85-year-old kidnapped, murdered in apparent case of mistaken identity

Australian detectives arrested two men Wednesday over the alleged kidnapping and murder of an elderly grandfather in a suspected case of mistaken identity.

Chris Baghsarian, 85, was taken from his home in Sydney’s North Ryde suburb on February 13, but police say neither he nor his family had any underworld connections.

After a long search, police found Baghsarian’s remains Tuesday near a golf club in Sydney’s northwestern fringes.

Robbery and crime squad detectives arrested a 24-year-old man and a 29-year-old man in two dawn raids Wednesday in the city’s northwestern suburbs, police said in a statement.

Video released by police showed officers forcing their way into a property to arrest one of two suspects.

New South Wales Robbery and Serious Crime Squad Commander Andrew Marks said he expected the men would be “charged in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Mr Baghsarian.”

Marks — who has led the police investigation since Bagsarian’s disappearance — described it as a “horrible, horrible matter.”

“It’s somebody’s worst nightmare, right? The fact that an innocent man was taken from his home is not acceptable,” he told journalists. “These people need to be held to account for that.”

NSW Police and SES scour an area in Glenorie during the search for Chris Baghsarian, an 85-year-old grandfather who was kidnapped from his home on February 13 in what NSW Police have described as a case of mistaken identity, in Glenorie, Australia, February 23, 2026. / Credit: Bianca De Marchi/AAP/via REUTERS
(Bianca De Marchi/AAP/via REUTERS)

Videos and photos obtained by local media have reportedly shown Baghsarian with serious injuries, including a severed finger.

In a statement shared via the police, his family said they “welcome the news of the recent arrests in relation to the kidnapping of our father and grandfather.”

“As we continue attempting to come to terms with this incident, we ask that media respect our privacy,” they added.

Marks previously said he was a “million percent confident” the kidnappers got the wrong person.

Police believe his kidnappers were instead targeting a relative of a convicted armed robber and founder of a streetwear brand linked to the west Sydney-based Alameddine crime network, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

Screenshots shared on a social media channel covering Sydney’s underworld purported to show the kidnappers demanding a AU$50 million ($35.5 million) ransom in return for his release.

“Dumb dumb error,” the target tells them in the messages seen by AFP.

“You plugged the wrong bloke… Good luck next time.”

Police detective Marks on Wednesday said he’d seen the message and said “that was the figure that was requested.”

The tragedy unfolded half a world away from Tucson, Arizona, where authorities are searching for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie. The family has offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie, who went missing from her home on Feb. 1.

The kidnapping, and Savannah Guthrie’s emotional video appeals to her mother’s abductors, have galvanized attention across the U.S. and made headlines around the world.