ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida man accused in the murder of his 2-year-old son and the boy’s mother stabbed the woman more than 100 times after a birthday party on Wednesday, according to an affidavit.
Thomas Isaiah Mosley, 21, of St. Petersburg, is accused of two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Pashun Jeffery, 20, and their 2-year-old son, Taylen Mosley, according to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office online booking records. Taylen Mosley’s body was found intact in the mouth of an alligator in a St. Petersburg lake on Friday.
According to arrest records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, Thomas Mosley allegedly stabbed Jeffery more than 100 times. The woman had hosted a birthday party for Thomas Mosley for his 21st birthday on Wednesday night but was found dead on her bathroom floor on Thursday.
More details emerge about killings of St. Petersburg boy and his mom https://t.co/coeSQ0A2m1
— Tampa Bay Times (@TB_Times) April 2, 2023
Family members had gathered in Jeffery’s St. Petersburg apartment for the party, the affidavit stated. Guests left at about 5:15 p.m. EDT, leaving the child and his parents alone in the apartment, the Times reported.
According to arrest records, Thomas Mosley left the apartment around 8:42 p.m. EDT and traveled to the Lake Maggiore area, located south of downtown St. Petersburg. The lake is near Dell Holmes Park, where Taylen Mosley’s body was found, WTVT reported. Police said they are still working to confirm the child’s cause of death, according to the television station.
Thomas Mosley arrived at his mother’s home, located about 10 blocks from the lake, shortly after 9:03 p.m., WFLA-TV reported. According to the arrest report, Thomas Mosley had “severe lacerations” on his hands and arms. He was later admitted to an area hospital, and his wounds were consistent with injuries “caused by slippage during a knife attack,” the television station reported, citing the arrest report.
Jeffrey’s family became alarmed on Thursday morning when she could not be reached for a daily video call, the Times reported.
Arriving at the apartment at approximately 2:30 p.m. EDT, family members found blood on the sidewalk outside of her apartment, according to WFLA. After calling police, family members entered the apartment and found Jeffrey dead. Taylen Mosley was not there, the arrest report stated.
Investigators found a bloody cleaning bottle under a bed, with a fingerprint that was later identified as belonging to Thomas Mosley, the Times reported. The was also a bloody shoe print with a Gucci emblem on the bathroom floor, according to the arrest report.
Police issued an Amber Alert for Taylen Mosley, according to according to WJAX-TV. Investigators later found the child’s body at Dell Holmes Park in the mouth of an alligator.
Police shot the reptile and were able to retrieve the boy’s body.
Thomas Mosley pleaded not guilty to the murder charges during a hearing on Saturday, according to WFLA.