Mum left toddler home alone to die while she went on holiday

Daily Record

2 days ago

Kristel Candelario's baby Jailyn tragically died in her playpen after screaming for days.
A mum who was jailed for life after leaving her baby home alone while she went on holiday has spoken out from her prison cell.
‌
Kristel Candelario left 16-month-old Jailyn by herself at her home in Cleveland, Ohio, for 10 days in June 2023. She was left in her playpen with only a few bottles of milk.
‌
When she returned from her trip to Michigan and Puerto Rico, she found the tot unresponsive and called emergency services. Jailyn was "extremely dehydrated" and covered in faeces and urine inside the dirty playpen.
‌
She was tragically pronounced dead after police attended, with investigators branding the case as the most harrowing they had dealt with during their careers, the Mirror reports.
Candelario admitted she had "committed a diabolical act" and ultimately pleaded guilty to one charge of aggravated murder and another of child endangerment. She was sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of release.
She has since told her side of the story, revealing she had suffered from mental health issues in the months leading up to her daughter's death.
‌
Speaking from the Cleveland prison where she is serving her sentence, she told NBC News she had been admitted to hospital in January and February 2023 due to her mental health.
She told the outlet: "For that reason, I was in the hospital without being able to walk for exactly almost two weeks. And in the month of March, I mean, my [now] ex-boyfriend and I wanted to take a vacation."
She claimed to have told him she would leave Jailyn being looked after by her mother. She added that her mental state was behind her sudden decision to travel: "Actually, I left for the trip as a result of an impulse that I had, that I took, grabbed my four things, and ran out of the house like when someone is being chased.
‌
'It's not that at that moment I thought that, 'Ah, I was going to Puerto Rico ... I was going to be super comfortable.' No, I never thought that. I simply wanted to get away from a life of stress, depression, and anxiety. I didn't want to continue living, because I had had a lot of problems in my life.'
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
When her then-boyfriend asked about her daughter, she told him she was fine, recalling: "When he mentioned [the girl] to me, it was like when someone reminds you of someone who's not with you at that moment."
‌
She considered asking a neighbour to check on her but never did, which she now sees as a "mistake". Her parents believed she was still at home with her, while they took their own trip with her older daughter, aged seven at the time.
Recalling the moment she found Jailyn unresponsive, Candelario said: 'That's when my world fell apart. Not because maybe I was thinking about going to prison. That's the least important thing, because one is an adult and one can accept one's mistakes. [I was in] despair. I felt she could be saved; things didn't have to happen that way because my daughter was doing well, I always took care of her.'
CNN reported during her sentencing that the court was told how the tot's screams were picked up by a neighbour's doorbell camera. Forensic pathologist Elizabeth Mooney explained: 'The pain and suffering she endured lasted not only hours, not days, but possibly even a week.
‌
"This feeling of abandonment for days on end, coupled with the pain of starvation and extreme thirst, is a type of suffering I don't think any of us could ever fully fathom.'
Passing sentence, Judge Brendan Sheehan told Candelario: 'The bond between a mother and a child is one of the most purest and most sacred bonds. It's a relationship built on love, trust, and unwavering protection. … You committed the ultimate act of betrayal.
'That little baby persevered, waiting for someone to save her. And you could have done that with a simple phone call. Instead, I see photos of you on a beach while your child was eating her own faeces in an attempt to survive.'
He added: 'Just as you didn't let Jailyn out of her confinement until she died, so too you should spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom. The only difference is that prison will at least feed you.'
If you're strugglin g and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [e-mail] or visit their site to find your local branch.