This article mentions child abuse and child death. Please read with caution.
Every once in a while, all parents need a break. But in 2023, one new mom in Ohio left her 16-month-old toddler home alone for 10 days, and the consequences were horrific. About one year later, the mother, Kristel Candelario, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder.
According to NBC News, Candelario, from Cleveland, left her daughter, Jailyn, alone while she traveled to Detroit and then Puerto Rico. Candelario, 32, reportedly lived in the home with her parents and her older daughter, but they were away when Candelario decided to leave Jailynn uncared for.
When Candelario returned more than a week later, she found her daughter unresponsive in a playpen soaked with urine and feces, and called 911. Authorities said Jailyn was “extremely dehydrated,” and the child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kristel Candelario had left Jailyn alone before
As news of Jailyn’s death spread, Kristel Candelario’s neighbors, Suleym and her mother Iris, who only shared their first names, spoke with WKYC.com. In the past, they said they had agreed to watch Jailyn for a few days, but that Candelario would be gone for weeks. Iris said Jailyn called her “mama,” and Suleym she loved Jailyn like a sister. It’s unclear why Candelario didn’t ask her neighbors to care for her daughter again during her trip to Detroit and Puerto Rico.
Referring to the toddler, Suleym said,
“Jailyn really didn’t deserve what happened to her. She was amazing and really adorable and I miss her a lot. We were absolutely heartbroken. We loved Jailyn a lot.”
via WKYC.com
According to News5Cleveland.com, Candelario was reportedly an instructional aide at several Cleveland area schools, which announced they would also investigate Candelario’s conduct.
Kristel Candelario faces life in prison
U.S. News & World Report says Jailyn’s autopsy determined that the toddler had died of starvation and dehydration. Referring to Kristel Candelario’s case, Ohio prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in a statement,
“It is unfathomable that a mother would leave her 16-month-old child alone without any supervision for 10 days to go on a vacation. As parents, we are supposed to protect and care for our children. Imagining this child’s suffering during her last days of life alone is truly horrifying, and we will do everything in our power to seek justice on her behalf.”
via CBS News
In a plea deal, Candelario agreed to plead guilty to aggravated murder in exchange for two murder counts and a felonious assault charge being dropped. She faces life in prison, and as of this report, her sentence was expected to be read on March 18, 2024, in a Cuyahoga County court.