An Ohio mother who allegedly left her baby at home alone while she vacationed in the Caribbean has been charged with her daughter’s death.
According to police, Kristel Candelario left her 16-month-old daughter, Jailyn, alone for 10 days while she vacationed in Puerto Rico and Detroit. The child reportedly died as a result of the alleged abandonment.
Police responded to Candelario’s Cleveland home on June 16, to a report of unknown trouble. Upon arrival, EMS was on the scene, and Jailyn was pronounced dead. Now neighbors are speaking out and law enforcement investigators as well as her place of work, are trying to understand why the mother did it.
Candelario admitted to leaving her daughter alone.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by NBC News, Detective Thelemon Powell Jr. wrote that Candelario said she left the child “at home, all alone and unattended.” Candelario told police when she returned from her trip last week, which was originally believed to be eight days, but not authorities say was 10, she found her daughter “extremely dehydrated.” And, according to Powell, her playpen was soiled with urine and feces.
Jailyn’s body was taken to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
Although no signs of trauma were observed, homicide detectives were brought to the scene. Further investigation led to the realization that Candelario left Jailyn alone for nearly two weeks, and that she had subsequently died. An official cause of death has not been released.
Neighbors allege Candelario had left Jailyn before.
Candelarios’ neighbors, Suleym and Iris, who didn’t share their last names, told WKYC that Candelario had asked them to watch her baby before. When they agreed to watch her for a weekend, they claim Candelario had disappeared for weeks.
“I was the one calling her saying, ‘Look I need milk. I need money. I don’t have money to buy milk for your baby.’ What am I supposed to do?” Iris said.
She told the outlet they watched her for a month and a half and several other times afterward. Iris said she was with them so much Jailyn called her “Mama.”
“Jailyn really didn’t deserve what happened to her. She was amazing and really adorable and I miss her a lot,” she said.
Candelario’s former employer is investigating.
News 5 Cleveland discovered she worked at Hope Academy Northcoast as an instructional aide during the 2019-2020 school year and then at Citizens Academy Glenville since the fall of 2020.
Jayah J Watters-Clark, managing director of communications for The Breakthrough Schools, released a statement regarding their former employee.
“Based on recent reports regarding charges brought against Kristel Candelario, a building substitute at Citizens Academy Glenville, since November of 2022, we have terminated her employment effective immediately,” the statement reads.
“We are conducting an internal review to determine if there were any complaints of improper conduct during her tenure at Breakthrough Public Schools. As public servants and educators, our top priority remains fostering safe learning environments for our scholars and community. We join all of Cleveland in grieving this terrible loss.”
Candelario is currently in jail.
She is being held on a $1 million bond in the Cuyahoga County Jail. She is due in court on June 28. It is unknown now if she has retained an attorney or entered a plea.
