What began as a terrifying kidnapping case has taken a devastating turn.
Human remains discovered near a golf club in Pitt Town, northwest of Sydney, are feared to belong to 85-year-old grandfather Chris Baghsarian — who was violently taken from his home nearly two weeks ago in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity.
According to a statement from the NSW Police Force, detectives located the remains around 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Forensic testing is now underway to formally identify the body.
“We suspect those remains to be Mr. Baghsarian,” Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Marks said, according to 7NEWS. “There will be a formal process to try and identify those remains. There will be a forensic examination.”
Authorities have not publicly disclosed the condition of the remains. However, 9News reported they were wrapped in what appeared to be a carpet or towel.
Baghsarian was abducted from his North Ryde home, a suburb of Sydney, on Feb. 13. The brazen kidnapping stunned the community and quickly sparked a major investigation.
Police are now examining tire tracks found near the remains and investigating whether a torched vehicle discovered days earlier in Wilberforce, New South Wales, is connected to the case.
That vehicle — a grey Toyota Corolla seen in Pitt Town on Feb. 14 — was found burned on Feb. 16 with cloned license plates. It had been reported stolen from the state of Victoria.
Investigators say items inside the Corolla were forensically linked to an abandoned property in Dural. Disturbing footage circulating in Sydney’s criminal underworld allegedly shows Baghsarian badly injured at that same location, wearing the clothes he had on the night he was taken.
“We’ve traced that vehicle that we suspect was involved and can forensically link the vehicle to Mr. Baghsarian and to the stronghold we’ve spoken about in Dural,” Marks said, according to 9News. “Putting that together is why we believe it’s Mr. Baghsarian.”
Police now believe Baghsarian was mistakenly targeted. Detectives suspect the kidnappers were actually after a relative of Dimitri Stepanyan, 37 — a convicted armed robber and founder of Proper Streetwear, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The intended target is reportedly safe and not in immediate danger.
As news of the remains broke, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called the development “incredibly tragic.”
“This kind of brutality has no place in our community,” Minns said, per 9News. “Police will not stop until they capture those responsible and bring them before the courts. The full weight of the law must come down on these people.”
Baghsarian’s family had earlier described their anguish in a statement released on Feb. 17.
“Our family is living through a nightmare we never thought possible,” they said, according to 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.”
They described him as “a devoted father, brother, uncle, and grandfather… deeply loved, gentle, and the kindest person we know — someone who would never hurt a fly.”
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