Missing toddler found inside alligator's mouth day after his mum's murder
Officers used drones, dogs and dive teams to search for the missing boy before finding his body inside the mouth of an alligator.
The hunt for a missing two-year-old boy from Florida came to a tragic end on Friday after police discovered his body inside the mouth of an alligator, police said. Taylen Mosley's body was found just one day after his mum was stabbed to death in her apartment.
St Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway confirmed the heartbreaking discovery on Friday.
Police were searching the area of Dell Holmes Park, Florida when they spotted an alligator with “an object in its mouth” inside Lake Maggiore.
The detectives shot and killed the alligator, forcing it to drop the youngster's body but sadly, he was already dead.
Officers, however, said it is not clear if the alligator killed the boy or if he was already dead before he ended up in the lake.
The police chief said the boy's cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.
The lake is located almost 10 miles away from his mother's apartment.
In a news conference, Holloway said: "We didn’t want to find him this way, but at least we can bring some closure to that family now."
Police had been searching for Taylen since around 2:30pm on Thursday after they found his mother dead, from multiple stab wounds, inside her apartment.
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They discovered the body of his mum Pashun Jeffery after following a trail of blood from her vehicle.
His dad, Taylen’s father, was immediately named a person of interest after he checked himself into a local hospital with “cuts to his hands into his arms.”
He refused to speak to officers and requested a lawyer, police said.
Thomas Mosley has since been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, Holloway said.
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Family members paid tribute to the beloved mother and son.
Lakita Denson told WFLA: “He’s always calling his mom on his cell phone.
“He miss his mom, they calling each other all the time. She really loved Taylen.”
“We just want to say that Taylen is a beautiful little boy,” added Theo Brickhouse-Sails. “He’s really loving and caring.”
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