The cause of death for a Florida toddler found in the jaw of an alligator has been determined.
On Monday, the St. Petersburg Police Department revealed in press release that 2-year-old Taylen Mosley died from drowning. This was confirmed with the Pinellas County medical examiner.
The boy’s father, Thomas Mosley, 21, was found responsible for his son’s death and the death of his mother, Pashun Jeffery, 20. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
A police spokesperson stated via NBC News that Thomas Mosley either “threw or placed” Taylen in the lake where he was found inside the alligator’s mouth.
“The investigation on both sides is ongoing, and we continue to receive and evaluate all of the information we are provided,” the public defender’s office of the 6th Judicial Circuit stated.
On March 31, Taylen was found in the jaw of an alligator in St. Petersburg, Florida, after he had been reported missing for days.
On March 30, the deceased body of his mother was found in her apartment after she was brutally stabbed to death, per a press release from the St. Petersburg Police Department.
According to NBC News, an Amber Alert was issued and upon discovery of the alligator, detectives noticed an “object” in the animal’s mouth. This was confirmed to be Taylen’s body. He was found a few miles away from his home at Lake Maggiore.
They “fired one round” of bullets “to the alligator” killing it and causing it to drop the toddler from its mouth, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said at a news conference.
“We didn’t want to find him this way, but at least we can bring some closure to that family now,” he shared.
In a statement given by Taylen’s family, he was described as “a beautiful little boy” and “really loving and caring.”
A motive for the slayings has not been revealed, per the New York Post.