Missing St. Pete 2-year-old found dead in alligator’s mouth drowned; Father charged with murder

Deputies say they now know what killed a missing two-year-old St. Petersburg boy who was found dead in an alligator’s mouth a day after his mother was discovered stabbed to death.

The medical examiner announced on Monday that Taylen Mosely died from drowning. 

The child was reported missing after his mother, 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery, was found dead with more than 100 stab wounds on March 30. 

The child’s body was discovered the next day inside the jaws of an alligator in Lake Maggiore, which is near Dell Holmes Park, following an Amber Alert. 

The park is several miles from where the toddler was last seen at the Lincoln Shores Apartments. 

READ: Family lays murdered mother, 2-year-old son to rest in private funeral service

When the boy was discovered, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said the boy’s body was intact and the alligator had been killed. 

"We didn’t want to find him this way, but at least we can bring some closure to that family now," Chief Holloway said in March. "Again, there are emotions up and down, because as they’re investigating, they were following up leads, and we were hoping we could find him alive."

READ: Thomas Mosley double-murder case: State wants hospital records for man accused of killing toddler, child's mom

The child’s father, Thomas Mosely, 21, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Jeffery and his son and is being held on no bond. 

He has pleaded not guilty.