Warrant served at home of missing South Pasadena boy's grandmother

Detectives investigating the April disappearance of a 5-year-old South Pasadena boy served a warrant Thursday at the Montebello home of his paternal grandmother, in a story that FOX 11 and Gigi Graciette first broke.

The child's paternal grandmother and paternal aunt were taken in for further questioning. They have not been detained or arrested.

Law enforcement personnel went to the residence in the 500 block of North Via Val Verde about 9 a.m. as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Aramazd Andressian Jr.

The residence is that of the mother of Aramazd Andressian Sr., the sheriff's department confirmed.

``Investigators seized various items of evidence in their efforts,'' according to a sheriff's statement. Other details were not released.

The boy was last seen on the evening of April 20 in the custody of his father, who was found unconscious at Arroyo Seco Park on April 22 and was unable to account for his son's whereabouts. He was jailed for three days in lieu of $10 million bail before being released.

He told investigators he had arrived at the park with his son and waited for the golf course to open, and admitted ingesting prescription medication that was not prescribed to him, sheriff's Lt. Joe Mendoza said last week.

But the father said he did not remember what happened to his child or any details that were useful in locating the boy, according to Mendoza, who said a prescription bottle was found inside Andressian's vehicle, which was doused with gasoline inside and out.

Matches and a gasoline container and were also found inside the car and a rag that had been doused with gasoline was found in the area near the vehicle's gas cap, Mendoza said, adding that it's unclear ``how those items play into what occurred.''

Authorities searched the park on May 18 after receiving what they said was a ``credible'' tip, but did not find any evidence. The search was in the same general area that was searched by South Pasadena and San Marino police
soon after the boy went missing, Mendoza said.

The search for the boy has spanned several Southern California counties, including Santa Barbara, where authorities scoured the Lake Cachuma Recreation Area, where he may have been with his father on April 21.

On April 28, the day a search warrant was served at his South Pasadena home, Andressian released a statement through his attorney about his son's disappearance.

``I hope and pray for the safe return of my only child, my namesake, who has been missing since last Saturday morning, April 22nd,'' he said.

Andressian said his son wanted to go to the park that morning before they met with his mother for a custody exchange.

He said he and his family ``are heartbroken and grief-stricken that Aramazd Jr. is missing and may be in harm's way. I am pleading with the public to come forward with any knowledge of Aramazd Jr.'s whereabouts or information regarding the circumstances leading up to his disappearance.''

When Andressian was released from custody, the sheriff's department said it had decided ``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.''

The boy's mother contacted police at 9 a.m. April 22 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.

Last week, she tearfully appealed for help in finding her son.

A $20,000 reward has been offered by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for information that helps authorities locate the child, who is 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.