Police: Toddler found in alligator’s mouth was thrown or placed in lake by his father

A toddler who was found dead in the mouth of an alligator was either thrown or placed by his father in a lake near his home, police said.

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Thomas Mosley, 21, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 2-year-old Taylen Mosley and Pashun Jeffery, Taylen’s mother, according to the affidavit from the St. Petersburg, Florida, police department.

“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 the arrest report.

The boy was the focus of a search by law enforcement after his mother was found murdered in their home. Pashon Jeffery, 20, had more than 100 wounds, according to police. The 2-year-old was not found at the scene.

According to police, Jeffrey had thrown a birthday party for Mosley who had just turned 21, WFLA reported.

At first, police said the boy was not with his father, but according to the affidavit, Mosley left Jeffery’s home after she was killed and traveled to the Lake Maggiore area where he threw his son into the body of water and then went on to his mother’s home. Lake Maggiore is south of St. Petersburg near Dell Holmes Park, where Taylen Mosley’s body was found, WTVT reported.

He showed up 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.

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