At around 3:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Jan. 27, officers were called to a property off Tanglewood Drive Northeast in St. Petersburg, where 4-year-old Finley Cullom was found suffocated to death, the St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) said in an updated press release. (Initially, police said the child had been stabbed to death.)
A 16-year-old girl had contacted the police after finding her brother’s body, the outlets added.
“She walked into the house, she sees blood everywhere, she sees her 4-year-old brother…,” St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway told WFLA.
Officers arrived at the home to find Joseph’s mother, 43-year-old Diana Cullom, also injured with self-inflicted stab wounds, according to police. “There was blood at the scene and throughout the house,” police stated in the release.
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Diana was taken into custody and charged with murder in the first degree, WFLA reported, citing the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO).
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A knife and a note found at the scene are believed to belong to the mother, Holloway said at a press conference, per Fox 13. The events leading up to the incident, along with Diana’s mental history, have not been disclosed at this time.
According to officials, Joseph’s father was not at home at the time of the incident, per Fox 13 Tampa Bay.