A dad, 45, has been charged with murder of his three-year-old son after he stabbed him in a fit of rage.
The unnamed man had been staying with his aunt in Riverwood, in southwestern Sydney, on Wednesday when he allegedly attacked his three-year-old son with a kitchen knife.
He then allegedly stabbed himself and his aunt returned home to find the boy’s body next to her nephew, before they were rushed to hospital.
The man had been raising his son after the boy’s mother died following an illness and that the aunt who raised the alarm ‘normally’ lives in the apartment on her own.
The toddler who was allegedly stabbed to death by his father has been remembered by his family as a ‘beautiful boy’ who ‘loved trucks and diggers.
The body of boy who cannot be named for legal reasons, was discovered in an apartment in Riverwood, south west Sydney, on Wednesday afternoon.
His father, Nathan Vikatos had serious knife injuries, which police believe were self-inflicted, and was taken to St George Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
He has been charged with his son’s alleged murder and refused bail. Family members have expressed their shock and horror over the boy’s tragic death.
One relative told The Daily Telegraph: ‘What has happened is just tragic… but we don’t want it to overshadow what a beautiful boy (he) was.
‘He was always happy…he loved trucks and diggers…we are all heartbroken,’ the person commented.
Another devastated loved one posted a tribute to the little boy on Facebook page, saying ‘you are now an angel in heaven’.
The child’s mother, Jessica Marett, died in early 2021 shortly after giving birth. The father then moved the pair to the Central Coast and allegedly cut off contact with her side of the family.
Elizabeth Risbridger, who babysat the boy, said she was ‘broken’ after hearing the news.
Relatives descried his late mother as a ‘supportive, affectionate’ woman.