ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg police have charged a mother with first-degree murder after the death of her four-year-old son, Finley. Diana Elizabeth Cullom, 43, was arrested overnight immediately after being released from the hospital.
While initial reports yesterday indicated the child had been stabbed, investigators have now confirmed that was not the case.
A medical examiner determined that Finley had actually been suffocated with a plastic bag. The stab wounds found on Diana Cullom were determined to be self-inflicted.
The tragic discovery began on Tuesday afternoon at the home on Tanglewood Drive. Officers arrived around 3:30 p.m. after a 16-year-old girl called for help. She told police she had just come home from school and found her mother holding her little brother in a bed.
Officers found blood throughout the house, but it came from the mother’s self-inflicted cuts. She was treated at Bayfront Hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening before being booked into jail. Police are still at the house this morning gathering evidence.
PREVIOUS REPORT: A St. Petersburg neighborhood is dealing with a heartbreaking discovery this evening after police found a four-year-old boy stabbed to death inside his home.
Officers were called to the house at 1760 Tanglewood Dr. NE around 3:30 p.m. Inside, they found the young boy, identified as Finley Joseph Cullom. Police confirmed the child had been stabbed.
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His mother was also found in the home with injuries. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital, where she is currently in stable condition. Doctors have said her injuries are not life-threatening.
According to investigators, no one else was inside the house when the stabbing happened.
Police stated there is no reason to believe the community is in danger. The investigation is still active, and officers said they will not be releasing any more information tonight.
ORIGINAL STORY: St. Petersburg police are working a suspicious case in the northeast part of the city. Officers responded to a home at 1760 Tanglewood Dr. NE earlier today. When they got inside, they found a young child deceased.
Police also located an adult in the home who was injured. Investigators have not released details on the condition of the adult or exactly what caused the child’s death.
For now, they are calling the incident suspicious and have not said if they are looking for anyone else. The investigation is still very active.
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Police remain at the house as they try to piece together exactly what happened.
This is a developing story.
CORRECTION. Originally, police reported that there were two dead. They have since clarified that the child is deceased and the adult is injured.
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