Body of missing 2-year-old boy found in alligator’s mouth; father facing multiple murder charges

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The body of a 2-year-old boy who was reported missing earlier in the week in St. Petersburg, Florida, has been found.

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The St. Petersburg Police Department said in a news conference Friday that during a search for Taylen Mosley, 2, in the Dell Holmes Park area, investigators saw an alligator with something in its mouth, according to WFTV.

“While they were there (they) spotted an alligator with an object in its mouth. As the detective got closer they fired one round to the alligator, dropped the object that he had in his mouth,” said Chief Holloway, according to WJAX.

The object was Taylen Mosley’s body, which police said was intact, according to WFTV.

“The detectives and officers of the St. Petersburg Police Department worked tirelessly on this case. The Department would like to thank all of the agencies that assisted in this investigation. The dive teams of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, Clearwater Fire Rescue, PCSO and Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue searched the ponds and lakes near the apartment complex. Sunstar assisted, Search and Rescue of Central Florida searched with cadaver dogs, and FWC assisted with the alligator. We would especially like to thank the FBI and FDLE for lending their resources in this important investigation,” police said in a news release.

Taylen Mosley’s father, Thomas Mosley, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, police said on Twitter.

Thomas Mosley was treated at the hospital for multiple cuts, WFTV reported.

An Amber Alert was issued for Taylen Mosley on Thursday after his mother, Pashun Jeffrey, 20, was found deceased at an apartment in St. Petersburg, according to WJAX.

In a news release from the police department, Mosley has been charged for both Taylen Mosley’s and his mother’s death.

Some family members said Jeffrey and Taylen Mosley had just moved to the apartment complex, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Police said, according to WFTV, that Jeffrey had multiple stab wounds.

The cause of death for Taylen Mosley has not been released, the news outlet reported.

Information about what led up to the deaths of Jeffrey and her son have not yet been released.