A mother and her partner in the UK are facing serious charges after allegedly keeping the body of her two-year-old daughter, Isabella Wheildon, in a pushchair for three days following her death, according to the Daily Mail.

The case was heard at Ipswich Crown Court, where it was revealed that Scott Jeff, 24, is accused of repeatedly beating Isabella and subjecting her to cold showers, resulting in multiple fractures and soft tissue injuries. Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, 24, Isabella’s mother, allegedly witnessed these fatal assaults but did nothing to intervene.

Isabella is believed to have died from her injuries on June 26 of last year while in the care of her mother and Jeff at the East Villa temporary accommodation unit in Suffolk. Prosecutors allege that the couple concealed the child's death and continued to push her body around in a pushchair, with a hood covering her face, even taking her on shopping trips.

Prosecutor Sally Howes KC described the chilling scenes captured by CCTV footage. “Scott Jeff and Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell are in effect pushing around a dead child in that wheelchair,” she stated.

The couple reportedly took Isabella’s body to a service station to purchase a bottle of lemonade and was seen placing the body in the pushchair while visiting a nearby pub. The following day, they allegedly took the body on a bus trip and later went shopping, including purchasing an Xbox. “They put their purchases in a yellow plastic bag which they put in the pushchair on top of Isabella,” Howes added.

Law enforcement discovered Isabella's body several days later, found beneath blankets in the shower of their temporary accommodation. The police were alerted after a friend of Gleason-Mitchell received a message indicating that Isabella “died in her sleep.” Gleason-Mitchell allegedly expressed fear of going to the police because Isabella was “covered in bruises” and feared legal repercussions. Instead, she reportedly planned to bury her daughter in hopes that “nobody would find her.”

When officers arrived, they detected a “very strong smell” emanating from the bathroom. “PC Ryan Wegg saw an object in the shower area with blankets piled on top. As he removed the last blanket, he saw the face of a young child who was not moving. He was aware of severe bruising on her face. She was cold to the touch,” Howes said.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Isabella had extensive soft tissue injuries and fractures, including complex pelvic fractures likely caused by “kicking or stamping.” Some of these injuries are believed to have occurred up to two weeks before her death.

Both Gleason-Mitchell and Jeff were arrested on July 1 on suspicion of murder. While both deny the charge of murder, Jeff also denies one count of causing or allowing the death of a child and two counts of child cruelty. Gleason-Mitchell has admitted to the same charges.

Howes noted that Isabella was previously a healthy and well-developed child before Jeff entered her mother’s life in May 2023. “From that time up to her death, Isabella was subject to a regime of escalating brutality which was callous, cruel and ultimately fatal,” Howes said.