A grand jury in Missouri has indicted a mother for allegedly killing her young daughter by “accidentally” placing her in the oven.
Mariah Thomas, 26, has been in the Jackson County Jail since February, charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Last Thursday, the grand jury added an involuntary manslaughter allegation, according to the superseding indictment. Thomas faces ten to thirty years in jail for endangerment and three to ten years for involuntary manslaughter.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the Kansas City Police Department responded to a house at 1:30 p.m. on February 9 for a reported “non-breathing infant.” When authorities came, they discovered someone cradling a baby girl with “apparent burn wounds.”
A male relative informed authorities that the family had left the house earlier in the day, leaving Thomas and the infant girl alone. The relative said Thomas and the girl appeared to be in “good spirits” at the time.
But, around 1 p.m. Thomas called to say there was “something wrong with the baby” and he needed to come home “immediately,” police said.
When the relative rushed home, he “smelled smoke” and ran inside. He discovered the newborn girl dead in her crib. He asked Thomas what had happened.
She allegedly said, “I thought I put [the girl] in her crib, and I accidentally put her in the oven.”
Cops discovered the girl in a car seat placed in the living room. She sustained “thermal injuries” throughout her body. She was wearing a onesie that “appeared to have melted onto the diaper,” according to authorities.
Investigators also discovered a charred baby blanket. Thomas declined to speak with the detectives. She remains in jail with a $100,000 bond.
According to the Kansas City Star, Thomas is scheduled to stand trial on January 13.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker expressed gratitude to first responders and prosecutors on the scene after Thomas’ arrest.
“We acknowledge the gruesome nature of this tragedy and our hearts are weighted by the loss of this precious life,” Baker told the media. “We trust the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to these awful circumstances.”
Neighbors stated that they were stunned.
“Within minutes, I heard sirens. Corrine Foreman, a neighbor, told local Fox affiliate WDAF, “The next thing I know, a baby carrier is being transported between the [ambulance] and the house.”
The neighbors described the occurrence as terrible.
“I am surprised and appalled that there has been a death in our community. It’s heartbreaking, especially when it’s a youngster. “No child should leave here,” neighbor Amber Morgan told the site.