A missing 2-year-old boy in St. Petersburg, Florida, was found in an alligator’s mouth on Friday just one day after concerned family members found his mother, Pashun Jeffery, dead in their apartment, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The young boy, Taylen Mosely, and his mother were allegedly killed by the child’s father, Thomas Mosley, after the mother threw a 21st birthday party at their apartment for Mosley, according to the Associated Press.
When Jeffery didn’t respond to her family’s daily video call to speak with Taylen, relatives were concerned and went to her apartment, discovering her body. The child’s father’s fingerprints were found on a bloody cleaning bottle in the apartment, per Tampa Bay Times, and Jeffery had been stabbed more than 100 times.
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Everything was OK when the family left the party the night before.
The night before Pashun Jeffery was found dead, a birthday party had been hosted by the mom for the child’s father, Thomas Mosley, per AP.
Jeffery and her son were last seen by her family Wednesday, March 29th around 5:15 p.m., per Tampa Bay Times. According to family members, she and her boy had just moved into the apartment the month before, and Mosley had been living there for a couple of weeks.
Authorities are working to piece together what happened.
Several hours after the party, neighbors reportedly said they heard a loud noise, but it wasn’t reported, per Tampa Bay Times. Mosley reportedly left the apartment close to 9 p.m., went to the Lake Maggiore area, showed up at his mother’s house with wounds on his arms, and was later admitted to the hospital.
According to arrest records, a bloody cleaning bottle was found at the scene of the crime with fingerprints that match Mosley’s in addition to a shoe print with blood and a Gucci emblem.
Mosley has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the death of 2-year-old Taylen and his mother, according to AP.
Officials searched extensively to find the missing toddler.
Sadly, after Jeffery was found dead in her apartment, the 2-year-old was missing and nowhere to be seen. An amber alert was issued for the boy, and drones, a helicopter, and a bloodhound from the K9 unit from Manatee County Sheriff’s Office were deployed, according to Tampa Bay News.
Officers ended up finding an alligator with something in its mouth a few miles from Jeffery’s apartment. They fired shots at the alligator and were able to retrieve the boy's body, AP reported. St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway gave a statement at a news conference Friday, saying, “We are sorry it had to end this way.”
The alligator has been euthanized.
The family has started a GoFundMe account for the mother and her son.
Jeffery’s family started a GoFundMe initially to fund search efforts for the missing toddler, but are now designating funds for funeral arrangements. “We will miss her smile, joyous laughter, and commentary on life. Taylen was a sweet and happy toddler and loved his mom,” the family wrote on the page. “To see them together and their love for each other was a blessing.”
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