Cops: Boy Found in Alligator's Jaws Was Drowned by Father

UPDATE Apr 24, 2023 6:55 PM CDT

A 2-year-old boy found dead in an alligator's jaws in Florida last month wasn't killed by the animal, police say. The St. Petersburg Police Department says Taylen Mosley was drowned by his father, NBC reports. The department says the cause of death was confirmed by the Pinellas County Medical Examiner. Police say Taylen was thrown or placed in Lake Maggiore by Thomas Mosley, 21. He has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Taylen and the boy's mother, 20-year-old Pashun Jeffrey, reports WFLA.

Apr 2, 2023 9:00 AM CDT

The search for a missing 2-year-old boy in Florida has come to an awful end. Police found the body of Taylen Mosley in the mouth of an alligator in St. Petersburg, reports CNN. He was found on Friday at Lake Maggiore, one day after his 20-year-old mother, Pashun Jeffery, was discovered stabbed to death in her apartment about 13 miles away, per the Tampa Bay Times. The boy's father, Thomas Mosley, has been charged with murder in both of the deaths.

“We didn’t want to find him this way, but at least we can bring some closure to that family now,” said St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway, referring to Taylen. The boy's cause of death has not been determined. The elder Mosley is in the Pinellas County jail, and investigators say he is refusing to cooperate in the investigation. Police say he was examined at a hospital for cuts to his hands and arms before being booked into jail. (More Florida stories.)