A Missouri mother was arrested Friday on suspicion of burning her 1-month-old baby to death in an oven, the Kansas City Star reported.
Mariah Thomas faces class A felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child according to To the Kansas City Star. According to court documents, Thomas reportedly put his 1-month-old baby in the oven, mistaking it for a crib. The infant was left with severe burn scars and clothing that appeared to have melted, showing the horror of the injuries.
Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker addressed the situation. “We recognize the tragic nature of this tragedy and are saddened by the loss of this precious life,” Baker said, according to a report in the Kansas City Star. “We trust the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to such a terrible situation.” (Related article: Infant dies in car under hot sun, babysitter arrested, police announced)
A 26-year-old Missouri mother is accused of burning her newborn daughter to death in an oven “after mistaking a kitchen utensil for an infant crib” and melting the tortured girl's clothes down to her diaper. Ta https://t.co/fK5Da4Sx1y pic.twitter.com/AbrRI2WDMe
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 11, 2024
The discovery was made when Kansas City police were called to the scene after receiving a report of an unresponsive infant, the report said. The infant was found in a car seat near the entrance to the home with obvious signs of burns, according to a police affidavit. Witness statements in the affidavit indicated an alleged mix-up in which Thomas placed the child in the oven instead of the crib.
The Kansas City Star quoted the mother as saying, “I thought I put it in the crib (edited), but I accidentally put it in the oven.'' Her neighbor, Colin Foreman, said the area was generally peaceful and filled with children playing. Following sudden, distressed cries, an emergency response was called and the community was informed of the incident. “And the next thing I knew, I heard, 'They're gone.' They're gone,” Foreman said.
The Department of Social Services has not yet commented on the incident.
