California man arrested on suspicion of beheading 1-year-old son, authorities say

Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times on Dec 21, 2024

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LOS ANGELES — A Sacramento County father has been arrested on suspicion of beheading his 1-year-old son, sheriff's officials said.

Andrey Demskiy, 28, was arrested and booked Friday on felony charges of murder, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, and corporal injury on a spouse in connection with the child's death, according to authorities and jail records. He is being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail and is ineligible for bail.

Sheriff's deputies responded to a family disturbance call at a house in the 7500 block of Versailles Way in Sacramento County early Friday morning, sheriff's officials said on social media. A woman outside the home told them that her husband, Andrey Demskiy, had assaulted her and her mother, who was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Deputies then attempted to contact Demskiy but he refused to answer the door, authorities said. When they learned that a 1-year-old boy was inside the home and had possibly been injured, deputies forced entry and attempted to detain Demskiy, who resisted, authorities said.

As Demskiy was taken into custody, deputies made the "gruesome" discovery of a severed child's head in the bedroom where Demskiy had been, officials said. Authorities said a knife was used in the crime.

Detectives with the sheriff's Child Abuse Bureau were dispatched to the scene. Their investigation determined that Demskiy was involved in a domestic violence incident with his wife and mother-in-law and once they exited the home, he beheaded his son, authorities said.

The victim has not officially been identified.

Demskiy is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.