A mother from Kansas City, Missouri, named Mariah Thomas, has been charged with a felony following allegations that she placed her 1-month-old baby in an oven, resulting in the infant’s death, authorities reported.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker disclosed in a press release on Saturday that Thomas was accused of placing her newborn daughter in an oven earlier in the week.
Responding to a 911 call reporting an unresponsive infant on Friday, police arrived at the scene to find the child displaying “apparent burns,” as outlined in the release.
Authorities were informed that Thomas had mistakenly placed the child in the oven instead of her crib while attempting to put her down for a nap, according to the prosecutor.
The Kansas City Fire Department, also attending the incident, pronounced the baby dead at the location.
According to a criminal complaint, the 1-month-old infant was discovered “in the living room lying in a car seat just inside of the front door,” showing signs of “apparent thermal injuries on various parts of her body.”
“The baby was clothed in a bodysuit over a diaper. The clothing appeared to have melted onto the diaper, and it was very dirty, possibly burned on the backside,” the complaint stated.
Additionally, authorities found a “baby blanket with significant burn marks” on the premises, which was collected as evidence.
Prior to the police being alerted, the complaint revealed that the baby’s grandfather returned home and detected the smell of smoke. Subsequently, he made the heartbreaking discovery of the infant deceased in her crib.
Thomas purportedly confessed that she “accidentally put her in the oven.”
As per the prosecutor, Thomas is now charged with a “Class A felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the 1st Degree, Death of a Child.”
If convicted, she could face a minimum sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment.
It remains unclear at this time whether Thomas has secured legal representation to provide a comment on her behalf.
