A Cleveland woman has been charged with murder after allegedly leaving her 16-month-old child unattended for over a week while she went on vacation.
According to an affidavit from Cleveland Municipal Court, Kristel Candelario, found her daughter, Jailyn, unresponsive at their home on West 97th Street last Friday morning, June 16 after her return home.
Jailyn was pronounced dead at the scene, and investigators noted severe dehydration as a contributing factor.
Authorities revealed that Candelario confessed to leaving Jailyn alone without care inside the house while she traveled to Puerto Rico and Detroit for a total of eight days. Disturbingly, officials observed Jailyn’s play bin filled with soiled blankets and a saturated bottom liner, indicating the presence of urine and feces.
The news of the baby’s death and Candelario’s subsequent arrest on Sunday, June 18, devastated neighbors residing on 97th Street in Cleveland. Suleym, 13, and her mother, Iris, who chose not to disclose their last name, shared their connection with Jailyn. They first encountered the child in August 2022 when Candelario asked if they could care for her over the weekend. However, days turned into weeks, and Candelario neglected to retrieve Jailyn, avoiding their calls or offering excuses for her absence.
Iris recounted her pleas for help, stating, “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?” They eventually took on the responsibility of caring for Jailyn for a month and a half and continued to watch over her on several occasions.
Suleym expressed her love for Jailyn, referring to her as a sister. Overwhelmed with sadness, she said, “Jailyn really didn’t deserve what happened to her. She was amazing and really adorable, and I miss her a lot.”
The neighbors expressed their wishes that Candelario had reached out to them for assistance instead of leaving Jailyn alone, as stated in court records. Iris declared, “I wish for her to pay for what she did to her daughter.”
Candelario made an appearance in court for the arraignment on Tuesday, June 20. She is currently held at the Cuyahoga County Jail on a $1 million bond, with her next court date scheduled for June 28 at 8:30 am.