Armenian authorities look into satellite images amid extensive missing child investigation

Authorities have attempted to obtain satellite images from the day of the disappearance of the 2-year-old boy in an Armenian village to help with the investigation, Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan has said.

However, he told reporters, the most recent available image from that area that has been obtained so far was taken on April 26, whereas the child went missing on May 4. 

Hayrapetyan said he discussed with experts whether satellite images would help to clarify the circumstances of the disappearance of the child. “If such images were accessible, we were going to provide them to our colleagues at the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” he said.

He said opinions among experts varied: some argued that it is possible to identify and detect a child with the high resolution (30cm) satellite images, while others said it is technically impossible. “Nevertheless, we decided that we have a duty to check it, regardless of the outcome, whether images taken by any company from that area and on that day were available, and if so, we are going to transfer it to our colleagues,” he said.

“Over the past seven-eight days we’ve been intensively working with leading international corporations, including those with whom we previously never had any cooperation. But unfortunately as of this moment the latest image that we’ve been told existed was taken on April 26,” the minister added.

Hayrapetyan said authorities are working non-stop to obtain any new data. 

The 911 call on a missing child, 2-year-old Tigran Petrosyan from Marmarik village, was made around midday, May 4, to the Kotayk Crisis Management Center. Authorities believe the child may have fallen into the nearby river, but other possible hypotheses of the disappearance are also under investigation. 

An extensive search and rescue operation has so far found no trace. 

Authorities earlier said they were investigating every possible hypothesis, including possible kidnapping. 

The search and rescue operation involves hundreds of rescuers, police officers, volunteers, K9 units and divers.