A mother charged with the murder of her two-year-old daughter informed a friend that she could not contact authorities following the toddler’s demise as she was covered in bruises and remarked, ‘we will face the consequences,’ according to court proceedings.
Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell and her then-boyfriend Scott Jeff, both 24 and currently homeless, have both denied the murder of Isabella Wheildon.
Authorities discovered the child deceased in a locked bathroom of a temporary housing facility in Ipswich on June 30 of the prior year.
During the hearing at the crown court in the city on Wednesday, jurors learned that Gleason-Mitchell had messaged her friend Joanne Gardner expressing intentions of ‘just burying her and hoping for the best’.
Ms. Gardner portrayed Gleason-Mitchell as a ‘very lovely person, grounded and approachable’.
She recounted that they had met at a temporary shelter in Sandy, Bedfordshire, after Ms. Gardner’s arrival in July 2021, and they had kept in touch through text messages afterwards.
Ms. Gardner disclosed that Gleason-Mitchell was involved with Isabella’s father, Thomas Wheildon, when they first connected.
‘I couldn’t find fault with them – they were wonderful parents, they adored her,’ Ms. Gardner stated.
She shared that in May 2023 Gleason-Mitchell had reached out to inform her that she and Mr. Wheildon had separated.
Ms. Gardner noted that Gleason-Mitchell subsequently requested financial assistance, once asking for £60 as, ‘I have nowhere to spend the night with Isabella’.
Gleason-Mitchell, who hailed from the Biggleswade region in Bedfordshire, indicated in a text that she was in Great Yarmouth attempting to secure residence.
In another message to Ms. Gardner, the defendant mentioned: ‘The council refuses to help us, asserting we (are) safe to return to Bedfordshire.’
Ms. Gardner conveyed to jurors that in a later dialogue ‘she disclosed to me that Isabella was deceased’.
In a message presented to the court, Gleason-Mitchell stated: ‘We can’t alert the authorities as she has bruises, and we will face repercussions for it.’
Ms. Gardner noted that Gleason-Mitchell ‘was trying to imply that Thomas was not the biological father of Isabella – it was Scott, her new partner whom I was unaware of’.
Gleason-Mitchell sent multiple voice notes, one of which said: ‘We literally cannot approach the police because she is bruised all over.’
In another communication, Gleason-Mitchell relayed to Ms. Gardner: ‘I feel as though we are just going to bury her and hope for a favorable outcome.’
Ms. Gardner indicated that Gleason-Mitchell requested her to delete the messages and gave the impression that police were present.
She contacted social services at approximately 10:50 a.m. on June 30 of the last year and subsequently called 999 at 11:07 a.m. that same day to express her worries, as jurors were informed in an agreed fact.
Alex Kettle-Williams, representing the prosecution, stated that law enforcement arrived at the temporary housing unit in Sidegate Lane, Ipswich, at 1:07 p.m. that same day.
She revealed that Ms. Gardner had informed authorities that Gleason-Mitchell had ‘told her that her daughter had passed away three days prior and was still in her stroller’.
Accompanied by a hostel staff member, police ‘found the apartment empty, with the bathroom door shut and locked,’ the barrister reported.
She recounted that a police officer detected a ‘strong stale odor and a stroller with several blankets piled on it pushed into the shower’.
‘Upon removing the final blanket, he observed the face of a small child,’ she added.
Isabella was officially pronounced deceased at 1:20 p.m.
Both Gleason-Mitchell and Jeff refute the charge of Isabella’s murder occurring between June 26 and 30 of the previous year.
Jeff denies a single charge of causing or allowing the death of a child and two counts of child cruelty.
Jurors had previously been informed that Gleason-Mitchell acknowledged her involvement in causing or permitting the death of a child and two counts of child cruelty.
Sasha Wass KC, representing Gleason-Mitchell, inquired of Ms. Gardner whether Gleason-Mitchell was ‘someone who could be subjected to bullying,’ to which she responded ‘yes’.
Christopher Paxton KC, representing Jeff, queried her: ‘If you are unfamiliar with Scott Jeff, you are unaware of his character, correct?’
She affirmed: ‘No, I do not.’
The trial is ongoing.
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