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The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department formally announced plans to prosecute Aramazd Andressian Sr. for the murder of his son, Aramazd Andressian Jr., today. Andressian Jr., who has been missing since April 22, has been the focus of a fervent search throughout South Pasadena and Southern California. District Attorney Jackie Lacey and her office filed one “no-body” murder count against Andressian Sr. last week as the child’s body has yet to be found.
Andressian Sr. was arrested in Las Vegas on Friday (where he is currently being held) and is expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles later this week. He is facing a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Andressian Jr.’s missing body has made his disappearance difficult to investigate and to charge the father, who is the main suspect in the case. However, District Attorney Lacey is confident her office will prosecute Andressian Sr. successfully.
“It may seem unusual to file murder charges when we have not yet found the child’s body,” Lacey said. “But rest assured, my office has successfully prosecuted such cases before. I am confident that the evidence proves that Mr. Andressian committed this horrible crime.”
The investigation has been an ongoing effort from a combination of more than 20 law enforcement agencies ranging from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. While much of the evidence was not discussed at the press conference, Homicide Bureau Lieutenant Joe Mendoza presented recent evidence of Andressian Sr.’s stay in Las Vegas. He has spent 47 days in Las Vegas since leaving California and has “significantly attempted to change his appearance” by dyeing his hair and shaving his beard.
“When in Las Vegas, [Andressian] was taking part in activities and displaying mannerisms that were not consistent with a grieving parent,” Lt. Mendoza said. “He has not been cooperative whatsoever. As a matter of fact, he has given us information in interviews that were untruth.”
The Department also believes Andressian Sr. was making plans to flee the country to a place where he could not be extradited. It is also believed that Andressian Jr. has not left the country. Mendoza stated that the alleged motive is a “tumultuous divorce” that the parents were going through and they believe that the father had planned the alleged murder in advance.
Statement from South Pasadena Mother Ana Estevez:“It is with the deepest and most profound sadness that I want to thank the LA County Sheriff’s Department, along with the many other agencies and volunteers, who have worked and will continue to work diligently to find my son Piqui. In a presentation to the South Pasadena City Council, I shared that it takes only 30 seconds to fall in love with my son. Although most have never met Piqui, it is immensely clear that he has touched your lives in positive and heartfelt way. My heart is shattered and I will miss my son immensely each and every second of every day for the rest of my life. Piqui was everything great in my life and I cannot imagine the emptiness and void I that will bear until we are together again someday. I am eternally grateful for Detective Aguilera, Detective Boisvert, family, friends and volunteers who love my Piqui almost as much as I do.”
