Taylen Mosley’s cause of death was confirmed by the Pinellas County medical examiner and released by the St. Petersburg police department on Monday.
The toddler’s body was recovered in a St. Petersburg lake on March 31, ending a frantic search that had begun a day earlier, when Taylen’s mother, Pashun Jeffery, 20, was found stabbed to death in their nearby home.
The child’s father, Thomas Mosley, 21, was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder in Taylen and Jeffery’s deaths. He was arrested after going to a hospital with cuts on his hands and arms, police said.
Mosley had been described as uncooperative during the search for his missing son. He has a status hearing scheduled for May 5 and is being held in jail without bond.
Police have not released any information about a possible motive.