ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — South St. Petersburg residents came together on Saturday night to not only mourn and remember Taylen Mosley, 2, and his mother, Pashun Jeffrey, 20, but to support and be supported.

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, the body of missing 2-year-old Mosley was found Friday in a lake miles from where he lived. Jeffrey, was found dead Thursday afternoon in her apartment.

“So in this moment I’m asking you to think about when you are in the moment,” said mental health counselor Dr. LaDonna Butler. “When you’re asked to show up and you’re having your own feelings, who are you calling?”

Several mothers, including April White, came to the vigil with their toddlers. White said since the moment she found out what happened to Mosley, she hasn’t let her toddler out of arm’s reach.

“I’ve just been holding him, playing with him,” she said. “Telling him I love him and giving him kisses, just being around him, and remembering her (Jeffrey’s) son. Remembering her.”

As therapists and counselors offered ways to cope with the collective grief of the community, a sixth-grade teacher of Jeffrey’s shared a yearbook photo of her.

White shared a poem she wrote after learning about Mosley’s death that seemed to put words to feelings. 

“He’s our son.
Yours, mine, hers, his.
We have held him in our arms.
We hold in our arms.
We ask our sons.
How could this happen to our sons?”

Those who are interested in helping can find more information at CASA Pinellas and The Well.