Police: Baby died after mother mistakenly put her in oven instead of crib

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Kansas City mother has been charged in the gruesome death of a 1-month-old child.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, the Kansas City Police Department was called to a house near 41st Street and Forest Avenue. Upon arrival, crews found an unresponsive child who was declared dead at the scene.

Detectives said the circumstances around the child’s death were suspicious enough to cause concern and they began an investigation.

On Saturday, more information was released by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, including charges against the infant’s mother, Mariah Thomas.

Reportedly, first responders at the scene noticed burns on the child, who was not breathing when they arrived. They said Thomas told them that she was putting the child down for a nap but accidentally put the child in the oven instead of the crib.

According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Thomas “faces the Class A felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the 1st Degree, Death of a Child.”

Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker issued a statement, acknowledging the gruesome nature of the incident: “We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene in order to issue these charges. 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.”