Police say initial reports of a stabbing were corrected after the medical examiner ruled the child’s death a suffocation.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A 43-year-old mother was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder after police say she suffocated her 4-year-old son inside the family’s Shore Acres home on Tuesday afternoon, then stabbed herself before officers arrived.
A St. Petersburg Police Department spokesperson said the case shifted overnight after the medical examiner determined the boy had no stab wounds and died by suffocation. Investigators identified the mother as Diana Elizabeth Cullom and the child as Finley Joseph Cullom. Detectives said Cullom was treated for self-inflicted stab wounds and released to police custody. She was ordered held without bond during a first appearance hearing Wednesday, as the department continued to gather evidence and interview relatives.
Police Chief Anthony Holloway said the scene unfolded around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, when the boy’s 16-year-old sister returned from school and found her mother holding Finley on a bed. Officers responded to the 1700 block of Tanglewood Drive NE and noted blood in several rooms. “A lot of these officers, they have kids,” Holloway said, describing the toll on first responders and the teen who made the 911 call. Investigators initially believed the child had been stabbed but later corrected that detail after the medical examiner’s review. Cullom’s injuries were described as non-life-threatening. She was taken to Bayfront Hospital before being booked into jail.
Detectives said they recovered a knife and a handwritten note inside the house. Holloway said investigators believe the note was left by the mother, though its contents were not released. Court records reviewed by police indicate the child was suffocated using a plastic bag, according to an arrest affidavit summary. The department said there had been no prior police calls to the residence. Finley’s father, Dr. Damian Cullom, was not home during the incident and came to the house after officers arrived. An attorney identified in court as Kevin Hayslett appeared on behalf of Diana Cullom and declined comment after the hearing.
Authorities said key questions remain, including the motive and whether any mental health history will be part of the case file. The police department’s victim services unit is working with the 16-year-old girl who discovered the scene, and Holloway said counseling resources were also offered to officers and firefighters who responded. The medical examiner has not publicly released a final autopsy report beyond the suffocation finding. Investigators cautioned that the timeline inside the home is still being reconstructed through interviews, phone records and forensic testing of items collected at the scene.
The death occurred in Shore Acres, a waterfront neighborhood on St. Petersburg’s northeast side where single-family homes line a grid of canals. On Tuesday evening and into Wednesday morning, neighbors reported a heavy police presence on Tanglewood Drive NE, where crime scene tape blocked portions of the street while detectives photographed rooms and collected evidence. By midmorning Wednesday, a mobile command vehicle remained nearby as crime scene technicians continued to process the house. The case comes less than a year after unrelated, high-profile child homicide cases elsewhere in the region, though police said this address had not drawn prior calls and there were no open child welfare investigations involving the family, according to statements made at the scene.
In court Wednesday afternoon, a Pinellas County judge advised Cullom of the first-degree murder charge and ordered no contact with her teenage daughter while the investigation continues. The judge found probable cause based on the arrest report and set a status window for the State Attorney’s Office to file a formal information. Prosecutors said they would review forensic results and witness statements before making additional charging decisions. Police said detectives will seek any available home surveillance footage and obtain search warrants for digital devices tied to the house, steps that could clarify movement and communications in the hours before the 3:30 p.m. call on Jan. 27.
Outside the courthouse and along Tanglewood Drive, the mood was subdued. Neighbors described emergency lights reflecting off the canal and a steady stream of marked units late into the night. In the courtroom, relatives sat in the front row; at one point, the father held his head in his hands. “Everybody’s heart is heavy,” Holloway said earlier, noting officers escorted family members away from the house as the scene was secured. Late Wednesday, police reiterated that the contents of the note and any prior medical or counseling records remain undisclosed as they work through interviews.
As of Wednesday evening, Cullom remained at the Pinellas County Jail without bond. Detectives said they expect to submit additional evidence to the crime lab this week and will provide an update after the medical examiner issues more findings. A routine advisory hearing is expected later this week, with prosecutors facing filing deadlines in early February.
Author note: Last updated January 28, 2026.