The Cleveland mother accused of leaving her 16-month-old daughter home alone for more than a week while she vacationed entered a not guilty plea Thursday morning and was ordered held on a $1 million bond.
Kristel Candelario, 31, had already been charged but was formally indicted this week on charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, and endangering children, WOIO reported.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Candelario told investigators she was in Detroit and Puerto Rico between June 6 and June 16 and found her daughter Jailyn unresponsive when she returned. Investigators found the little girl “extremely dehydrated” and said he playpen, where she was found, was packed with “soiled blankets and a bottom liner, saturated with urine and feces.”
“It is unfathomable that a mother would leave her 16-month-old child alone without any supervision for 10 days to go on a vacation,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “As parents, we are supposed to protect and care for our children. Imagining this child’s suffering, during her last days of life alone, is truly horrifying and we will do everything in our power to seek justice on her behalf.”
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Candelario is ordered to return to court on July 5.
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Featured image: Kristel Candelario/Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office]
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