A Florida mother has been arrested after her teenage daughter returned home from school to find her holding the body of her four-year-old brother. Diana Cullom, 43, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Finley Joseph Cullom, who was strangled, according to St. Petersburg police.
The 16-year-old daughter made the horrific discovery on Tuesday at the family home on Tanglewood Drive NE. Officers arrived around 3:30 p.m. and found the deceased child, with blood on the bed and throughout the house. Initial reports suggested the boy had been stabbed, but the medical examiner later determined he had been suffocated.
Cullom had suffered stab wounds, which police believe were self-inflicted. She was taken to Bayfront Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and later released into custody early Wednesday. A knife and a note were found at the scene. Police Chief Anthony Holloway said the note was believed to have been left by Cullom, though its contents have not been disclosed.
The children's father was not home at the time and has since spoken with authorities. There is no prior history of 911 calls at the home. The investigation into the circumstances leading to the boy's death is ongoing.
