Did woman who mummified her child in a bin bag hide other baby deaths?

A mother who covered up the death of her baby boy for over a decade by wrapping up his body in a bin liner and hiding it in her mother’s shed has been jailed for 21 months.

Victoria Gayle, 32, hid her son Kyzer’s body in a bag in a cardboard box in the outhouse at her mother’s home in West Hendon, north London, where the remains were found in July of last year.

Gayle told police she was traumatised by Kyzer’s death, believed to be in 2005, but she concealed the body as she didn’t want to get in trouble.

Bill Emlyn Jones, prosecuting, told Kingston Crown Court Kyzer died aged 13-15 months old, and was not the first of Gayle’s children to die,

He said: ‘In August 2015, whilst with the defendant, Ava was taken ill and she tragically died aged two years.

‘It would appear she had swallowed a small ‘button’ battery, which had caused fatal internal injuries.’

Following Ava’s death, police were asked to investigate, after which it emerged Kyzer, her son, was missing.

Mr Emlyn Jones continued: ‘In April 2016, Kyzer was categorised as a missing person.

‘It transpires there were no records of anyone seeing Kyzer since having left hospital on the day of his birth.

‘As a result of police enquiries, a man of much the same age as the defendant, Mr Shane Barnet was seen and he informed the police that he had been at school with Victoria Gayle, and had a brief sexual relationship with her.

‘Months later Mr Barnet received a call from the defendant out of the blue; she told him she had something to show him.

‘He visited her at her home where he saw a baby boy; the defendant told Mr Barnet that he was the boy’s father.

‘She had never told him that she had given birth to a child or had been pregnant at all.

‘Mr Barnet was convinced by the account given by the defendant not least because he thought that the child looked like him.’

Mr Emlyn Jones told the court the pair began to see each other more regularly, only for Gayle to leave Kyzer with Mr Barnet without explanation and disappear for five months.

Without warning, she then returned and demanded the return of Kyzer.

Mr Emlyn Jones said: ‘There was an argument, Mr Barnet was angry and upset, but ultimately felt that as the defendant was Kyzer’s mother he had no choice but to let her take him.’

Mr Emlyn Jones told jurors Mr Barnet never saw Kyzer again, and Gayle was arrested on May 30 2016 on suspicion of Kyzer’s murder.

In interview she claimed the father was in fact Seamus Murphy, a member of the travelling community, and Mr Barnet could not be the father.

Mr Emlyn Jones said: ‘ She said that because at that time she was struggling to care for her three young children, she had decided that it was best for Kyzer to go and live with his father.

‘She said that she had given Kyzer to his father when he was aged 9 or at most 10 months – so in the latter part of 2004.

‘It followed that she had not seen Kyzer, she said, for almost ten years

‘The defendant told the police that Shane Barnet had not been Kyzer’s father, that the dates had been wrong and the baby could not have been his. She denied ever having taken Kyzer to see Mr Barnet or that she had ever left the baby with Mr Barnet and his family.

‘She explicitly denied that Kyzer was dead.

‘She said that even if the police found him, she would not want them to tell her.’

The day after the interview, a search was conducted at the home of the defendant’s mother and step-father where police found Kyzer’s body.

Mr Emlyn Jones said: ‘In the garden shed, officers found a cardboard box wrapped in a black bin liner.

‘Inside the box was a laundry bag containing an object wrapped entirely in grey adhesive tape.

‘The tape was cut; inside was the decomposed remains of a human child.

‘That baby had been fully dressed in corduroy trousers and a jumper.

‘It also had one leg entirely bandaged from foot to hip.

The court heard Gayle then gave a second police interview after a further arrest on June 2 2016, where she admitted Kyzer had died and claimed she’d lied ‘to protect her family.’

In a statement, Gayle said she had found Kyzer dead in his cot, fully clothed, and covered up the death because ‘she feared that she would be judged and blamed for it.’

She failed to explain why the baby was fully clothed, or why it was wearing a bandage, but ‘guessed he had a rash.’

Mr Emlyn Jones added: ‘Police were aware she had recently conducted internet searches for sulphuric acid.

‘She said she had simply been curious about it after developing a rash from bleach.’

Mr Emlyn Jones told the court as the body was decomposed there was no way to test for diseases, and the cause of death remained unclear.

He added a former partner of Gayle had told police he visited the defendant at her home, and was shocked to find one of the two bedrooms was ‘so full of junk that it was unusable, to the point where one could only just squeeze through the door.’

At a previous hearing Gayle, of no fixed address, admitted preventing a lawful burial but denied perjury and perverting the course of justice. Both those charges will lie on file.

Kate O’Raghalliagh, defending, said: ‘This isn’t the life she had planned for herself.

‘She did the very best she could in the circumstances.

‘Ms Gayle suffered periods of physical abuse at the hands of her partners.’

Ms O’Raghaillagh told the court Kyzer’s remains had been kept in the spare room at her home for 11 years, and she’d only moved it to her parents home after being evicted.

She said: ‘That room remained locked at all times.

‘It was a room to which Ms Gayle alone had the key.

‘Had the door been ajar one would have seen a pile of boxes, and the carry-cot would not be visible.’

She continued: ‘Ms Gayle’s prospects at the moment are bleak.

‘Her relationship with her parents, her primary source of support has been fractured by these proceedings.

‘She has not been permitted to speak to them.

‘Ms Gayle always feared and knew this day would come, she has lost everything as a result.

‘I ask whatever sentence your honour passes today is tempered by that reality.’

Gayle showed no trace of emotion as Judge Susan Tapping jailed her for 21 months.

‘Whatever shock you felt at the sudden and unexpected death of Kyzer, you concealed what happened from anyone,’ the judge said.

‘It seems that hardly anybody knew about his birth, including your mother and stepfather.

‘All you have ever said is that one morning you woke up and discovered your dead son in his cot.

‘Such tragic events do happen.

‘In your case you reaction to such a shocking discovery was not to call an ambulance in case anything could be done to help Kyzer.

‘Your little boy was denied a decent burial for so many years.

‘The web of lies that began in 2014 went on for two years to every authority that tried to find out what happened to him.

‘There are no sentencing guidelines for this case.

‘There is no evidence in this case to suggest you had anything to do with your child’s death.

‘The full truth of his sad and short life will never be known.’

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