The pursuit of a missing toddler ended in tragic circumstances on Friday night when the kid’s body was discovered in the jaws of an alligator in Florida.
Thomas Mosley, the father of the two-year-old Taylen Mosley, is facing two counts of first-degree murder: one for Taylen and the other for the stabbing death of 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery, the boy’s mother.
St. Petersburg police Chief Anthony Holloway said that when officers were inspecting the Dell Holmes Park area, they noticed an alligator that had an object in its mouth in Lake Maggiore.
The officers shot and killed the alligator, causing it to release the child’s body. The body of Taylen was recovered, however police are still unsure how the boy died or if he had already passed away prior to being found in the lake.
Holloway expressed his condolences at the conclusion of the search, saying “We are sorry that it had to end this way.”
The police had started searching for Taylen at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday when they found Jeffery dead from various stab wounds in her home after following a blood trail from her car.
Thomas Mosley was instantly identified as a person of interest when he checked into a hospital with cuts to his hands and arms. The police did not comment on whether the injuries could be the result of Jeffery defending herself, but Holloway said “nothing in our investigation leads us to believe that he is a victim.” Notably, Mosley did not have Taylen with him when he went to the hospital.
The department immediately issued an Amber Alert and launched a volunteer search for the child with great concern that he was in danger. Officers launched dive teams in nearby retention ponds before shifting 14 miles north of Taylen and Jeffery’s home, where they eventually found the boy’s body.
Taylen and Jeffery’s family remembered them fondly after their fatal demise. “He’s always contacting his mom on his phone,” Lakita Denson told WFLA. “He misses his mom, they were calling each other all the time. She truly adored Taylen.”
“We just want to say that Taylen is a gorgeous little boy,” added Theo Brickhouse-Sails. “He was really loving and caring.”