An Ohio murderess shared photos of herself enjoying a Caribbean beach break…after leaving her baby daughter home alone to die of hunger and thirst in her play pen.
Kristel Candelario, 32, now faces life in prison after pleading guilty to the aggravated murder of her baby daughter Jailyn, but appeared less than concerned when she jetted off to Puerto Rico.
In one image shared three days into her daughter’s 10-day fatal abandonment, she is seen smiling on a white sandy beach in sunglasses and a white shirt, which she captioned: ‘The time that is enjoyed is the true time lived.’
At the same time, her 16-month-old baby lay dead in a pile of her own filth, and the Cayuhoga County medical examiner’s office determined that the toddler had died of starvation and severe dehydration.
At the conclusion of her plea deal this week, prosecutors described her actions as ‘one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come.’
Kristel Candelario, 32, beamed as she posed on a Puerto Rican beach in an image posted three days into her daughter’s ten-day abandonment which she captioned: ‘The time that is enjoyed is the true time lived’
In another picture taken from her cold-blooded holiday, Candelario donned jean shorts and a ‘Mandalorian’ Star Wars t-shirt as she appeared to visit a Star Wars theme park
At the same time as her tropical vacation, her 16-month-old baby Jailyn lay dead in a pile of her own filth, and medical examiners determined that the toddler had died of starvation and severe dehydration
In another picture taken from her cold-blooded holiday, Candelario donned jean shorts and a ‘Mandalorian’ Star Wars t-shirt as she appeared to visit a Star Wars theme park.
She beamed from ear to ear in the image, despite the horror she later admitted to leaving behind in her home in Cleveland, Ohio.
Prosecutors said she abandoned Jailyn in her Pack-N-Play pen in June 2023, whisking away for trip to Detroit and Puerto Rico.
She made the trips with her older daughter, and it is unclear why Candelario did not ask anyone to help her care for her child while she was traveling.
After 10 days of sunning herself on the beach and enjoying the local attractions, she returned to her home on June 16 to find her daughter not breathing.
Paramedics and Cleveland police tragically pronounced the one-year-old dead at the scene, and prosecutors said the child was discovered ‘on a liner soiled with urine and feces with soiled blankets.’
After the shocking autopsy ruling over her daughter’s condition, Candelario was indicted on charges of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, felonious assaults and endangering children.
The two murder counts and felony assault charges were dropped in her plea deal this week, in exchange for pleading guilty to aggravated murder and child endangerment.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, announcing the plea on Thursday, said: ‘This case is one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come.
‘As prosecutors, it is our job to represent the victims and today we spoke on behalf of 16-month-old Jailyn – who is no longer with us – due to the selfish decisions her mother made.
‘This conviction today, is the first step towards justice for Jailyn.’
Candelario, 32, now faces life in prison after pleading guilty to the aggravated murder and endangerment of her baby daughter
The Ohio mom returned from her 10-day jaunt to her home in Cleveland, Ohio (pictured) to find Jailyn was not breathing
Prosecutors said the child was found dead ‘on a liner soiled with urine and feces with soiled blankets’
Candelario’s attorneys, Derek Smith and Patrick Milligan, declined to go into details about the plea deal, according to Cleveland.com.
‘This was a real emotional day for our client. She has taken responsibility for what she did, and she is remorseful,’ Milligan said.
‘There will be mitigating issues that come up at sentencing that we will address. Hopefully, people will realize that she is not the monster that some see her as.’
The defense attorneys said Candelario suffered from mental health issues but refused to provide further information.
A neighbor also revealed that this was not the first time Candelario had left her baby daughter home alone.
An acquaintance told News5 Cleveland: ‘We keep telling her not to leave her by herself, not just me, my friend across the street too, but she always leave her by herself.’
Another female neighbor, who was not identified, told CNN that Jailyn was ‘always a happy baby’ and was ‘always smiling.’
A neighbor revealed that this was not the first time Candelario had left her baby daughter home alone, claiming she would ‘always leave her by herself’
At the conclusion of her plea deal this week, prosecutors described her actions as ‘one of those truly unimaginable cases that will stick with me for many years to come’
The neighbor’s daughter said there were ‘plenty of people’ around to have watched the baby, saying: ‘She could have knocked on any of our doors and asked us to take care of Jailyn and we would have.’
‘When they told us the state they found her in, I was just heartbroken,’ the teenage neighbor told CNN.
Candelario had previously worked as a building substitute at Citizen Academy Glenville, an elementary school in Cleveland.
She had been in that role since November 2022, but was fired after her arrest.
The school issued a statement announcing her termination, WEWS-TV reported.
According to officials with Children and Family Services, there is no record of any previous cases involving Candelario.