The missing Florida toddler who was found dead in the mouth of an alligator last week was put in the lake by his father, who is also suspected of killing the child’s mother, according to St. Petersburg police reports. According to the records, Thomas Mosley, 21, is charged with two charges of first-degree murder.
“Due to the extremely serious allegations surrounding these tragic losses, our investigation is currently focused on gathering information about the facts and circumstances of the case, as well as our client’s mental state,” a spokesperson for Sixth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Sara Mollo said in a statement.
According to one of the statements, Mosley reportedly “did throw or place” his 2-year-old son, Taylen, into a lake, causing “mortal wounds” that resulted in the child’s death. Taylen had gone missing after his mother, Pashun Jeffery, 20, was found dead in her apartment Thursday afternoon with numerous stab wounds, according to authorities.
Mosley reportedly went to his mother’s home the night before Jeffery was found with “severe lacerations to both of his hands and arms consistent with injuries caused by slippage during a knife attack” and was brought to a hospital, according to a statement.
According to the affidavit, Jeffery’s family went to check on her on Thursday and reportedly saw blood on a path from her apartment. According to a statement, they found Jeffery inside dead with “apparent cuts and stabs in excess of 100 wounds.”
“A bloody fingerprint on a cleaning bottle which had been intentionally placed under a bed in the crime scene was identified to (Mosley),” the affidavit said. “A bloody shoe print with a ‘Gucci’ emblem was located on the bathroom floor where the victim was found,” the affidavit continues. The two-year-old was not at the crime site, so police went on a search for him.
The next day, an alligator with an item in its jaws was seen in Dell Homes Park, just miles away from where Jeffery was found dead according to authorities. Officers shot one round at the reptile, causing it to drop the item.
According to authorities, officers were able to recover Taylen’s body, which was found intact. According to the statement, the alligator was killed. Mosley was processed into the Pinellas County Jail on Friday, according to the sheriff’s office website. On April 11, he is due for a bail hearing.