Brenton Blanchet is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. He has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Brenton's work has previously appeared in Billboard, Pigeons & Planes and Complex.
A one-year-old California boy is being remembered as a "kind and joyful soul" after his father has been accused of beheading him.
On Friday, Dec. 20, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) said in a press release shared on Facebook that Andrey Demskiy was arrested around 4:15 a.m. local time that morning following a 911 call about a "family disturbance."
SCSO North Patrol deputies responded, and Demskiy, 28, was accused by his wife of assaulting her and her mother, police said.
After Demskiy "refused to answer the door and surrender peacefully," authorities learned that a toddler was alone in the residence with the man. They wrote that the father had "possibly injured the child after throwing him." SCSO deputies then "forced entered" the home, they said.
Once inside, police discovered the "uncooperative" and "physically resistive" Demskiy, as well as the severed head of a child in a bedroom. The Sheriff's Child Abuse Bureau Detectives, as well as crime scene investigators, then arrived at the scene.
According to authorities, Demskiy used a knife to "behead and murder" the one-year-old child.
"Detectives arrested and booked him into the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he remains in custody ineligible for bail," the SCSO wrote.
According to his jail records, Demskiy has been charged with three felonies: assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, corporal injury to a spouse of cohabitant and murder. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 24.
Per NBC affiliate KCRA, the child has since been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Micha Demskiy. Loved ones have also identified the child via a GoFundMe campaign, which has since doubled its $25,000 goal with over $57,000 in donations to support the boy's family as of Sunday, Dec. 22. The fundraiser identified the child's mother as Angelina Demskiy.
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for confirmation on Dec. 22.
Amid Demskiy's arrest, his mother-in-law was "transported to the hospital by ambulance for her injuries, which were not life-threatening," per the SCSO.
Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the SCSO, told KCRA that the alleged beheading was "one of the most horrific things" he's learned of. He added that authorities were "visibly shaken."
"For this family who has got to pick up the pieces and go on -- I mean, their world is shattered," Gandhi said.
WKYC reported that a memorial has since been made outside of the child's home, featuring flowers, teddy bears and candles.
Gandhi told the outlet that he "cannot think of a worse call in 20 years" and that authorities will have the case "in their hearts and minds for the rest of their careers and beyond."
The GoFundMe campaign, organized by Lilli Eirikh, said that Micah died following a "devastating chain of events."
"The sweet little boy was a kind and joyful soul, loving all people and especially dogs," she wrote. "His kind heart and beautiful smile warmed the hearts of everyone he came in contact with. He loved his family and especially his mama. He loved being with family, going to the park, and singing hymns with his family."
"If you have it on your heart to help our family in this difficult time, please keep us in your prayers," Eirikh continued. "If you're able to help financially, may God bless you threefold. If you are not able to help financially, please pray for the Demskiy and Vinnikov families!"
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