Photo: St. Petersburg Police Department
Police in Florida have revealed the cause of death of Taylen Mosley, the 2-year-old boy who was found dead in the jaws of an alligator last month. The St. Petersburg Police Department confirmed the toddler died of drowning in a Monday (April 24) news release, according to WFLA.
Taylen was initially reported missing after his mother, 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery, was found dead with over 100 stab wounds in her apartment on March 30. Officers were urgently searching for the young boy until he was found the next day in an alligator's mouth at Lake Maggiore, which is about 10 miles away from Jeffery's apartment.
“We didn’t want to find him this way, but at least we can bring some closure to that family now,” St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said during a press briefing following the horrific discovery.
Authorities have accused Taylen's father, Thomas Mosley, of murdering his son and Jeffery. According to police, he refused to cooperate in the initial search for Taylen and may have put the boy's body into the lake. Mosley also checked himself into a hospital due to injuries on his hands and arms "consistent with injuries caused by slippage during a knife attack," according to investigators.
Mosley was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in both victims' deaths.
The family of Taylen and Jeffery have set up a GoFundMe for a memorial.
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