A man beheaded his 1-year-old son during a domestic violence incident in Sacramento early Friday morning, local police said.

Andrei Demsky, 28, was found along with his son’s head in a bedroom at the Antelope mansion after police burst in to arrest him, the newspaper reported. Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO). This was “a horrifying discovery,” SCSO said.

Father brutally murders 1-year-old son

At approximately 4:15 this morning, Sacramento County Sheriff’s North Patrol Deputies were dispatched to a residence in the 7500 block of Versailles Way in North Sacramento County for a domestic disturbance. The congressman has arrived… pic.twitter.com/cyMbohisOJ

— Sacramento Sheriff (@sacsheriff) December 21, 2024

Deputies with SCSO’s North Patrol were at Demski’s residence in response to a report of a family disturbance received around 4:15 a.m. Deputies found Demsky’s wife and mother outside the residence. Mr. Demsky’s wife claimed that Mr. Demsky assaulted her and her mother, injuring her mother. Paramedics transported the injured woman to the hospital, but her injuries were not life-threatening, SCSO said.

According to the statement, Mr. Demsky barricaded himself in the residence and refused to surrender. Officers learned that the defendant was with his son and may have thrown and injured him. Officers then entered the residence out of concern for the child’s safety. According to SCSO, they subdued and arrested Mr. Demsky, who was uncooperative and belligerent, and discovered the severed head of a child.

According to SCSO, investigators determined that Demsky assaulted his wife and mother, then decapitated his son with a knife after the two women left the house to wait for police. (Related article: ‘He’s dead’: Ring camera captures dramatic moments after father allegedly shoots son to death)

“The members of Congress who discovered it and had to look at it, and again, they’re human beings who go home to their families and children every night, and they had to deal with this.” is what upset them,” said SCSO public information officer Sgt. Amal Gandhi told reporters. ABC10. “I can’t think of a worse phone call in 20 years.”

The father of three, who lives in the neighborhood, told ABC10 that his first thought about the alleged murder was “horrifying,” adding, “It’s crazy that something like this could happen…He’s just a young father. It’s insane for us.”

SCSO charged Demski with murder, injury to a spouse, and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, ABC10 reported.

Demsky, who was released without bail, is scheduled to appear in court on Christmas Eve.