A mother from Kansas City, Missouri, Mariah Thomas, has been charged with a felony after allegedly causing the d*ath of her 1-month-old baby by placing her in an oven. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced the charges in a press release on 10 Feb.
Police responded to a 911 call reporting a non-breathing infant on 9 Feb and found the baby with apparent burns. Thomas claimed that she had mistakenly put the child in the oven instead of the crib while putting her down for a nap.
The Kansas City Fire Department, also at the scene, pronounced the baby d*ad. A criminal complaint described the infant as found in a car seat in the living room near the front door, with thermal injuries on various parts of her body. The baby was clothed in a bodysuit over a diaper, which appeared to have melted onto the diaper due to burns.
Additionally, a baby blanket with burn marks was discovered on the property. Before contacting the police, the baby’s grandfather returned home, noticing the smell of smoke, and later found the baby d*ad in her crib.
According to a report from the Daily Express US, an arrest warrant indicated that the child’s clothes were charred and fused into her diaper, with the home emitting a smell of smoke. A burnt baby blanket was also discovered at the scene. However, the warrant did not offer further explanation on how such a tragic mistake occurred.
Additional details surrounding the incident remain undisclosed, although a family friend mentioned to the media that mental health may have played a role.
Thomas faces a Class A felony charge of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the 1st Degree, D*ath of a Child. If convicted, she could face a minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment. It’s currently unknown if Thomas has legal representation to provide a comment on her behalf.
