A Kansas City mom has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after she “accidentally” put her infant daughter in an oven instead of her crib earlier this year.
According to a February 2024 statement by Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, Kansas City Police Department officers were called to a residence on Feb. 9 after being dispatched on a report of a non-breathing infant.
Upon their arrival, the responding officers discovered a 1-month-old infant with apparent burns. A witness told them that the mom, identified as Mariah Thomas, had accidentally put the baby girl in the residence’s oven instead of the crib.
“We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene in order to issue these charges,” Baker stated. “We acknowledge the gruesome nature of this tragedy, and our hearts are weighted by the loss of this precious life.”
Baker pointed out that her office trusted the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to these awful circumstances.
At the time, Thomas faced a Class A felony of endangering the welfare of a child in the first Degree and death of a child.
The Kansas City Star reported that nearly a year after the tragic incident, a Jackson County grand jury added the additional involuntary manslaughter charge to the case.
A witness went to the residence on the 4100 block of Avenue in the Manheim Park neighborhood. When he entered, he discovered that it smelled of smoke.
“I thought I put (redacted) in her crib, and I accidentally put her in the oven,” Thomas allegedly stated. After removing her from the oven, the mom placed the infant in the crib.
The Infant Was Discovered in a Car Seat Located in the Living Room
The court documents further reported that detectives obtained a search warrant after arresting Thomas.
They discovered the infant in a car seat located in the residence’s living room.
It was revealed that the infant had burn marks all over her body and melted clothing.
“The victim had sustained apparent thermal injuries on various parts of her body,” the report further read. “She was clothed in a bodysuit over a diaper, and it was very dirty, possibly burned on the backside.”
The responding officers also observed that the infant’s blanket in the living room had significant burn marks. They collected it as evidence.
Thomas pleaded not guilty. Her trial will begin on Jan. 13. She is in custody on a $100,000 bond.
