Mum who left toddler alone in playpen for 10 days pleads guilty to aggravated murder

A mother who left her young daughter at home in a playpen for 10 days while she went on holiday has pleaded guilty to aggravated murder.

Kristel Candelario, 32, left 16-month-old Jailyn while she travelled to Detroit and Puerto Rico in June 2023.

Candelario. from Ohio, also pleaded guilty to child endangerment as part of a plea deal with Cuyahoga County prosecutors, who agreed to dismiss two murder counts and a felonious assault charge.

She faces a life term when sentenced next month.

The authorities say Candelario left Jailyn in their Cleveland home when she went on holiday.

When she returned 10 days later, she found the toddler was not breathing in the playpen and called 911.

Emergency responders found the child was “extremely dehydrated” and pronounced her dead shortly after they arrived.

An autopsy by the Cuyahoga County medical examiner’s office determined that the toddler had died of starvation and severe dehydration.

“This case is one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come,” Michael C O’Malley, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor, said.

“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.”

Candelario will be sentenced on 18 March.

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