An Ohio woman, Kristel Candelario, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after her 16-month-old daughter, Jailyn, died due to starvation and severe dehydration while she was left alone for over a week during her mother’s vacation trip to Detroit and Puerto Rico.

Candelario left for vacation June 6 and left Jailyn alone, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office said. When she returned on June 16, she found Jailyn dead and called police, authorities said.

“Every day I ask forgiveness from God and from my daughter Jailyn,” Candelario expressed remorsefully during her sentencing. She also asked forgiveness from her other daughter and from her parents.

Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley condemned Candelario’s actions as “unimaginable selfishness,” emphasizing the suffering endured by Jailyn during her mother’s absence.

“Humanity can’t stomach that,” remarked Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Anna Faraglia, highlighting the horrific nature of the case. “She abandoned her daughter and left her for dead.”

Jailyn died of starvation and severe dehydration due to pediatric neglect, Dr. Elizabeth Mooney, deputy Cuyahoga County medical examiner, said in court Monday. The manner was ruled homicide.

The child was extremely dehydrated and was emaciated, weighing 13 pounds, which was a decrease of 7 pounds from her last doctor’s visit less than two months prior, Mooney said.

Dr. Elizabeth Mooney, the deputy Cuyahoga County medical examiner, described Jailyn’s death as “one of the most tragic and unfortunate cases I’ve had in my career thus far.”

Despite Candelario’s emotional struggles as a single mother, Judge Brendan Sheehan emphasized the severity of her neglect and betrayal of basic human responsibilities.

“This stunned people across this world, because it defies one of the basic human responsibilities,” Judge Sheehan remarked, calling it “the ultimate act of betrayal.”

Credit: NBC News