A man in the US has been arrested for allegedly beheading his one-year-old son with a knife and attacking his wife and mother-in-law, officials said.

The accused, Andrey Demskiy, described as “demonic” by the New York Post, first attacked his wife and mother-in-law around 4 am on Friday. The two women then fled the residence and called the police.

When the police arrived and attempted to contact Demskiy at the residence, the 28-year-old refused to answer the door and surrender “peacefully”, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in an official statement.

“A short time later, Deputies learned that a one-year-old male child was inside the residence alone with Demskiy, and that he had possibly injured the child after throwing him,” the statement read.

Fearing for the child’s safety, the police officers “forced” entry into the residence and attempted to detain Demskiy, who was “uncooperative” and became “physically resistive”, the officials said.

As they took him into custody, they recovered the severed child’s head in the bedroom where Demskiy was contacted and detained.

Based on their investigation, officials said that Demskiy was initially involved in a domestic violence incident with his wife and mother-in-law and once they exited the residence, he used a knife to behead and murder his one-year-old son.

He has been sent to the Sacramento County Main Jail for the “gruesome” murder and is scheduled to appear in court on December 24.