Mother who left her toddler home alone and went 10 day vacation sentenced to life in prison

The killer Kristel Candelario

A mother in US who left her 16-month-old daughter home alone and went on a 10 day vacation sentenced to life in prison.

32-year-old Kristel Candelario, a former elementary school worker, left Detroit for vacation in Puerto Rico, leaving her daughter home alone.

The baby girl was found soiled with urine and feces in her playpen when Candelario finally returned.The baby, Jailyn, died of starvation and dehydration.

When in court, Candelario tried being the victim and said she was suffering from depression.

"I’m extremely hurt about everything that happened. I am not trying to justify my actions, but nobody knew how much I was suffering and what I was going through."

Candelario was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

According to Daily Mail report, the charges came after Candelario shared pictures of herself posing on a Caribbean beach as she enjoyed a vacation, while her baby was left completely alone at her home. 

Candelario had pleaded guilty last month to aggravated murder and child endangerment as part of a plea deal with Cuyahoga County prosecutors, who dismissed two murder counts and a felonious assault charge. 

When she returned from her 10 days of travelling in June 2023, found her toddler in her playpen and not breathing. 

She called 911 and emergency responders found the child laying in a pile of her own filth and was 'extremely dehydrated'. The toddler was pronounced dead shortly after they arrived.