Kristel A. Candelario during her sentencing hearing and Jailyn Candelario in WKYC screenshots.
A 32-year-old mother from Ohio has been sentenced to life in prison for killing the death of her 16-month-old daughter, who passed away from not eating and drinking. She left the child alone at home for over a week while she went on vacation in Puerto Rico. Judge Brendan J. Sheehan of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas ordered Kristel Candelario to spend the rest of her life in prison without the chance of parole for the 2023 death of her young daughter, Jailyn Candelario.
Candelario last month admitted guilt to aggravated murder and endangering the life of a child in her daughter’s terrible death.
At Monday’s hearing
Sheehan stated that he was sentencing Candelario to die in prison, just like she caused her daughter to die, but mentioned that the prison “will at least feed you and give you liquids, which you denied her.”
The hearing was broadcast live by Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC.
The sentence followed emotional testimony from several individuals involved in the investigation of Jailyn’s death.
Dr. Elizabeth Mooney, the forensic pathologist and deputy county medical examiner who carried out the autopsy on Jailyn, spoke in court Monday morning and described Jailyn’s death as one of the “most tragic and unfortunate cases” of her career.
Mooney mentioned that when Jailyn came to the medical examiner’s office, she only weighed 13 pounds, which meant she had lost over seven pounds since her last doctor’s visit less than two months prior.
“The eyes were sunken and she had temporal wasting in her face,” Mooney continued. She also noted that Jailyn had “an abundance” of fecal matter on her hands, feet, and in her mouth, and caked to her teeth, suggesting that the child ate her own waste.
The cause of death was ruled to be “starvation and severe dehydration due to pediatric neglect,” according to Mooney.
The doctor got emotional as she discussed the physical suffering that Jailyn went through while she was left alone to die.
“I believe that the pain and suffering she endured lasted not only hours, not days, but possibly even a week. This is a pain that comes from extreme thirst and hunger. It also stems from an inherent terror of isolation or an inherent lack of someone present to provide that,” Mooney said. “This feeling of abandonment for days on end, combined with the pain of starvation and extreme thirst is a type of suffering I don’t think any of us could ever fully understand.”
Prosecutors informed the court that they had tried numerous times to contact Jailyn’s extended family, highlighting that “absolutely no one” had returned a call or taken any action “to even acknowledge that Jailyn was a part of their family.” Therefore, the state stated that the courtroom was filled with law enforcement personnel who had worked on the case and had come to represent Jailyn.
Two investigators from the Cleveland Police Department spoke in court.
Sergeant Teresa Gomez from the Homicide Unit, visibly upset, spoke first, describing the case as extremely terrible.
Gomez expressed that Jailyn suffered a long and painful death while her mother was enjoying herself at the beach, and this tragic case will stick with her and others forever.
Candelario, speaking for herself, mentioned she was deeply hurt by the events and no one understood her suffering, but she believes that God and her daughter have forgiven her.
During the sentencing, Sheehan referred to the law enforcement members present and Dr. Mooney's testimony before accusing Candelario of the ultimate betrayal.
Sheehan described how Candelario chose to leave her baby in a horrific situation to have fun on her vacation, leading to a tragic outcome.
He continued to criticize Candelario, stating she could have saved Jailyn with a simple call but chose not to, leaving her trapped in a terrible situation.
He pointed out that Candelario appeared unconcerned about her child's well-being while enjoying herself at the beach.
Jailyn’s death
Previously, officers and EMS responders arrived at a residence on June 16, 2023, to find the caller, later identified as the child's mother, reporting the unresponsive child.
The child was declared dead, and investigators found no signs of injury but severe dehydration.
Police found the child's living area soiled with urine and feces.
Candelario admitted to leaving her toddler alone for 10 days while she went on vacation, as per the incident report.
An autopsy confirmed that the child had been left alone for around 10 days and subsequently died.