“This is an incredibly tragic development, and our thoughts are with the friends and family of Mr. Baghsarian,” said NSW Premier Chris Minns
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Chris Baghsarian; Officers at a golf course in Sydney were human remains were found.Credit : NSW Police Force; ABC News (Australia)
A grandfather mistakenly kidnapped 11 days ago is feared dead after human remains were found amid the search for him in Australia.
At around 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Feb. 24, detectives found human remains near a golf club in Pitt Town, northwest Sydney, 9News, 7NEWS and the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Tests are being conducted to confirm if the remains belong to Chris Baghsarian, an 85-year-old grandfather who was forcefully taken from his home in North Ryde, a suburb of Sydney, on Feb. 13.
Details about the conditions of the remains have not been shared publicly at this time. According to 9News, they were wrapped in what appeared to be a carpet or towel.
“We suspect those remains to be Mr. Baghsarian,” said Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Marks, per 7NEWS. “There will be a formal process to try and identify those remains, there will be a forensic examination of the remains.”
The family of Baghsarian is “deeply upset” following the discovery and has requested privacy, according to 7NEWS.
Tyre tracks spotted near the remains are being examined as detectives consider whether a car engulfed in flames that was found in the nearby town of Wilberforce, in New South Wales, is related to the discovery, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
“While formal identification is still underway, this is an incredibly tragic development, and our thoughts are with the friends and family of Mr Baghsarian at this heartbreaking time,” said NSW Premier Chris Minns, per 9News. “This kind of brutality has no place in our community.”
“Police will not stop until they capture those responsible and bring them before the courts,” he added. “The full weight of the law must come down on these people.”
The discovery comes after a suspicious grey Toyota Corolla was seen in Pitt Town on Feb. 14. The car was then found torched on Feb. 16, with cloned license plates, having been reported stolen from the southeastern state of Victoria.
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Several items found inside the Corolla positively tested as matches to an abandoned Dural home, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Disturbing footage circulating in Sydney’s underworld appeared to show Baghsarian severely injured at the same property, wearing the same clothes he was wearing at the time of his kidnapping.
“We’ve traced that vehicle that we suspect was involved and that can forensically link the vehicle to Mr. Baghsarian, and to the stronghold that we have spoken about in Dural,” Marks said, per 9News. “Putting that together is why we believe it’s Mr. Baghsarian.”
Detectives believe Baghsarian was mistakenly taken while the kidnappers were targeting a relative of Dimitri Stepanyan, 37, a convicted armed robber and founder of Proper Streetwear, per the Sydney Morning Herald.
The intended victim is safe and in no immediate danger, 9News reported.
“Our family is living through a nightmare we never thought possible,” said Baghsarian’s family in a statement on Feb. 17, per 7NEWS. “Chris’s kidnapping feels surreal, and we are struggling to make sense of the fact that he has been taken and that our family has been caught up in something that has nothing to do with us.”
“Chris is a devoted father, brother, uncle, and grandfather,” they concluded. “He is deeply loved, gentle, and the kindest person we know — someone who would never hurt a fly.”
NSW Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment on Tuesday, Feb. 24.













