The Florida toddler who was found last month in the jaws of an alligator was drowned by his father, police said Monday.
The cause of 2-year-old Taylen Mosley’s death was determined to be a drowning, according to a statement from the St. Petersburg Police Department, which said it confirmed the drowning with the Pinellas County Medical Examiner.
The child’s father, Thomas Mosley, 21, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the alleged slaying of his son, and the boy’s mother, Pashun Jeffery, 20, police said.
A police spokesperson said Monday Mosley threw or placed his son in Lake Maggiore, where the child was found in an alligator’s mouth.
No one with the medical examiner’s office was reached Monday. Mosley’s attorney was also not immediately reached for comment.
The child’s body was found March 31.
April 1, 202301:19
A detective shot and killed the alligator, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway has said.
The toddler had been missing since March 30 when Jeffery was found killed in her apartment, police have said.
She had been stabbed multiple times, Holloway said.
Lake Maggiore is almost 10 miles from his mother’s apartment, police said.
A search for the boy included dogs, a drone, and federal and state law enforcement agencies. An Amber Alert was also issued for him.
Phil Helsel and Madelyn Urabe contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
