Man Convicted of Toddler’s Murder; Body Discovered in Bathroom

A man has been found guilty of the murder of a toddler whose body was located in a secured bathroom. Scott Jeff, 24, had been present in Isabella Jonas-Wheildon’s life for merely 36 days before her remains were discovered on June 30 of the previous year. The court heard testimony that Jeff and Isabella’s mother, Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, also 24, had moved the child’s body in a pushchair at a temporary housing facility on Sidegate Lane in Ipswich. Jeff was convicted of murder, while Gleason-Mitchell was acquitted of murder but admitted to the charge of causing or allowing the death of a child. Both Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell, who had previously resided in Bedfordshire, had denied murder and were undergoing trial. The pair had arrived at the temporary accommodation in Ipswich on June 19, 11 days before Isabella’s body was found. Ipswich Crown Court was informed that Gleason-Mitchell had told a friend her daughter was deceased, and that she had been in her pushchair for three days and was “going to start to smell”. Gleason-Mitchell, who has no fixed address, had also previously confessed to child cruelty offenses related to cocaine and child cruelty offenses related to cannabis. Jeff, also without a fixed address, was additionally found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child, as well as cruelty to a child in connection with cocaine, and cruelty to a child in connection with cannabis. Before their residence in Ipswich, the trial revealed that the couple had departed the Biggleswade area of Bedfordshire at the start of June 2023, subsequently living in hotels in Norfolk and a tent on the beach in Caister, reportedly to evade Isabella’s father, Thomas Wheildon. Isabella’s body was discovered by a police officer under a pile of blankets, exhibiting “traumatic injuries.” The trial, which commenced on October 8, heard from expert witnesses that the child had sustained “crash-like” injuries, including broken and shattered bones. Gleason-Mitchell and Jeff were arrested the day after Isabella’s body was found; the court was informed that police apprehended the pair after they had spent an evening at the Corn Exchange pub in Bury St Edmunds. Members of Isabella’s family wept in the public gallery as they learned the details of what had occurred during that period. Sentencing is scheduled for December 13. The judge, Mr Justice Neil Garnham, addressed Jeff, stating: “I am obliged by law to impose a life sentence on you; I will have to fix a minimum term for you to serve.” Detective Chief Inspector Craig Powell from Suffolk Police commented that Isabella’s family had maintained a “dignified and brave” demeanor. He stated: “This poor family have had to endure not only the loss of their precious Isabella, but have then been subjected to hearing the most harrowing details of the final few weeks of her life.” He added: “These details included the suffering delivered by Scott Jeff whilst her mother Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell stood close by and did nothing to intervene, despite having so much opportunity to have done something to stop it.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.