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CNN reported that Candelario pleaded guilty last month to one count of aggravated murder and one count of child endangering.
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Candelario was sentenced to life in prison.
Image: THE STAR
Jailyn, a baby 16 month old, died after her mother left for a ten-day vacation in Puerto Rico, CNN reported.
The mother, Kristel Candelario had left Jailyn alone in a playpen with a few bottles of milk, prosecutors said according to CNN.
"A neighbour’s doorbell camera captured the 16-month-old’s frequent screams, including one around 1 a.m. two days after her mother left," CNN said.
According to authorities, Candelario was in Puerto Rico with a male friend.
"She returned home on June 16 last year (2023) to find her daughter dead. She’d been gone for about 10 days."
CNN reported that Candelario pleaded guilty last month to one count of aggravated murder and one count of child endangering.
Candelario was sentenced to life in prison.
Forensic pathologist Elizabeth Mooney during Candelario's sentencing told a Cleveland courtroom that children experience the most extreme separation anxiety between nine and 18 months.
“The pain and suffering she endured lasted not only hours, not days, but possibly even a week,” Mooney said, fighting back tears as reported by CNN.
The pathologist said the feeling of abandonment for days on end, coupled with the pain of starvation and extreme thirst is a type of suffering "I don’t think any of us could ever fully fathom.”
Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Anna Faraglia, played a security video of the mother before going to vacation and coming back, showing that Candelario called 911 after she returned.
“Please I need help,” she wailed.
According to CNN, Candelario had dressed Jailyn in a clean outfit before emergency responders arrived.
"The change of clothes did not hide the horrors the girl had gone through."
Prosecutor Faraglia said the baby was found lying on a mattress covered in urine and faeces.
Pathologist Mooney said the girl was emaciated, with sunken eyes, dry lips and faecal matter in her mouth and fingernails.
"She weighed seven pounds less than she had at her last doctor’s visit two months earlier," Mooney said.
Investigators said Candelario had left Jailyn alone again for two days just before she went on vacation.
Candelario’s parents pleaded with the judge for mercy stating that their daughter had battled health struggles, including mental health illness and fainting spells.
"When my daughter stopped taking medication, it worsened her depression and anxiety, and contributed to her inability to make sound decisions," Candelario's mother said as reported by CNN.