OAN’s Abril Elfi
1:19 PM – Sunday, February 25, 2024
An Ohio mother has pleaded guilty after leaving her 16-month-old daughter starving to death for 10 days while she went on vacation to Puerto Rico.
Kristel Candelario, 32, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder on Thursday after she abandoned her daughter, Jaylin, to go on a 10-day vacation.
Three days into her trip, Candelario shared photos of her on Facebook at a beach in Puerto Rico with the caption, “The time that is enjoyed is the true time lived.”
A few days later, Candelario finally made it back to her Cleveland home, where she discovered her daughter unconscious in her playpen and immediately dialed 9-1-1.
According to an affidavit, the infant had been left to rot in a pile that “consist[ed of] soiled blankets and a bottom liner, saturated with urine and feces.”
Jailyn’s cause of death was later determined by autopsy to be starvation and dehydration.
As part of a plea agreement that included the dismissal of two more murder counts and one count of felonious assault, Candelario entered a guilty plea this week to the charges of aggravated murder and child endangerment.
“This case is one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said Thursday. “This conviction today is the first step towards justice for Jailyn.”
Candelario now faces life in prison, and she will be sentenced on March 18th.
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