Rhoda Willis was born on August 14, 1867, in Sunderland, England. Little is known about her early life before relocating to Cardiff, Wales. By the early 1900s, she was lodging with Mr. and Mrs. Wilson in Cardiff and using the alias Leslie James.

Rhoda became involved in “baby farming”—taking in infants for payment. This cash-for-care arrangement, common at the time, carried significant risk due to the lack of regulation and safeguards. Willis engaged in this practice, initially seeking income but ultimately committing murder.

.By early 1907, Rhoda Willis—using the alias Leslie James—was lodging in Cardiff with Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. An unemployed housekeeper, she found a lucrative opportunity in baby farming, taking in infants for cash payments—an arrangement that frequently led to neglect or worse.

In early May 1907, Willis took custody of a baby abandoned outside a Salvation Army refuge, offering a note claiming to be from an unmarried mother unable to care for her child. She accepted payments for the child’s care, in line with her pick-up of several babies during this period.

The fatal incident occurred on or around 3 June 1907. Willis had arranged to “adopt” the illegitimate infant of Maud Treasure in exchange for £6. However, on a day when she returned heavily intoxicated and fell out of bed, Mrs. Wilson discovered a parcel in the bed. Inside lay the lifeless body of Maud’s child—smothered and wrapped in cloth. 

Willis claimed the baby fell ill and died naturally, but medical and physical evidence contradicted her story. The coroner found unmistakable signs of smothering. Moreover, handwriting experts linked the note sent with the abandoned Salvation Army child directly to Willis, strengthening the prosecution's case. 

Mrs. Wilson, horrified, called the police immediately. Willis was arrested on the spot and charged with murder .

At the Glamorgan Assizes in July 1907, Willis was tried before a jury. She pleaded not guilty, maintaining the child died of natural causes. But evidence was overwhelming: the baby had asphyxiation marks, and expert witnesses confirmed smothering. Willis’s attempts to obfuscate fell flat, and the jury convicted her of murder.

Less than six weeks later, on 14 August 1907—her 40th birthday—Rhoda Willis was executed by hanging at Cardiff Prison.