A missing two-year-old boy, Taylen Mosley has been found dead after his body was recovered in the mouth of an alligator.
Mosley was reported missing on Thursday after his mother, Pashun Jeffery, 20 was found dead in her apartment in St Petersburg, Florida.
According to the Police, she was stabbed multiple times.
The child’s father, Thomas Mosley, has since been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, police chief Anthony Holloway confirmed.
The child was found near Dell Holmes Park, which is close to Lake Maggiore, almost 10 miles from his mother’s apartment, the police chief added.
The alligator was shot and killed by a detective.
“We didn’t want to find him this way, but at least we can bring some closure to that family now,” Mr Holloway said at a news conference.
Family members saw Jeffery and her child on Wednesday, and on Thursday, they asked an apartment manager to check when they couldn’t reach her, police said.
A search for the boy included dogs, a drone, and federal and state law enforcement agencies.
The boy’s cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.
Thomas Mosley checked himself into a hospital and had cuts on his arms and hands, the police added.
He was still in hospital on Friday but did not speak to detectives and requested a lawyer, according to police