Kristel Candelario, a woman from Ohio, in the United States, was sentenced to life in prison for murder after leaving her daughter alone at home and going on vacation. The crime was committed in June 2023 when the woman, now 32 years old, left her 16-month-old daughter Jailyn alone for ten days.
According to the prosecution, she left her daughter unattended in a playpen on June 6 and only returned home on June 16. Upon arriving home and realizing that the child was unresponsive, she called emergency services, but the baby was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy revealed that she died of starvation and severe dehydration.
County Common Pleas Court Judge Brendan Sheehan said Candelario committed the “ultimate betrayal” by leaving his daughter. “Just as you did not let Jailyn out of her confinement, you should also spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom,” he said when delivering the sentence last Monday (18.03), according to ABC TV. “The only difference will be that the prison will at least feed you and give you the liquid you denied it.”
Candelario, who reportedly struggled with depression and mental health issues, defended himself. “I feel a lot of pain regarding the loss of my baby, Jailyn. I am extremely sad about everything that happened. I’m not trying to justify my actions, but no one knew how much I was suffering and what I was going through,” she said, adding, “God and my daughter forgave me.”
Following the sentencing, prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley released a statement. “Today, we remember Jailyn – a beautiful girl who was taken from this world due to her mother’s unimaginable selfishness. The idea of going on vacation for 10 days and leaving your child to starve is a new low in parenting.”
According to authorities, during the days she spent away from home, the mother traveled through Detroit, Michigan and Puerto Rico.
