Diana Cullom, St Petersburg, Florida woman suffocates 4-year-old son, Finley Cullom to death at family’s Tanglewood home. Mom is married to dentist, Damian Cullom who runs local dentist practice. Mom was found by teen daughter with self inflicted wounds. No known motive.
A St Petersburg, Florida woman is facing first degree murder for allegedly stabbing her 4-year-old son to death earlier this week.
Diana Cullom, 43, was taken into custody early Wednesday morning, hours after the woman’s 16-year-old daughter returning home from school, Tuesday afternoon just on 3.30 p.m, only to find her her mother holding her 4-year-old brother in a bed. The boy was dead and his mother had self-inflicted stab wounds, police said.
Police Chief Anthony Holloway said the girl found a knife on the floor and a note that appeared to have been written by her mother at the family’s Tanglewood residence.
Mom’s teen daughter walks in to find mom holding dead 4-year-old brother
An autopsy revealed the child did not suffer stab wounds and died from suffocation, police said. According to police and court records, Cullom suffocated Finley with a plastic bag, FOX13 reported.
The 4-year-old boy was identified as Finley Cullom. Police said no one else was home at the time, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Police said there was blood throughout the house. Cullom was taken to the hospital and later interviewed by investigators before formally being charged with first degree murder in the slaying of her son, WFLA reported.
The mother who made her first court appearance, Wednesday afternoon is to remain held without bond and forbidden from having any contact with her daughter.
St Petersburg mom and dentist husband had placed home for sale
Property records show Diana Cullom and husband, Damian Cullom owning the Tanglewood home. A Zillow listing shows it was put up for sale last week for $1.3 million.
Damian Cullom is a dentist, and he owns a practice in St. Petersburg with his wife, according to the practice’s website. The couple according to the Crescent Lake Family Dentistry website have four children.
Notes a description on the site in part, ‘Diana’s goal for the practice is to provide a warm and inviting atmosphere making patients feel at ease while receiving top-notch, personalized, quality care.’
Additionally, ‘In her free time she loves to spend time with friends and family, including her seven siblings, time with God, construction, fishing, architectural design and renovation projects, gardening, business ventures, charity work, travel, reading/research, music festivals and almost any outdoor activity.’
Police have not shared contents of the note the mother left. Investigators said the father wasn’t home at the time of the incident and was notified by police once they arrived on the scene.
Police said they had never been called to the family’s residence before. No known murder motive was immediately divulged. Authorities continue to investigate.
