Police Release Father Of Missing South Pasadena Boy

SOUTH PASADENA, CA — A South Pasadena man whose 5-year-old son has been missing since at least Saturday was released from custody Tuesday, with investigators still working to build a case against him and a search for the boy expanding to a lake in Santa Barbara County.

Aramazd Andressian Sr. had been jailed in lieu of $10 million since Saturday, when he was found unconscious in a park in South Pasadena, sparking a search for his missing son, Aramazd Andressian Jr. The man was released from custody Tuesday, with sheriff's officials saying investigators saying they "have made the decision not to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office for filing consideration at this time.

The matter remains under investigation," sheriff's officials said.

On Tuesday morning, sheriff's investigators conducted a search at the Lake Cachuma Recreation Area in Santa Barbara County, where Andressian was allegedly spotted on Friday. According to reports from the search scene, the boy was not seen at the lake, but investigators searched the area anyway. Divers went into the lake to conduct a search, while investigators used search dogs to help scour the area around the lake. Members of the Santa Barbara County sheriff's office and Santa Barbara County park rangers assisted in the search, which failed to locate the boy.

A gray 2004 four-door BMW owned by the boy's father was seen Friday morning at Disneyland in Anaheim, where he and the boy apparently spent the day Thursday, officials said. On Saturday morning, Andreesian was found passed out next to his car in South Pasadena's Arroyo Seco Park. His son was nowhere to be found.

Andressian was taken to a hospital then arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and child abduction.

"At this point, his statements have been convoluted and not consistent," sheriff's Capt. Chris Bergner said Sunday. "We're working to try to get to the truth. We're getting new information and following up on leads we have, but it's not enough."

The boy's mother contacted police at 9 a.m. Saturday to report her son missing. She said her estranged husband, with whom she shares custody of their son, had failed to drop off the child at a pre-arranged meeting place.

The boy was last seen by his mother Tuesday via a Skype video call from an unknown location, South Pasadena police said.

Police dogs from the South Pasadena Police Department and nearby agencies joined in the effort to locate the boy over the weekend. Bloodhounds combed Arroyo Seco Park at least twice, and Sierra Madre's search-and-rescue team and the San Gabriel and San Marino police departments also joined the search.

Detectives have been in touch with relatives in Armenia and customs agents, though local police say they do not believe the boy has traveled there.

The tot is described as white, 4-foot-1 and 55 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a plaid shirt and plaid shorts and has a small mole on the bottom of his right shoulder.

South Pasadena police asked anyone with information about the boy to call them at (626) 403-7297. Sheriff's detectives can be reached at (323) 890- 5500.

City News Service