(Trends Wide) –– The body of a 2-year-old boy was found in the mouth of an alligator Friday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Florida, after he had been missing since Thursday, police said.
Taylen Mosley, 2, has been reported missing after her mother, Pashun Jeffery, 20, was found dead in her apartment Thursday afternoon with multiple stab wounds, the St. Petersburg police chief said Friday, Anthony Holloway, at a press conference.
Taylen’s father, Thomas Mosley, now faces two counts of first-degree murder, according to Holloway.
Police spotted an alligator in Dell Homes Park, which is miles away from the apartment complex, with an object in its mouth. The officers then shot the reptile once and the animal dropped the object, Holloway said.
The cops were then able to recover Taylen’s body intact. “We didn’t want to find it this way, but at least we can give that family some closure now,” Holloway said.
Thomas was hospitalized, where he has been since Friday afternoon, with cuts to his hands and arms, Holloway said. Thomas declined to speak to authorities and asked for a lawyer, it’s unclear if he already has one representing him.
The investigation is still ongoing and Taylen’s cause of death has yet to be determined.
