The search for a missing toddler named Taylen Mosley met a tragic end on Thursday, March 30, 2023, after his body was discovered inside an alligator’s mouth. The suspect was recognized as Taylen’s father, Thomas Mosley, 21, who has also been charged for the death of Taylen’s mother, Pashun Jeffery.
Thomas Mosley currently faces several charges, including first-degree murder, in connection to the tragic deaths of Pashun Jeffrey and Taylen Mosley. Authorities claimed that they were suspicious about a “thing” in the alligator’s mouth, which later turned out to be two-year-old Taylen Mosley.
Authorities further revealed that Pashun’s remains were discovered in the family’s St. Petersburg home earlier this week. Several law enforcement agencies have been investigating the case after Thomas Mosley was taken into custody and charged.
Taylen Mosley, who was reported missing on Thursday, was found dead in an alligator’s mouth in Dell Holmes Park
The two-year-old toddler was reported missing after cops found the body of 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery at their apartment in St. Petersburg, Florida. Following this, authorities sanctioned searches to look for the missing child, Taylen Mosley.
Police discovered Pashun’s body after doing a welfare check on Thursday, which was requested by her mother. However, when the responding officers arrived at the house, they found that the door was locked. Family members claimed to have seen Pashun and her son on Wednesday at around 5:30 pm, further mentioning that they couldn’t contact her after that.
When cops found Pashun Jeffery at the residence, they discovered that she had stab wounds, which may have led to her subsequent death. The crime scene has been described as “very violent.” However, authorities did not confirm if Pashun sustained the injuries in self-defense.
Meanwhile, an amber alert was issued to look for the toddler. Several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, were involved in the search for the missing two-year-old. Not just the search teams, but dive teams and drones were also deployed all over the area to look for Taylen before he was found.
After a thorough search, detectives spotted a “thing” in an alligator’s mouth in Dell Holmes Park and later identified it to be an intact body. The body was later recognized as Taylen Mosley. A medical examiner is yet to discover the cause of death of the two-year-old.
Addressing the tragic discovery, Police Chief Anthony Holloway said:
“We didn’t want to find him this way, but at least we can bring some closure to that family now. We are sorry it has had to end this way. It is my condolences going out to the family and to his loved ones.”
After the discovery of Pashun’s body, police considered Thomas, Taylen's father, to be a “person of interest,” but he was not in custody at the time. Law enforcement officials mentioned that Thomas got himself admitted to the hospital and had several cuts to his hands and arms.
Speaking about Thomas, Holloway said that he was not talking to the authorities. The police chief added:
“I can tell you it was a very violent homicide scene within the apartment.”
However, Holloway also said:
“Nothing in our investigation leads us to believe that he is a victim.”
As of now, authorities have charged 21-year-old Thomas Mosley with two counts of first-degree murder.
Pashun Jeffrey's neighbors recall how they heard a commotion but weren't able to contact the police
According to neighbors, they heard a loud commotion near the family’s St. Petersburg residence at around 8:30 pm but did not call the cops then. Pashun's family initially reached out to the apartment staff, who couldn’t reach her either. Shortly after that, at around 9 pm, Thomas Mosley arrived at his mother’s residence covered in cuts.
Law enforcement officers found traces of blood near Pashun Jeffery’s vehicle. They further discovered that Pashun and Thomas had just moved into the apartment.
Local residents were surprised by police turnout during the search process. One resident spoke to a news outlet and said:
“Police officer after police officer. Then, a lot of the maintenance workers were zooming over here real quick. Then I saw two detectives come in, Then I saw two more detectives come in.”
Authorities are also trying to find out whether Taylen Mosley died before he went into the lake or did after. This is an ongoing case, and authorities are trying to unearth more details about Taylen Mosley's case.