnapping and murder of 85-year-old Armenian in Sydney

2026-02-25 - 15:54

SYDNEY, Australia — Police have arrested two men, aged 24 and 29, in connection with the kidnapping and murder of 85-year-old Armenian widower Chris Baghsarian. The arrests came after authorities identified human remains discovered near a golf course about 50 kilometers from Baghsarian’s home in a Sydney suburb as his. While the arrests may bring some measure of closure to the victim’s family and friends, the pain and outrage will linger. Baghsarian was asleep when two men allegedly broke into his house at 5 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 13. Police say he was gagged, restrained and dragged to a waiting car. Authorities said the suspects ignored his pleas, forced him into a Toyota SUV and drove away. Neighbors who heard the disturbance alerted police, but by the time officers arrived, the perpetrators had fled. Police believe Baghsarian was not the intended target. Investigators said the suspects were seeking another man “related to a Sydney crime family” who lived on the same street. It was a case of mistaken identity, they said. Robbery and Serious Crimes Squad Commander Andrew Marks alleged that “the men participated in a joint criminal enterprise with other persons to kidnap Mr. Baghsarian and, ultimately, where he was held hostage and where he came to his death.” Marks expected there would be more arrests in the coming days as police continue reviewing evidence seized during the investigation, while “still looking for more people responsible for Mr. Bagsharian’s death.” My cousin Chris was a gentle, amiable family man. We grew up together in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. His family lived a brisk five-minute walk from ours, and there was not a day we did not visit one another. Often, I would sleep over at their home, sharing a mattress with his father. There were no phones, no messages. We would simply walk in without bothering to knock on the door or gate. In the charmed and magical ambience of the Armenian Quarter, where everyone was related to someone else, either closely or remotely, we lived an idyll few other cities on earth — if any — match. This article follows an earlier report on the case.