Detective Jay . Armes has a long and colorful history: Trish Long

Earlier this week, El Paso’s most well-known private eye’s nine bedroom, eight bathroom, 13,387-square-foot estate was demolished. The two-floor custom home at 8118 was built in 1952.

Jay J. Armes was born Julian Armas; he changed his name legally in 1977.

More: Ysleta carrier overcomes handicap of being handless

Hooks for hands

An Oct. 17, 1946, El Paso Times article by Virginia Strom reported that Armas, who wanted to be a doctor, was now planning to be a lawyer:

He is 14, and his enthusiasm for life is great … he likes to experiment and invent.

He wanted to be a doctor, but an accident last May resulted in the loss of both hands

Julian Armas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Pete Armas of Ysleta, has decided a man can be a good lawyer even if he has hooks instead of hands.

Julian’s hands were mangled when two railroad torpedoes he was playing with exploded.

More: 1953: Jay J Armes scores big in movies

Success in Hollywood

By July 1953, Armes had a successful career — not as a lawyer but in Hollywood:

“We were all surprised,” Mrs. Beatrice Domingo, Julian’s sister, said. “Julian always worked hard, but we didn’t think he’d really be an actor.”

After high school, Armes went to Hollywood, and for six years he was under contract with Twentieth Century fox appearing in 39 motion pictures and 28 television shows.

Returns to El Paso

Armes returned to El Paso when he was after his daughter developed asthma due to Los Angles smog. He was named operations director of Goodwill Industries in 1956, and later founded his detective agency.

In 1972, actor Marlon Brando hired Armes to find his son, who had been taken to Mexico. Armes reportedly found him in three days.

In 1975, Armes ran an unsuccessful bid for El Paso County sheriff.

In 1987, he lost a runoff bid to represent the Lower Valley on the City Council by 21 votes against Robert Candelaria. Armes defeated Candelaria for the same seat in 1989. Armes retained his seat in 1991, running unopposed. In 1993, Armes lost his seat to Barbara Perez.

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Jay J. Armes’ house has been demolished. The property is located in the Lower Valley.

More: Famous El Paso private investigator Jay J. Armes’ house has been demolished; see photos

El Paso ‘private eye’ Jay J. Armes reunites Marlon Brando and son

Following is an interview with Armes about his roll in the Brando kidnapping:

This interview with Jay J. Armes was published March 14, 1972.

When Marlon Brando and his son, Christian Devi, 13, were reunited, they hugged each other and cried.

An El Pasoan, Jay J. Armes, who brought about the reunion, described it as “very touching.” Armes, owner of the Investigators, a private detective agency, played an Agent 007 role during his search for the boy. Armes met Brando about 15 years ago.

“Brando called me from Paris,” Armes said. “He said, ‘My boy is missing and they got some yo-yo- working on the case. Please help me.’ I told him I’d get the job done.

“FIRST I COVERED all points of entry into Mexico because I heard he was being taken out of the U.S.

“One of my agents in Mexicali notified me that a bunch of hippie characters went through in a big truck, We notified the authorities. My contact started to follow the hippies until I got there, but I notified him to let them go so they wouldn’t be frightened off.

“I started the search in the general vicinity by air (he owns and operates two jet helicopters) and went over the whole Puerto Cites and San Felipe areas, the coast and fishing camps and after a long time I saw a camp in the walls of the sea – it’s rocky volcanic area, and the indentation looked like caves.

“I zeroed in and spotted a red Volkswagen, which we knew to be involved, along wit the hippies, who’d been seen with Brando’s wife, and noted the license number. I flew back to pick up the federal police but they didn’t want to fly with me. We got a four-wheel drive and went up in the camp, surrounding it. We all had guns.

“WE FOUND the boy hiding in a tent. He was very frightened and had a bad case of bronchitis and had a hard time breathing.

“There were eight hippies, six men and two women, there, and they were scared. They said Anna Kashfi, Brando’s ex-wife and the boy’s mother, promised them $10,000 each to hide the boy from Brando.

“They had a supply of canned goods, food, and equipment that would have lasted 3 ½ months.

“The boy was afraid of me. He didn’t want to fly so we drove out to San Diego, Calif. He tried to get away several times. Finally I gained his confidence and after I delivered him to his father at the Los Angeles airport and they both cried, he said, ‘Father I want to go with you. I am sorry.’ That was last Friday.

“Brando was so happy. He wanted to celebrate with a big party that night and insisted on me being there. But I hadn’t slept in three days or eaten and I was dirty. I didn’t go to the party – I slept.

“In addition to my fee, which was not small, Brando gave me a big bonus. I was on the stand for 3 ½ hours yesterday at the Santa Monica custody hearing. Brando said he was sure glad it’s over and he’s likely to get permanent custody of the boy now. He was granted temporary custody at the hearing yesterday.”

MISS KASHFI’S attorney charge it was a “setup” and that Miss Kashfi who has been fighting with Bando since ether 1959 divorce, had given the boy permission to go to Mexico on a fishing trip but that he failed to meet her in Calexico, Calif., as planned. Miss Kashfi was arrested that day in Calexico on a drunk and disorderly charge.

Armes left his Ysleta home and went to Hollywood to work in movies and television some years ago. This was where he met Brando. Armes returned to El Paso and opened his own firm. He ran into Brando in Europe several years ago and told him he’d left acting for investigative work. “I was surprised he remembered and called me,” Armes said.

Brando was granted permission to take his son to Paris where he is filming a picture and the custody hearing was continued until April 21.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Private eye Jay J. Armes reunites Marlon Brando and young son