Tragic Dexter Wilton was only eight months old when he died, with both his mother and his step-father pleading guilty to manslaughter, failure to supply the necessaries of life, and negligent acts causing harm
An eight-month-old baby died in the most horrific circumstances, with both police and paramedics completely taken aback by the appalling home environment in which he was found.
Authorities discovered the little boy, named Dexter Wilton, after a distressed emergency call from Natalie Jade Whitehead, Dexter’s mother, who told them her child was “completely gone”.
Upon their arrival some 12 minutes later, officers were shocked by the filthy state of Whitehead’s apartment. According to media reports, animal faeces were everywhere, while the kitchen was scattered with dirty dishes, food and animal food scraps.
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The room where Dexter slept contained two cots – one of which was used for storage – while dirty nappies and baby clothes were strewn throughout.
In his sleeping area, there was an empty baby bottle as well as a sheet covered in small pieces of “chunky, white substances”, thought to be vomit.
Police found Whitehead lying on a single mattress, clutching Dexter to her chest and crying. Investigators would later determine that he had been dead for “some time” – in fact, it was revealed it had been 21 hours since Whitehead and her then partner, Andrew William Campbell, had even bothered to check in on the baby.
Both Whitehead and Campbell later pleaded guilty to Dexter’s manslaughter after a police investigation, and also pleaded guilty to failing to supply the necessaries of life and negligent acts causing harm.
Whitehead was jailed for nine years in October last year. But she was made eligible for parole in June 2025 after serving three years and nine months in pre-sentence custody, according to news.com.au. Andrew William Campbell was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for the manslaughter of baby Dexter in 2019, and will be eligible for parole in September 2026.
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During Campbell’s sentencing, Supreme Court Justice Catherine Muir spoke about the scene that awaited police in the Raceview area of Australia, where Dexter died.
The court was told the little boy was placed in his cot the night before, with a single bottle of milk. The heater was running and the door to the room was closed.
Whitehead and Campbell then did not check on Dexter until 5pm on 21 June – some 21 hours after Dexter was put to bed. Instead, they spent the time consuming a cocktail of drugs and not leaving their home.
Not only was the entire home covered in animal faeces, the food and pantry were “practically devoid” of any food.
Justice Muir noted officers found a plastic bathtub sitting in the main bath, containing water and cleaning mitts that had been recently used. “There was an extremely sore nappy on the bathroom vanity. It had red stains on the waist area … and was heavily caked with faeces,” she said.
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It was later revealed that this was because emergency services were not immediately called when Dexter was found unresponsive in his cot. Instead, he was bathed and changed into a fresh nappy.
Justice Muir said Campbell then took a rubbish bag filled with dirty baby clothes and nappies, putting it into a neighbour’s bin and urging them not to tell police. He then brought another bag over to the home, this time containing drug-related utensils like dirty syringes and an empty clipseal bag, again urging them not to tell police and asking them to put it into a cupboard.
Tragically, just five days before he died, Dexter was in good spirits, “bright” and “well-nourished” after staying with an aunt in the rural town of Tara.
When Whitehead dropped him off, he had “severe nappy rash”, which was “raw and bleeding”. But the rash went down while Dexter was under the care of his family before being returned to Whitehead and Campbell.
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During Campbell’s sentencing, a post-mortem determined the eight-month-old had experienced “severe neglect of his most basic needs – being food and fluid”, leading to acute malnutrition and dehydration.
There was no evidence of significant physical harm, but Dexter had sunken eyes and an “extensive” nappy rash covering his groin up to his inner thighs.
“A number of illicit drugs were detected from hair sample analysis, including MDMA, methylamphetamine, cocaine and cannabis, but the exact dose of administration or exposure was unable to be ascertained,” Justice Muir said.
“It is accepted that Dexter’s death was the result of an omission and that there was no intention. But the difficulty is you made a positive decision to consume drugs which rendered you unable to assist with his care.”
She further told Campbell: “You caused the death of Dexter by failing to provide the necessities of human life. You had a duty to provide those necessities.
“You were in a relationship with the mother of the children. [You were] called ‘dad’. You described watching her [Whitehead’s] depression and anxiety cripple her to the point that she let … [Dexter] go hungry and scream in pain. You described this as soul-destroying.”