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Toddler dies after being left home alone while mom goes on vacation

The 31-year-old mother has been charged with murder.
Police car lights during daylight
Posted at 8:44 AM, Jun 21, 2023

A 31-year-old Cleveland mother has been charged for the death of her 16-month-old daughter she allegedly left alone for eight days while she vacationed in Puerto Rico and Detroit.

According to Cleveland Municipal Court records, the mother, Kristel A. Candelario, is charged with murder.

Authorities responded to the 3100 block of West 97th Street on June 16 after Candelario found her child unresponsive. She told police that she had left the 16-month-old at home alone while she went on vacation from June 8 to 16, court records state.

Police said the child's Pack 'n Play "consisted of soiled blankets and a bottom liner saturated with urine and feces," according to court records.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office hasn't said what the child's official cause of death was, but court records state she was "extremely dehydrated."

The mother is currently being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail in lieu of a $1 million bond.

This story was originally published by Drew Scofield at Scripps News Cleveland.

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