Toddler Faced ‘Escalating Brutality’ Before Being Discovered Lifeless Under Blankets

A two-year-old girl named Isabella was found dead under a pile of blankets in the shower of a temporary housing unit in Ipswich after suffering brutal abuse at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend, a court was told. The child’s mother, Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, a former nursery worker, wept as the inquest into her daughter’s death began at Ipswich Crown Court.

Prosecutor Sally Howes KC described Isabella as a “healthy, contented, well-cared for little girl” before Gleason-Mitchell began her relationship with Scott Jeff, both 24. The court heard that Isabella’s body was discovered several days after her death, with a post-mortem revealing extensive traumatic injuries to her head, neck, torso, limbs, and pelvis, consistent with “stomping or kicking.” Prosecutors allege that Gleason-Mitchell stood by and allowed the abuse to happen.

Both Gleason-Mitchell and Jeff, who have no fixed address, deny the murder of Isabella Wheildon. Emergency services discovered Isabella’s body at a property managed by Ipswich Borough Council on June 30, 2022. The discovery came after a woman alerted the police, saying she received a message from Gleason-Mitchell on Facebook Messenger, revealing that her daughter had died in her sleep three days earlier.

The prosecutor explained that the woman who contacted the police did not know Gleason-Mitchell’s current address, but authorities were able to locate it. Officers arrived around 1 p.m. and found Isabella deceased. Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell both deny charges of murder, while Jeff also denies causing or allowing the death of a child and child cruelty, reported Daily Mail.

Ms. Howes informed the jury that Gleason-Mitchell has admitted to causing or allowing the death of a child and two counts of child cruelty. The post-mortem report revealed “extensive external traumatic injuries” and fractures to Isabella’s wrists and pelvis. The cause of death was determined as a “bone marrow embolism caused by skeletal trauma,” with evidence suggesting the injuries were caused by kicking or stomping.

The prosecution argued that Isabella’s suffering escalated after Jeff entered a relationship with Gleason-Mitchell in May 2023. “She was subjected to a regime of escalating brutality which was callous, cruel, and ultimately fatal,” Howes said, accusing Gleason-Mitchell of failing to intervene to protect her daughter.

The court heard that Gleason-Mitchell and Jeff had been staying in various locations, including hotels and a beach campsite, before settling in Ipswich. Ms. Howes detailed how Gleason-Mitchell had previously contacted housing services, claiming she, her daughter, and her partner were homeless and fleeing domestic abuse. She falsely stated that Jeff was Isabella’s father.

The council offered Gleason-Mitchell and Isabella a place in Bedfordshire, but she declined, insisting on staying with Jeff. The pair were arrested on July 1 in Bury St Edmunds. In a prepared statement, Jeff denied any involvement in Isabella’s death, claiming he had noticed bruising and raised concerns, which Gleason-Mitchell dismissed.

Gleason-Mitchell told police she did not kill her daughter, instead blaming Jeff for the harm. She admitted that the abuse started when Isabella had potty training issues and described incidents where Jeff became violent if Isabella expressed a preference for her mother.

The trial, expected to last six to eight weeks, continues as the court hears more evidence about the circumstances surrounding Isabella’s tragic death.