A Cleveland woman was sentenced to life in prison without parole for leaving her 16-month-old daughter home alone for 10 days while she went on vacation.
The toddler, Jailyn, died of starvation and dehydration.
An autopsy found feces under her fingernails and on her teeth, indicating extreme suffering over about a week.
“Just as you didn’t let Jailyn out of her confinement, so too you should spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom,” Judge Brendan Sheehan said.
The mother, Kristel Candelario, initially lied about caring for her daughter, who was ill, before finding her unresponsive.
Security video showed Candelario leaving with a suitcase and returning 10 days later.
“Candelario placed more importance on a vacation in Puerto Rico with her boyfriend than the health, safety and well-being of her own daughter,” Cleveland Police Sgt. Teresa Gomez said.
“Jailyn died a long and painful death, afraid and alone, while her mother enjoyed the beach and sun,” Gomez said.
“They were narcissistic, selfish, abhorrent — absolutely worst parenting imaginable,” defense attorney Derek Smith said.
“I am not trying to justify my actions, but nobody knew how much I was suffering and what I was going through,” Candelario said.
While Candelario claimed mental illness, the judge said this was the “ultimate act of betrayal” and “worst parenting imaginable,” showing no remorse in covering up her crime, rather than saving her daughter with a phone call.
“Despite all of her suffering, that little baby persevered, waiting for someone to save her. And you could have done that with a simple phone call,” Judge Sheehan said.
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