Police in Florida have revealed the cause of death for Taylen Mosley, 2, who was found dead inside an alligator’s jaws this month.

Mosley’s body was found after a search that started when his mother, Pashun Jeffrey, was found brutally murdered.

St Petersburg police say the toddler died of drowning after his father, Thomas Mosley, allegedly stabbed Jeffrey to death before taking their son to a local lake and dumping the boy into the water, locals news outlet WTSP reported.

Pashun Jeffery and her son Taylen Mosley. Photo / AP

St Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway announced earlier that Thomas Mosley will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Searchers, including dive teams and officers using drones, had been intensely looking for the boy since his mother’s body was discovered in their apartment this month.

“We are sorry it has had to end this way,” Holloway said during a news conference.

Officers searching for the toddler at a lake a few miles from the apartment complex noticed an alligator “with an object in its mouth” that they quickly realised was a child’s body, Holloway said. They fired shots at the reptile, which dropped the body.

“We were able to retrieve Taylen’s body intact,” the chief said, adding: “We didn’t want to find him this way.”

The alligator was euthanised.

Thomas Mosley was hospitalised with cuts on his hands and arms, which police say are “consistent with injuries caused by slippage during a knife attack”.

He refused to speak with police during his stay in hospital.

Thomas Mosley, 21, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

A GoFundMe set upafter the pair’s deaths has raised almost US$50,000 ($81,500).

Jeffery’s mother and aunt said she was “dedicated” to making a better life for her son, whom they described as a “sweet and happy toddler”.

“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,” they wrote.

“To see them together and their love for each other was a blessing. We will remember their love and will keep them in our hearts.”

- Additional reporting, AP