Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised .
On June 16th, 2023, police responded to a chilling 911 call from Kristel Candelario, claiming she found her 16-month-old daughter Jailyn lifeless. But behind the grieving mother’s facade lay a horrifying reality: Jailyn had been left alone for 10 unimaginable days as Kristel vacationed in Puerto Rico, partying with friends and enjoying cocktails on the beach.
what does it mean to be a parent,protection ,love,care but on one quiet morning in cleveland that promise was shattered.
inside a smal house ,police uncovered a site they would never forget .the lifeless body of 16 months old jailyn candelario.
her small frame was weak,her skin cold but the truth horror wasn’t just that she was gone..
it was the unthinkable truth of who was responsible.
this is the story of baby jailyn candelario a child who never stood a chance.
it was june 16th 2023 when police responded to a frantic 911 call from a 31 year old kristel candelario who claimed she had woken up to find her daughter jailyn not breathing.
but what the officer’s saw inside was worse than any nightmare.
jailyn’s play pen had become a prison,the blankets and liner were stiff with urine and feces the smell was suffocating, the space meant to keep her safe had become her cage.
lying there was jailyn, he small body was still and lifeless, her sunken eyes told a story of suffering that no child sould ever experience.
kristel focused the conversation on jailyn’s health subtly suggesting it was the reason for her passing, if kristel had been home the entire time as she claims why then does jailyn’s frail body and the filthy state of her surroundings tell such a different story
and if crystal knew jailyn was in pain the night before why didn’t she take her to the hospital right then and there, right away something about kristel’s story didn’t feel right.
investigators followed the trail of her lies and they didn’t have to look far, they pulled her travel records and checked nearby surveillance footage.
what they uncovered was nothing like the story kristel told the officers ,in reality she had been on vacation with her boyfriend and another friend from june 6 to june 16th.
for 10 days jailyn was left alone,no babysitter ,no family, no one.
on june 6th 2023 kristel was captured leaving her house with a suitcase in her hand without jailyn .
on the third day a neighbors dorrbell camera captured the sound jailyn’s desperite cries for help her voice grew weaker then it stopped, while jailyn sat alone helpless.
kristel was living her best life, smiling on the beaches of puerto rico.
coctails by the pool ,laughter with friends,when her puerto rico trip ended she didn’t go home instead she flew to detroit for even more fun.
meanwhile back at home jailyn was still trapped,hungry terrified alone.
CCTV footage finally captured crystal returning home on june 16th 2023-10 days after she left.
when she returned home she found baby jailyn’s lifeless body.
but instead of calling 911 right away, she took the time to change jailyn’s clothes first.
by the time she finally called 911 it was already too late, jailyn’s lips were dry, her sunken eyes told the story of unimagble suffering.
her body showed signs of severe malnourishment, herr little fingers were caked with filth some of it under her nails, some of it in her mouth.
jailyn’s tiny body weight seven pounds less then it had at her last doctor’s visit.
on june 18th,2023 detective’s showed up at kristel’s ex-husbands house.
kristel claims she had just returned from hospital after a panic attack a move seemingly aimed at gaining sympathy,but this time the detectives weren’t falling for it.
then detectives then chose to speak privately with kristel’s ex-husband.
the detective revealed the heartbreaking condition baby jailyn was found in but the ex-husband showed little emotion.
before she knew it kristel was arrested on charges of child endangement. during questioning kristal initially clung to her story.
after hours of relentless interrogation and repeated lies kristel was close to finally confessing the truth , detectives made it clear they had a precise timeline of when crystal left her house and when she returned.
she claimed she packed in a rush barely thinking ,but that didn’t explain why jailyn was left behind with nothing but a few bottles of milk.
it also didn’t explain why neighbors reported seeing kristel abandoned jailyn before.
in february 2024 kristel pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and child endangerment.
her parents beg the court for leniency blaming mental health struggles,they claimed she was unwell and not in her right mind.
but the court wasn’t convinced.
on march 18th 2024 ,kristel candelario was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
the case sent shock waves through the nation.
how could a mother choose coctails over her child?
jailyn’s story stands as agrim reminder of what happens when love and protection are abandoned.
they say it takes a village to raise a child but sometimes it only takes one person to destroy them.
jailyn never had a village,she barely had one person to lean on .
but even that one person walked away , leaving her behind alone ,abandoned ,forgotten…..