Florida toddler found in alligator’s mouth was put in the lake by his father

The Florida toddler who was found dead in the mouth of an alligator was put in the lake by his father, who is also accused of killing the child’s mother, according to St. Petersburg police affidavits.

Recall that last week it was revealed that 2-year-old Taylen was fond in the mouth of an alligator after his 20-year-old mother was found dead with over 100 stab wounds.

The boy’s father Thomas Mosley, 21, is facing two counts of first-degree murder, according to police affidavits.

“Due to the extremely serious allegations surrounding these tragic losses, our investigation is currently focused on gathering information about the facts and circumstances of the case, as well as our client’s mental state,” a spokesperson for Sixth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Sara Mollo said in a statement.

Mosley allegedly “did throw or place” his 2-year-old son, Taylen, into a lake, inflicting “mortal wounds” that caused the child’s death, according to one of the affidavits.

Taylen had been reported missing after his mother, 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery, was found dead in her apartment Thursday afternoon, March 30, with multiple stab wounds, police previously said.

The night before Jeffery was found, Mosley allegedly went to his mother’s house with “severe lacerations to both of his hands and arms consistent with injuries caused by slippage during a knife attack” and was admitted to a hospital, according to an affidavit.

“A bloody fingerprint on a cleaning bottle which had been intentionally placed under a bed in the crime scene was identified to (Mosley),” the affidavit said. 

“A bloody shoe print with a ‘Gucci’ emblem was located on the bathroom floor where the victim was found.”

The 2-year-old was not at the crime scene and authorities launched a search for the boy.

The following day, an alligator was spotted in Dell Homes Park just miles away from where Jeffery was found dead, with an object in its mouth, police said. Officers fired a single round at the reptile and it dropped the object.

Officers were able to retrieve what they discovered to be Taylen’s body, which was intact, according to police.

Mosley was booked in the Pinellas County Jail on Friday, March 31, according to the website of the sheriff’s office. He is scheduled for a bond hearing on April 11.