Members of the public helped cops uncover the body of a grandfather who was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in a disturbing case of mistaken identity.
The body of 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian was found near Lynwood Golf and Country Club near Pitt Town, in Sydney‘s north-west, at about 8am on Tuesday.
A club employee told the Daily Mail the body was not found on the golf course, but on a neighbouring property.
She confirmed his remains were not uncovered by a staff member.
The widower had been missing for 11 days after his abduction from his North Ryde home on February 13, with police saying he was not the intended target.
Police swarmed the scene on Tuesday morning, believed to be on a disused turf farm between a golf course and vegetable farms.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Marks told media Mr Baghsarian’s remains were uncovered because Good Samaritans reported suspicious activity in the area.
He said the key to the discovery was a burned-out grey Toyota corolla, forensically linked to Mr Baghsarian, was seen near the golf club on February 14 – the day after the elderly grandfather was taken from his North Ryde home.
Mr Baghsarian was snatched from his home in North Ryde on February 13 in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity
Pictured: A grey, burnt out Toyota Corolla was the key to finding Mr Baghsarian’s body
His body was found near the Lynwood Golf and Country Club in Pitt Town, near Windsor
‘We received information from canvassing and from members of the public regarding suspicious activity,’ Insp Marks said.
‘Once we received that information, we conducted searches immediately. It is a vast bushland area, and we acted on the information as quickly as possible.
‘Further information obtained this morning ultimately led us to where the human remains were located.’
He wouldn’t say what state Mr Baghsarian’s body was in, but said they knew it was him because they were able to trace the Toyota corolla, which was also seen in Dural after the kidnapping.
Police previously raided a property in Dural where they believed Mr Baghsarian may have been kept.
Following a press conference on Monday, police were also able to confirm another sighting of the vehicle in Westmead after the kidnapping, before it was set on fire on February 16.
He said police believe the kidnappers travelled from North Ryde to Pitt Town to dump the body on the same night, before the car was torched.
‘I think I speak for both police and the public when I say we are outraged by what has occurred and by the recklessness involved,’ he said.
Chris Baghsarian’s body was found just off a lonely stretch of road, amid turf clubs and farmland
The body of 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian was found in the early hours of Tuesday morning
Police could be seen directing traffic near where Mr Baghsarian’s body was found on TuesdayÂ
‘We will use every resource available to identify those responsible and bring them before the courts.’
After police established a crime scene on Tuesday, a 400m stretch of road was blocked off, preventing farm workers and golf course staff from entering.
Golfers golfers continued to play on he country club property, just 50 metres away.
Workers told the Daily Mail that they believed the block of land where Mr Baghsarian’s body was found was ‘not is use anymore’ and was overrun with shoulder-height grass.Â
Before his body was found, a video made by the kidnappers appeared to show the innocent grandfather’s face covered and his hands tied with duct tape.
There were also images circulating of his finger being cut off.
It’s understood Mr Baghsarian was then taken to a property in Dural, about 20km from North Ryde, and beaten before being forced to film a video directed at a gangland figure.Â
No ransom demands were made, with Mr Baghsarian’s family last week describing the 85-year-old as a deeply loved and devoted father, brother, uncle and grandfather.Â
The body of Mr Baghsarian was found around 40km away from his home where he was taken
Pictured: A crime scene that was established where Chris Baghsarian’s body was found at Pitt Town
Pictured: The crime scene where the body of missing grandfather Chris Baghsarian was found near Lynwood Golf Course at Pitt Town
‘The kindest person we know – someone who would never hurt a fly,’ the family said in a statement released by NSW Police last Tuesday.
‘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.
‘We are living through a nightmare we never thought possible.’
The discovery of Mr Baghsarian’s body comes one day after the intended targets of the botched kidnapping were revealed as relatives of Dimitri Stepanyan – a one-time criminal who now runs a clothing brand.
It’s understood Stepanyan, who used to live on the same street as Mr Baghsarian, was contacted by the kidnappers hours after the abduction with a $50 million ransom demand.Â
Messages between the businessman and kidnappers over Threema, an encrypted messaging app, showed pictures and footage of Mr Baghsarian, to which Stepanyan said the criminals ‘plugged the wrong bloke’.
Police have remained tight-lipped on any motive behind the incident.Â
