After allegedly stabbing the boy’s mother 100 times, the father is said to have thrown his 2-year-old son into a lake, where he drowned and was later discovered in the mouth of an alligator.
Theodosia Brookhouse-Salis drove to her apartment in St. Petersburg, Florida, after being unable to contact her best friend and cousin via phone. Theo felt a sense of impending doom walking to Pashun Jeffrey’s apartment on March 30, 2023. The front door and porch railing were covered in bloodstains.
She kept hammering on the door and even yelled Pashun’s name. No response. Theo became even more worried and asked a maintenance worker to see how Pashun was doing. In the restroom, the maintenance worker discovered Pashun’s lifeless body, stab wounds totaling over 100.
Despite being devastated by Pashun’s passing, Theo turned her immediate attention to Taylen, Pashun’s 2-year-old son. He was nowhere to be found in the apartment. In the hopes that the missing toddler might be alive somewhere, police issued an Amber Alert for him.
The previous evening, Taylen and Pashun were last seen at a celebration for Thomas Mosley’s 21st birthday. Thomas Mosley is Taylen’s father and Pashun’s lover. Though he was absent from the graphic scene as well, Thomas shared a home with Pashun and Taylen.
Later that evening, Thomas arrived at his mother’s house with cuts and gashes on his hands and arms. The markings, according to police later, were consistent with a “knife slipping.” When Thomas was being treated at a nearby hospital, he refused to assist the authorities in finding Taylen.
Taylen’s body was discovered by police inside an alligator’s mouth at Lake Maggiore on March 31. The body was quickly removed. An autopsy conducted two weeks later identified Taylen’s cause of death as drowning.
After celebrating Pashun’s 21st birthday, police suspect Thomas drove Taylen to the lake, which is roughly ten miles from the apartment, where he either sat or threw him into the water.
He has entered a not guilty plea to all of the charges brought against him, including the two first-degree mur*der counts. The death penalty will be pursued in this case, according to the prosecution. In October 2023, Thomas Mosley’s incapacity to stand trial was decided. In April 2024, the court will hear another competency hearing from him.
While incarcerated, Mosley allegedly told a Medical Examiner visiting him to get permission for the family to retrieve Taylen’s body that he “did not have a son.”
Who Were Pashun and Taylen?
Pashun, a 20-year-old mother, supported her son by working at a nearby CVS. In order to give Taylen a better life, her goal was to become a medical assistant.
Taylen celebrated his second birthday, themed around Hot Wheels, with family and friends, cake and ice cream, gifts, and lots of laughter and fun, just two weeks before he was thrown into the lake.
GoFundMe Helps Grieving Family Dealing With Tragedy
More than $47,000 was raised through a GoFundMe created in support of Theo, who referred to Pashun as “like a sister” to her. A passage on the page said:
“Taylen was a sweet and happy toddler and loved his mom. During Pashun’s work breaks, she would FaceTime so that she could spend every moment possible with him. During the day, Taylen would grab anyone’s phone and pretend to call his mom. To see them together and their love for each other was a blessing.”
I’m sending Ms. Theo and the Jeffrey/Mosley family my condolences. What a sad loss. May this case be resolved with justice.
