The deserted grey BMW had been doused with petrol, & the driver was slumped inside, motionless. It was April 22, 2017, & a pedestrian walking by. Arroyo Seco Park, South Pasadena, had stumbled across the vehicle & called emergency services. 

The unconscious man was Aramazd Andressian Sr. The day before, he’d taken his 5-year-old son, Aramazd Jr (known as Piqui to loved ones) to Disneyland during an arranged custody visit. Aramazd 35, had been due to drop his son back to his estranged wife Ana, but they never showed up.

 

Piqui was described by his family as a 'loving boy' (Image: L.A. County sheriff's officials)

Ana reported her little boy missing but there was no sign of him in the car or at the theme park. When Aramazd came round in hospital, he had no recollection of what had happened & suggested that he’d been attacked. Southern California’s residents became gripped by the mysterious events. Just what had happened to young Piqui?

Aramazd had split from his wife Ana Estevez, a school principal, a year earlier. Their son Piqui was a loving boy who enjoyed baking cookies & making pancakes. He adored singing & being outside with nature.

 

Aramazd went to Vegas instead of searching for his son (Image: L.A. County sheriff's officials)

But Piqui was blissfully unaware that his parents were going through a bitter divorce. Aramazd slung accusations at Ana about smacking their son, while she told social services that her former husband had a gambling problem & had threatened to take Piqui abroad for good if they ever broke up. As the separation rumbled through the courts, there was a growing hostility between the parents.

Ana had been reluctant to let Aramazd have custody visits but he had legal rights, & in April this year, he was permitted a week with his son. On the final day, Aramazd took Piqui to Disneyland. It was a dream for any little boy to pose with Mickey Mouse for a photo.

It was that evening that Ana reported her little boy missing. The next day, a member of the public found Aramazd in his car – about 140 miles away from Disneyland. Police discovered he’d taken an overdose of prescription pills & had covered his car in petrol. But Aramazd said he did not remember what had happened or where his little boy was.

 

Police officers during the search for Piqui (Image: Los Angeles Times)

After a few days, Aramazd released a statement through his attorney.

He claimed that after breakfast Piqui had wanted to go to the park before heading back to his mum’s.

Not a grieving father

"I was at the park with my son, & then I found myself waking up in Huntington Memorial Hospital hours later. I can only speculate that I must have been attacked in the park given my unresponsive state & subsequent physical condition. My family & I are heartbroken & grief-stricken that Aramazd Jr is missing & may be in harm’s way."

Authorities launched a huge search of the area & hundreds of volunteers came along to help. But police already suspected Aramazd had played a part in Piqui’s disappearance. He was arrested & questioned but then released due to a lack of evidence.

While a devastated Ana handed out flyers & begged for news of her son, Aramazd headed to Las Vegas where he watched several music shows, attended a boxing match & even went skydiving. He did not help with the search for his son, & he certainly wasn’t acting like a grieving dad.

When police discovered he’d shaved his beard & lightened his hair, they suspected he might be about to flee, so they arrested him on June 23. Amarazd seemed relaxed at his hearing & even made a joke with the judge. Pictures of him laughing angered those still desperately searching for Piqui. But hope was fading for the missing boy.

 

Piqui spent his last day at Disneyland (Image: L.A. County sheriff's officials)

Finding his body

During questioning, Aramazd finally gave in & told the authorities where they could find Piqui’s body. He’d been left by a tree near a lake. The police believed that Piqui was killed by his dad within hours of leaving Disneyland.

The only motive seemed to be to get back at his wife for the breakdown of their marriage. Aramazd had been telling people that Ana had been following him & that he was afraid for his life. It was all lies – but it looked like part of a plan to blame Piqui’s death on her.

Ana was completely grief-stricken by the confirmation that her son was dead. She thanked the investigators for bringing him back home to her & arranged a funeral that celebrated the life that had been so cruelly cut short. Hundreds of mourners turned up to say goodbye to the little boy who always had a smile on his face.

At first, Aramazd pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder & was held on a

$10 million (£7.6 million) bond. Then he changed his plea to guilty to avoid escalating charges that could have resulted in the death penalty. Ana was there to hear him admit to killing Piqui. She sobbed while clutching an urn of her son’s ashes.

At the sentencing in August this year, it was revealed that Piqui had been smothered to death with his own jacket – it had been found in his dad’s car. A devastated Ana made an emotional statement & described her former husband as a failure of a man, father & a human being.

"I hope you relive the image of murdering my baby every day of your insignificant life," she said. "May your dark soul burn in eternal hell. There is no real pain, just an incomprehensible deadness. Like my son, I, too, have died."

Aramazd didn’t make a statement but his lawyer said on his behalf: "He will forever be sorry & regrets what he did & this is something he will live with

for the rest of his life."

Aramazd was sentenced to life in prison & told he would serve 25 years before the chance for parole.

The killer father is now behind bars for a despicable murder. He took his son for a day full of magic at Disneyland, then within hours, made sure Piqui would never, ever grow up.