A Florida mother is charged with first-degree murder after her teenage daughter discovered a horrific scene Tuesday afternoon: the woman covered in blood, clutching the lifeless body of her 4-year-old brother.
The St. Petersburg Police Department alleges that 43-year-old Diana Elizabeth Cullom suffocated her son, Finley Cullom, with a plastic bag. The tragedy unfolded in the family’s home on Tanglewood Drive NE, where officers responded to a report of a person bleeding around 3:30 p.m.
According to Police Chief Anthony Holloway, the teenage girl arrived home from school to the grisly discovery. “She walked into the house, she sees blood everywhere, she sees her 4-year-old brother … you come to the conclusion,” Holloway told reporters. Inside, police found Finley dead and his mother suffering from what appeared to be self-inflicted stab wounds.
Initially, the volume of blood led investigators to believe the boy had been stabbed. However, further examination revealed the alleged cause of death was suffocation by a plastic bag. Authorities also located a note reportedly written by Cullom but have not disclosed its contents.
Cullom was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and, after being released, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail. She provided a statement to police after being read her Miranda rights, but the initial report redacted details. Investigators have not publicly determined a motive for the killing.
Cullom is a mother of four and, according to a biography, helped her husband establish the local Crescent Lake Family Dentistry. Her husband, a dentist, was not home at the time of the incident. The biography paints a picture of an active and engaged parent, noting that in her free time she “loves to spend time with friends and family,” including her seven siblings, and enjoys activities ranging from fishing and gardening to charity work and travel.
The community is now left to grapple with the stark contradiction between that portrait and the brutal crime she is accused of committing. The investigation into what led to Finley’s death continues.
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