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An Ohio mother has been charged with murder in the death of her 16-month-old daughter after reportedly leaving the infant home for over a week while she went on vacation without her.
Cops say Kristel Candelario, 31, admitted to leaving the little girl, Jailyn, at their Cleveland home alone for eight days, “all alone and unattended.”
An affidavit obtained by WKYC shows she had traveled without the child to vacation in Puerto Rico and Detroit. The child was not left without any food or water.
When she returned home around June 16, Candelario reportedly found Jailyn unconscious and “extremely dehydrated,” she told investigators.
The infant’s body was allegedly located in a state of disarray, authorities added.
“(The girl’s playpen had) soiled blankets and a bottom liner, saturated with urine and feces,” per the affidavit.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, a press release from the Cleveland Police Department reads.
Neighbors were left speechless upon learning the news.
“Jailyn really didn’t deserve what happened to her. She was amazing and really adorable, and I miss her a lot,” a 13-year-old neighbor told the outlet.
Several told WKYC that in the past, Candelario had asked them to look after Jailyn and didn’t understand why she wouldn’t have asked for their help again.
A woman who asked only to be identified by her first name, Suleym, was one of those neighbors who cared for Jailyn while Candelario would be away. She said the young mother sometimes would go days and weeks without contacting them while Suleym watched the infant.
“We were absolutely heartbroken. We loved Jailyn a lot,” said Suleym.
Her daughter Iris, told WKYC: “I wish for her to pay for what she did to her daughter.”
WEWS-TV reports that Candelario has worked as a building substitute at a Cleveland elementary school since November 2022.
The school has since released a statement confirming that she has been fired, as reported by News 5 Cleveland.
“Based on recent reports regarding charges brought against Kristel Candelario, a building substitute at Citizens Academy Glenville, since November of 2022, we have terminated her employment effective immediately…”
Meanwhile, online court records for Ohio show Candelario is currently held on a $1 million bond, WKYC reports.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner has yet to determine Jailyn’s exact cause of death as of Friday (June 23). Her mother’s case is expected to eventually go to a grand jury, according to the outlet.
Her next court date is scheduled for June 28 at 8:30 a.m.
This is a developing story. Be sure to check back in with The Shade Room for more updates as they come.
