After returning from her trip, the 32-year-old mother found the girl wasn’t breathing in the soiled playpen she left her in and called 911; her lawyers insist she’s not a “monster.”
An Ohio mother pleaded guilty this week to aggravated murder, after her 16-month-old daughter died while being left alone in their Cleveland home for 10 days while she went on vacation.
According to the AP, Kristel Candelario, 32, accepted a plea deal in which she pled guilty to the murder charge and one count of endangering children in the June 2023 death of daughter Jailyn. In exchange, two additional murder counts and a felonious assault charge were dropped.
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Per Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley, Candelario left her daughter “alone and unattended” in a Pack-N-Play playpen on June 6 and didn’t return home until June 16. After finding the child unresponsive when she returned home, she called 9-1-1; Jailyn was pronounced deceased at the scene. An autopsy revealed she died of starvation and severe dehydration.
The Cleveland Division of Police’s Homicide Unit investigated the death and found Candelario left the child unattended so she could vacation to Detroit, Michigan and then Puerto Rico.
“Jailyn was extremely dehydrated at the time of death,” reads a release from prosecutors. “Jailyn was discovered in a Pack-N-Play pen on a liner soiled with urine and feces and soiled blankets.”
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“This case is one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come,” O’Malley added in a statement. “It is our job to represent the victims, and today we spoke on behalf of 16-month-old Jailyn — who is no longer with us — due to the selfish decisions her mother made. This conviction today, is the first step toward justice for Jailyn.”
An attorney for Candelario told Cleveland.com that the hearing Thursday was “a real emotional day for our client.”
“She has taken responsibility for what she did, and she is remorseful. There will be mitigating issues that come up at sentencing that we will address,” said Patrick Milligan. “Hopefully, people will realize that she is not the monster that some see her as.”
Her lawyers also said she had mental health issues, but didn’t go into further details.
She faces life in prison without parole and will be sentenced on March 18.
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