ST PETERSBURG FLORIDA, A St Petersburg, Florida woman is facing first degree murder after her 4-year-old son was found dead earlier this week, according to authorities.
Diana Cullom, 43, was taken into custody early Wednesday morning, hours after her 16-year-old daughter returned home from school Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. Police said the teen discovered her mother holding her 4-year-old brother in a bed. The child was dead, and Cullom had self-inflicted stab wounds.
Police Chief Anthony Holloway stated that the girl found a knife on the floor and a note believed to have been written by her mother at the family’s Tanglewood residence.
An autopsy later revealed that the child did not suffer stab wounds and died from suffocation, police said. Authorities reported that Cullom allegedly suffocated Finley Cullom with a plastic bag.
Police confirmed that no one else was home at the time, and blood was found throughout the house. Cullom was taken to the hospital and later interviewed by investigators before being formally charged with first degree murder in the death of her son.
Cullom appeared in court Wednesday afternoon and is being held without bond. She has also been ordered to have no contact with her daughter.
Property records show Diana Cullom and her husband, Damian Cullom, own the Tanglewood home, which was reportedly listed for sale last week for $1.3 million.
Damian Cullom is a dentist who owns a local practice in St. Petersburg with his wife, according to the business website. The couple reportedly have four children.
Police have not released the contents of the note left behind. Investigators said the father was not home at the time and was notified after officers arrived.
Authorities stated they had never previously been called to the residence. No motive has been disclosed, and the investigation remains ongoing.
