Taylen Mosley’s dad charged with murder after 2-year-old’s body found in alligator mouth

Murder charges were brought Friday against the father of 2-year-old Taylen Mosley, whose tiny body was found dead in an alligator’s mouth.

Thomas Mosley is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Taylen and Taylen’s mother, 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery.

St. Petersburg, Fla. police chief Anthony Holloway said detectives working on the case at a housing development in the city on Friday spotted an alligator with an “object” in its mouth.

A detective fired one shot at the gator, forcing it to drop the object, which turned out to be Taylen, Holloway told reporters. Taylen’s body was intact, the chief said.

Jeffery was found dead Thursday of multiple stab wounds in her St. Petersburg apartment, Holloway said.

Before the incident with the alligator on Friday, an Amber alert was issued for Taylen.

Spectrum Bay News 9 reports the alligator and the boy were located six miles from the apartment complex where he and his mother lived. Police used dogs and a drone in their search for Mosley, according to NBC News. His cause of death has not been announced.

“I can tell you it was a very violent homicide scene within the apartment,” Holloway said of Jeffery’s death.