CLEVELAND — Kristel Candelario, the 32-year-old Cleveland mom facing multiple charges in her daughter's death after allegedly leaving the 16-month-old girl home alone to go on vacation, has pleaded guilty to aggravated murder.
The plea was announced by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley on Thursday. Candelario will be sentenced on March 18 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
O'Malley's office says Candelario left her daughter, Jailyn, unattended for 10 days at her residence near Lorain Avenue and West 97th Street back on June 6, 2023. Upon returning, Candelario found Jailyn unresponsive and called the police. The Cleveland Division of Police and the Cleveland Division of Fire responded to the scene and Jailyn was pronounced dead.
"The 16-month-old child was extremely dehydrated at the time of death. The 16-month-old child was discovered in a Pack-N-Play pin on a liner soiled with urine and feces with soiled blankets," the prosecutor's office added.
Homicide detectives from the Cleveland Division of Police discovered that Candelario had left her daughter alone and unattended for those 10 days to vacation in Detroit and Puerto Rico.
Candelario was indicted on the following charges in June 2023:
- One count of aggravated murder
- Two counts of murder
- One count of felonious assault
- One count of endangering children
Her bond was set at $1 million
As part of her agreement with prosecutors, Candelario pled guilty to aggravated murder and endangering children.
“This case is one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come,” said O’Malley in a statement. “As prosecutors, 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 towards justice for Jailyn.”
3News' Ryan Haidet contributed to this story.
Previous Reporting:
- $1 million bond set for Cleveland mom charged in 16-month-old daughter's death after allegedly leaving child home alone to go on vacation
- Grand jury indicts Cleveland woman accused of leaving 16-month-old to die while going on vacation
- Cleveland police: 16-month-old girl dies after mother left her alone for more than a week to go on vacation