A mother in the United States has been charged with murder after her infant daughter was left home alone for over a week and died while she went on holiday.
Kristel Candelario, 31, was arrested and charged after her 16-month-old Jailyn was found dead in their Cleveland, Ohio, home on June 16.
Cleveland Police said in a statement there were no signs of trauma and a further investigation found the infant had been left alone and unattended for about 10 days.
Candelario was on holiday in Puerto Rico and Detroit, Michigan, NBC News reported.
She later admitted to police she had left her daughter "at home, all alone and unattended" and when she returned from her holiday, she found Jailyn "extremely dehydrated".
Jailyn's playpen "consisted of soiled blankets and a bottom liner, saturated with urine and faeces," an affidavit said.
Neighbours told local news outlet WKYC that Candelario had asked them to take care of Jailyn in the past and were unsure why she hadn't reached out to them for help again.
"Jailyn really didn't deserve what happened to her. She was amazing and really adorable and I miss her a lot," a 13-year-old neighbour said.
The police investigation into Jailyn's death is ongoing.
