Police search lake for missing California boy; father released from jail

The father of a missing 5-year-old South Pasadena boy was released from jail on Tuesday, but the little boy remains missing.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Aramazd Andressian Sr., 35, was arrested on Saturday for suspicion of child endangerment and child abduction. His bond was set at $10 million, but when his arraignment didn’t take place, he was let go. According to his defense attorney, Rebecca D. Lizarraga, there wasn’t enough evidence to hold him.

Meanwhile, authorities continue to look for Aramazd Andressian Jr., 5, who may have disappeared around the time his father passed out in Arroyo Park, in South Pasadena, on Saturday morning. Park rangers and deputies began searching Cachuma Lake Recreation Area after authorities indicated Andressian Sr. may have visited the lake on Friday. According to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, K9 units and dive teams are working non-stop in hopes of finding the boy.

“They are utilizing scent K-9s and a dive team in hopes of locating any witnesses or evidence leading to the whereabouts of the missing child.”

The boy’s mother told police that she shares custody with the father. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, while visiting his father, Aramazd is supposed to call his mother via Skype. She received a call on Tuesday but not on Thursday. On Saturday, when Andressian Sr. failed to return the child to his mother at a scheduled meeting spot, she called the police.

Earlier that morning, police detained Andressian Sr. after they found him passed out at the park. He was found alone and unconscious about 6:30 a.m. After getting treatment at a local hospital, police questioned him for hours, but the suspect couldn’t provide any details as to where he son might be. Police found his answers sketchy and inconsistent, and arrested him. South Pasadena police Chief Art Miller said that Andressian Sr.’s answers were “all over the place.”

It’s still unclear why the father was passed out or what he received medical treatment for at the hospital.

Aramazd is 4-feet-1 and weighs around 55 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes, and a small mole on his right shoulder. He was last seen wearing a turquoise shirt and plaid shorts. Anyone with any information should call 911 or the South Pasadena Police Department at 626-403-7270. The Los Angeles Police Department is assisting in the search.

[Feature Photo: Family Handout]