A two-year-old child, who went missing and whose mother was found dead in her apartment, was found in the jaws of an alligator on Friday, police said in the city of St. Petersburg, Florida.
A detective shot and killed the gator, police chief Anthony Holloway said. “We didn’t want to find him this way, but now we can at least protect this family a little bit,” Holloway said at a press conference.
Taylen Mosley had been missing since Thursday when her mother, Pashun Jeffery, 20, was found dead in her apartment, police said. According to Holloway, the woman was stabbed several times.
The child’s father, Thomas Mosley, is charged with two first-degree murders, the police chief said.
The child was found near Parque Dell Holmes, which is close to Lake Maggiore, nearly 10 miles from her mother’s apartment, Holloway said.
Relatives saw Jeffery and the son on Wednesday and Thursday and asked an apartment manager to check when they couldn’t reach him, police said.
The boy’s cause of death will be determined by the coroner, Holloway said.
According to Holloway, Thomas Mosley was admitted to a hospital with cuts to his arms and hands and remained hospitalized on Friday. The boy’s father did not speak to detectives and asked for a lawyer.
Information about the case was not available late Friday and it was unclear whether Mosley had an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
Search operations for the child include dogs, a drone, and federal and state law enforcement agencies. An Amber Alert has also been issued for him.
Source: DN
