Baby dies as Missouri mom puts 1-month-old mistakenly in oven for nap

 

A woman in Missouri, Kansas City was criminally charged for putting her 1-month-old baby in an oven for a nap instead of a crib, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker Saturday as authorities did not reveal how she made such a gruesome mistake.

Baker said in a statement: "We acknowledge the gruesome nature of this tragedy and our hearts are weighted by the loss of this precious life. We trust the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to these awful circumstances."

The child was found by the police Friday after they were informed about a child who was not breathing. Upon arrival, officials found the deceased baby with apparent thermal injuries.

They were told that Mariah Thomas was "putting the child down for a nap and accidentally placed the child in the oven instead of the crib."

According to the complaint, the 1-month-old was found in the living room lying in a car seat just inside the front door and had burns on various parts of her body.

"She 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 said.

The baby’s grandparents said they left the home they shared with their daughter earlier that morning.

Police said: "The child’s grandmother received a call about 1pm from the child’s mother, who was hysterical, and told the grandmother she had put the infant in the oven instead of the crib."

It also underlined that the baby's grandfather also smelled smoke in the home when he arrived.

Thomas allegedly told the officials that she “accidentally put her in the oven.”

Thomas now faces a Class A felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the 1st Degree, Death of a Child, the prosecutor said.

If convicted, she will serve a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life.