A father has been arrested for the brutal beheading of his one-year-old son in a horrifying incident in California. Andrey Demskiy, 28, was arrested and charged by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) on Friday, following what family members described as "a tragic series of events."
Sheriff's office investigators, for their part, described the crime scene as one of the most horrific they had ever come across after being called to a home on Versailles Way and Lamure Court at around 4:15 a.m. When officers responded to a call about a domestic dispute between Demskiy and the child's mother, the suspect initially refused to let them inside, according to authorities.
Horrific Discovery
Deputies soon found that Demskiy had thrown the child, prompting them to force their way into the home, said Public Information Officer Amar Gandhi. Once inside, a struggle started, with Gandhi confirming that it was a physical altercation between Demskiy and the deputies.
The confrontation led to Demskiy's arrest, Gandhi explained, and allowed officers to access a bedroom where they believed the child was to be.
Inside, they found the young boy, later identified by the family as Micah Demskiy, dead. Gandhi described the horrific scene, recalling that deputies found the boy beheaded, calling it one of the most disturbing incidents the department had ever encountered.
"For this family who has got to pick up the pieces and go on - I mean, their world is shattered," Gandhi told KCRA-3 outside the cordoned-off home Saturday.
Gandhi said that two women, the boy's mother, Angelina Vinnikova, and Demskiy's mother-in-law, managed to get outside before the physical altercation occurred.
The suspect also attacked his mother-in-law, whose name was not immediately available, according to police.
She was hospitalized with minor injuries, Gandhi said. He also said that deputies were visibly shaken after arresting Demskiy, who had refused to open the door or surrender peacefully.
Heinous Crime
After the "uncooperative" and "physically resistive" suspect was restrained, officers booked him into the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he remains in custody, according to the SCSO.
He is not eligible for bail, the office added. Jail records show that he faces three felony charges: assault with a means likely to cause great bodily injury, corporal injury to a spouse, and murder.
Gandhi said that the sheriff's office is also offering support to Vinnikova, who, according to her social media, married Demskiy in 2022. Condolences began pouring in on the grieving mother's Facebook page on Sunday.
Loved ones remembered her son as a "kind and joyful soul" on a newly created GoFundMe page, which, by Sunday, had raised nearly three times its $25,000 target. "The sweet little boy was a kind and joyful soul, loving all people and especially dogs,' wrote organizer Lilli Eirikh, calling Micah 'our sweet boy'
"His kind heart and beautiful smile warmed the hearts of everyone he came in contact with."
"He loved his family and especially his mama," she added. "He loved being with family, going to the park, and singing hymns with his family."
