Domestic violence at the hands of a parent isn’t something people like to think about. Unfortunately, children are harmed every day by those who are supposed to protect and love them the most. Tragically, a California father was recently arrested in connection with the “horrific” beheading of his 1-year-old son.
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a domestic violence call in late December 2024. After entering the home, officers arrested Andrey Demskiy, 28. But what they discovered in one of the bedrooms will likely haunt them for years.
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In the early morning, deputies responded to a domestic dispute in Sacramento County.
About 4:15 a.m. December 20, deputies responded to a reported “family disturbance,” according to a news release from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. They arrived to find a woman outside who said her husband, Demskiy, had assaulted her and her mother. The mother suffered non-life-threatening injuries and received treatment at a hospital.
They soon learned that Demskiy had a child with him inside the home.
“Deputies then attempted to contact Demskiy at the residence, but he refused to answer the door and surrender peacefully,” the sheriff’s office release noted. “A short time later, Deputies learned that a one-year-old male child was inside the residence alone with Demskiy, and that Demskiy had possibly injured the child after throwing him.”
The sheriff’s deputies broke into the home and “attempted to detain Demskiy, who was uncooperative and became physically resistive,” per the release.
Inside a bedroom, deputies found something shocking.
As sheriff’s deputies took Demskiy into custody, they “made the gruesome discovery.” They found the “severed child’s head” in the bedroom where he was detained, the news release noted. After discovering the deceased toddler, the Sheriff’s Child Abuse Bureau Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators came to the residence.
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Demskiy allegedly used a knife to kill the toddler.
Detectives determined that Demskiy “was initially involved in a domestic violence incident with his wife and mother-in-law.” The women left the home and waited for deputies to arrive. “Once they exited the residence, Demskiy used a knife to behead and murder his one-year-old son,” the release noted.
The California father was booked on felony charges.
Demskiy was booked on felony charges that same day. His alleged crimes included 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, the Los Angeles Times reported. Demskiy was at Sacramento County Main Jail and not eligible for bail. His next court date is December 24.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women’s shelter (domesticshelters.org).
