Brutal and Tragic Incident in Nor-Hachn: Bodies of 77-Year-Old Woman and Her 4 Grandchildren Found

On November 16, a brutal and tragic incident occurred in the Kotayk province. Around 1:00 PM, the Kotayk Regional Police received a report that the medical response team from Abovyan had been called to apartment 11 of building 2 on Isahakyan Street in Nor-Hachn, where they discovered the bodies of five individuals.

As reported by photographer Gagik Shamshyan, local police chief Sevan Kocharyan, head of the Kotayk Regional Investigative Department Mehr Vardanyan, head of the Nairi Investigative Division Ashot Dallakyan, and senior investigator for especially significant cases Samvel Koloyan arrived at the scene.

A response team from the Nairi division of the police, headed by division chief Haik Tumanyan, also arrived. The police and investigators found the bodies of the residents: 77-year-old Zhanna Simonian, 16-year-old Edward M., 12-year-old Serine M., 15-year-old Tigran S., and 14-year-old Zhanna M. Preliminary reports suggest that they died from carbon monoxide gas produced by a boiler in the kitchen.

According to G. Shamshyan, all the deceased children were grandchildren of Zh. Simonian. Two of the deceased were found in the bathroom, while three were located in the bedroom. The children’s parents live in Ukraine but are divorced, with their care having been primarily managed by their grandmother and their uncle residing in Armenia.

Following the incident, a criminal case has been initiated under the third part of Article 279 of the Republic of Armenia’s Criminal Code, as decided by senior investigator S. Koloyan. A number of expert examinations have been ordered, including forensic examinations of the bodies.