An Ohio mother has pleaded guilty to aggravated murder for leaving her 16-month-old daughter home alone in a filthy playpen during a 10-day vacation.
In June, 32-year-old Christel Candelario decided to leave her toddler, Jaylin, at home in Cleveland and fly to Detroit and then Puerto Rico.
When she returned 10 days later, she found the child not breathing in the playpen and called 911, where paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
The girl’s abandoned pack-and-play pen “consisted of a soiled blanket and padding and was soaked with urine and feces,” the affidavit states.
An autopsy determined Jaylin died of starvation and severe dehydration.
Candelario pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated murder and child endangerment charges as part of a plea deal that dropped two additional murder charges and a felony assault charge.
“This is one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stay with you for years to come,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said after the mother’s guilty plea.
“As prosecutors, it is our job to represent victims, and today we represent 16-month-old Jaylin, who is no longer with us because of a selfish decision made by her mother. O’Malley added.
“This guilty verdict today is the first step toward justice for Jaylin.”
Candelario’s attorney, Patrick Milligan, told cleveland.com that certain “mitigating issues” will be raised at next month’s sentencing, adding that Candelario has unspecified mental health issues. He hinted that he was holding it.
“I hope people understand that she’s not the monster that some people see her as,” he said.
Candelario could be sentenced to life in prison on March 18.
