A missing child’s body was found inside an alligator’s mouth on Friday at Lake Maggiore in Florida.
Officials charged the father of 2-year-old Taylen Mosley with two counts of first-degree murder. One of those charges was for the little boy, and the other was for the fatal stabbing of the boy’s mother, Pashun Jeffery, who was found dead inside her apartment on Thursday, the New York Post reported Saturday.
In a social media post, the St. Petersburg Police Department detailed how officers found the child’s body after launching a major search:
The investigation led detectives to search Dell Holmes Park, 2741 22nd Street South, and Lake Maggiore. After spending all day searching the area, this evening officers were alerted to an alligator seen with something in its mouth. The alligator was killed in order to retrieve the body, confirmed as that of Taylen Mosley. The medical examiner will determine what caused his death.
Chief Holloway also identified the boy’s father as Thomas Mosley.
The initial search began Thursday afternoon after Jefferey’s body was found when investigators followed a trail of blood from her car, the Post article said.
Officials deemed the child’s father a person of interest after he checked into a hospital while suffering from cuts on his hands and arms. However, his son was not with him at the time.
Images shared while Taylen was still missing show Jefferey and the boy:
Investigators told 10 Tampa Bay they were not aware of any past domestic violence between Mosley and Jefferey. The outlet noted that once he recovers from his injuries, Mosley will be transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
Dive teams searched retention ponds before traveling 13 miles away from the mother and child’s home where they later found the toddler’s body.
While speaking of the child during a press conference on Friday, a family member said, “We just want to say that Taylen is a beautiful little boy.”
“Pashun was a beautiful mom,” she added.