the essential
A British couple was on trial this week after allegedly inflicting cruelty on their two-year-old daughter, leading to her death. Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell and Scott Jeff are accused of causing serious violence to their little daughter.
It took an eight-week trial to resolve a case which, on the other side of the Channel, did not fail to arouse fear and emotion. This Friday, November 22, a couple was found guilty of terrible abuse, leading to the death of their two-year-old daughter. Scott Jeff, aged 24, was convicted of acts of “cruelty” which he allegedly inflicted on the very young Isabella Jonas-Wheildon. A press release from Suffolk police states that his partner, Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, was found guilty of an “offense of homicide” after causing the child's death.
This terrible story finds its roots in May 2023: Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell begins cohabitation with Scott Jeff, a young British man with whom she had already flirted in 2019. The couple decides to leave Bedfordshire, just to keep their distance from her father. little Isabella, presented by Chelsea as someone “violent”.
Bone marrow embolism
For the little girl, the ordeal began on June 12, 2023. She then suffered a significant injury to her wrist. On the stand, Isabella Jonas-Wheildon's mother claims that her partner Scott Jeff was increasingly violent with the child due to “accidents during toilet training”. In public, the parents dressed the little girl in a long coat despite the heat and sunglasses: according to several witnesses, this undoubtedly allowed the parents to hide their daughter's injuries.
Suffolk Police
On June 30, 2023, Isabella finally died from a bone marrow embolism and skeletal trauma. “Bone marrow from his pelvic injuries entered his bloodstream and lungs, causing the embolism,” explains a press release from the police. On the evening of her death, the couple said Isabella began complaining of real difficulty breathing. The latter then attempted to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. At 11:37 p.m., Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell claims to have realized the death of her daughter… but video surveillance images show her thirty minutes later, she and her partner, laughing, having a good time in town.
“They continued to live ‘normally’”
“For the next three days, they continued to live 'normally', pushing Isabella's body in a stroller,” the police statement continued, saying the couple carried their daughter's body around pubs, on the bus and even in stores.
The outcome will come a few days later: Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell will tell one of her friends that her daughter is dead. The person concerned will then notify the police. Scott Jeff and his partner then try to escape, leaving the corpse of their little girl in the bathroom. This is where Isabella's body will be found. Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell and Scott Jeff will be arrested on July 1, 2023. Their sentence will be pronounced on December 13. Both will, however, remain in pre-trial detention.
