A woman who left her 16-month-old toddler unattended at their Cleveland, Ohio home while she went on a 10-day vacation has been sentenced to life over the child's death.
On Monday, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office announced that Kristel Candelario was handed down a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the aggravated murder of her daughter Jailyn. The baby died after she was left alone while Candelario went on vacation to Detroit, Michigan and Puerto Rico over the course of 10 days in June 2023.
The sentencing comes after Candelario entered guilty pleas on one count of aggravated murder and one count of endangering children in connection with Jailyn's death. Candelario had left for her trip on June 6 and didn't return until June 16, when she found Jailyn unresponsive.
She called the police, who reported finding Jailyn's playpen filled with "soiled blankets and a bottom liner, saturated with urine and feces," according to the prosecutor's office press release. Per NBC News, Dr. Elizabeth Mooney, the deputy Cuyahoga County medical examiner, stated Jailyn died of starvation and severe dehydration from pediatric neglect.
"Today, we remember Jailyn — a beautiful baby girl who was taken from this world due to her mother's unimaginable selfishness," said Cuyahoga County prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley. "The thought of going on vacation for 10 days and leaving your child to starve to death in her Pack-N-Play is a new low in parental care."
At her sentencing, Candelario said she felt remorse for her actions and claimed no one knew how much she was suffering during that time.
"There's so much pain that I have in regards to the loss of my baby, Jailyn," she said. "I'm extremely hurt about everything that happened. I am not trying to justify my actions, but nobody knew how much I was suffering and what I was going through ... God and my daughter have forgiven me."
