An Ohio mom has been sentenced to life in prison for the death of her toddler after she left her home alone for 10 days last summer.
Kristel Candelario, 32, was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole for the aggravated murder of her 16-month-old daughter Jailyn, who died when Candelario went on vacation in June 2023, the Cuyahoga County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
The sentencing comes after Candelario pleaded guilty in February to one count of aggravated murder in connection with the death of her toddler and one count of child endangerment, according to online Cuyahoga County court records.
Candelario was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of her little girl, Jailyn.
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Mom who left toddler home alone for 10 days to go on Caribbean vacation pleads guilty to murder
Candelario left her 16-month-old daughter unattended at her Cleveland home from June 6 to June 16, 2023, prosecutors said in a statement.
When she returned to the house around 8:00 a.m., she found her daughter unresponsive and called the police, who later pronounced the child dead at the scene. Jailyn was discovered “in a Pack-N-Play pen on a urine and feces-stained pad with soiled blankets,” according to the release.
The child died of starvation and severe dehydration due to pediatric neglect, Dr. Elizabeth Mooney, Cuyahoga County deputy medical examiner, said in court Monday, according to NBC News. According to Mooney, the 16-month-old baby was thin, “weighing 13 pounds, 7 pounds less than at her last doctor’s visit less than two months ago.”
Child dies in Ohio after mom allegedly left child home alone for 10 days to go on vacation
After an investigation, Candelario was found to have gone on vacation to Detroit and Puerto Rico because she had left her child at home. She was arrested on June 17 and charged with murder and related crimes.
Cuyahoga County District Attorney Michael C. O’Malley said of Candelari’s sentencing: “Today we remember Jailyn — a beautiful little girl who was taken from this world because of her mother’s unimaginable selfishness. 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 for parenting.”
U.S. District Court Judge Brendan Sheehan told Candelario she had committed the “highest treason” during Monday’s sentencing, ABC News reported.
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Candelario, who reportedly struggles with depression and other mental health issues, responded: “I’m in so much pain about losing my baby, Jailyn.”
“I’m very hurt by everything that happened. I’m not trying to justify my actions, but no one knew how much I suffered and what I was going through… God and my daughter have forgiven me.”
According to local station WEWS-TV, Candelario was fired from her construction substitute position at Citizens Academy Glenville’s Cleveland Elementary School following her arrest last year.
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Source: HIS Education