A mother from Ohio has been charged with the murder of her 16-month-old daughter, after allegedly leaving her home alone for 10 days while she went on vacation.
Kristel Candelario is said to have told police she left her daughter Jailyn 'at home, all alone and unattended', as she travelled to Michigan and Puerto Rico.
It wasn't until she returned home to find her 'extremely dehydrated' that she alerted authorities.
The little girl tragically died at the scene, a press release from the Cleveland Police Department reports.
Advert
The 31-year-old was arrested and charged with murder on June 18, two days after returning home to the toddler, NBC News reports.
Police reports seen by the news outlet claim Jailyn had been left in a playpen, which was found to be filled with 'soiled blankets and a bottom liner, saturated with urine and feces'.
Cleveland Police Department stated the young girl was pronounced dead at the scene, noting there were 'no signs of trauma'.
Advert
The press release went on to say that investigations from the County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded "the child had been left alone and unattended for approximately 10 days and had subsequently died."
Candelario's neighbours have since revealed the mom had previously asked them to take care of the toddler and they couldn't understand why she hadn't reached out for their help in this instance.
"There were so many people here," they said. "She could have knocked on any of our doors and asked us to take Jailyn."
Advert
A 13-year-old neighbour told WKYC: "Jailyn really didn’t deserve what happened to her. She was amazing and really adorable, and I miss her a lot."
Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, told News5 they had been left in disbelief at the passing of the girl.
They said: "Jailyn, she was a happy baby, always smiling, always curious about stuff. She was a wonderful, wonderful baby."
Another neighbour claimed this wasn't the first time Jailyn had been left alone by her mother.
Advert
"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," they said.
Citizens Academy Glenville, where Candelario was employed, have since released a statement announcing her termination, following news of her arrest.
The Cleveland resident is now being held at the Cuyahoga County Jail, with her bond set at $1 million.
Advert
At this stage it remains unclear whether she has entered a plea or appointed an attorney to represent her.
Emma Rosemurgey