Missouri Mum Gets 13 Years in Prison After She 'Accidentally' Put Baby in Oven Instead of Crib

A 28-year-old Kansas City mother, Mariah Thomas, was sentenced on Tuesday to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death in connection with the February 2024 death of her one-month-old daughter, Za'Riah Mae Thomas.

The case centres on Thomas's account that she accidentally placed the infant in an oven instead of a crib while putting her down for a nap. That account was included in court documents and charging records.

How the Oven Incident Unfolded

To recall, Kansas City police responded to a home in the 4100 block of Forest Avenue on 9 February 2024 after a report that an infant was not breathing. Officers found Za'Riah unresponsive with apparent burn injuries, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to court documents and local reporting.

A male relative who had left Thomas and the baby alone earlier that day told investigators he returned after Thomas called saying something was wrong. He said he smelled smoke on arrival and found the infant dead in her crib.

When asked what had happened, Thomas allegedly told him: 'I thought I put Za'Riah in her crib and I accidentally put her in the oven.' That statement later featured prominently in the probable cause affidavit supporting charges against her.

Police recovered a burned baby blanket from the home and noted thermal injuries across the infant's body, with her onesie appearing to have melted onto her nappy. Thomas initially declined to speak with detectives when they attempted to question her, court records show.

Plea Deal Drops Murder Charge as 13-Year Term Imposed

For context, Thomas was initially charged with endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death. Prosecutors later added a first-degree murder count, which was dismissed as part of Tuesday's plea agreement in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Judge Sarah A. Castle accepted the guilty plea after determining that it was entered voluntarily and that Thomas did not raise a mental disease or defect defence, according to the judgment.

Under the deal, Thomas pleaded guilty to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death and was sentenced to 13 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections without probation. She will receive credit for time already served and was ordered to pay $68 (about £51) to Missouri's Crime Victims' Compensation Fund, with other court costs waived.

Neighbours described the scene as shocking. Corrine Foreman told Fox affiliate WDAF she heard sirens before seeing a baby carrier moved between the house and an ambulance. Another resident, Amber Morgan, said it was upsetting to learn a child had died so close to home.

Then-Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker thanked first responders and prosecutors in a statement, saying: '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 sentencing brings the criminal case to a close more than two years after Za'Riah's death. The circumstances surrounding how the infant came to be in the oven were presented in charging documents and witness statements, while Thomas's guilty plea established her criminal liability for child endangerment resulting in death. The first-degree murder charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement and was not adjudicated at trial.