Kansas City mom charged after she 'accidentally placed' baby in oven, prosecutors say

A Kansas City mother was charged in the death of her 1-month-old baby after she allegedly accidently placed the child in the oven instead of the crib, the prosecutor's office said Saturday.

Mariah Thomas, 26, was charged with Class A felony of endangering the welfare of a child in the first-degree in the death of her baby, prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a news release from the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office in Missouri.

Around 1:30 p.m. Friday, Kansas City Police responded to a report of a non-breathing infant at a residence, according to charges filed by the prosecutor's office in court. They arrived at the scene to find a "1-month-old child with apparent burns" and thermal injuries lying in a car seat near the front door.

The police "were told the mother of the child was putting the child down for a nap and accidentally placed the child in the oven instead of the crib," said the prosecutor's office in the news release.

The Kansas City Fire Department and EMS responders, who were also present on scene, rendered aid and declared the infant dead at the scene, the Kansas Police Department said.

Thomas' parents, with whom she lived, told detectives that they were at work when the incident occurred, as per the charging documents. The suspect's father told the police that his daughter called him around lunchtime asking him to rush back home because "something was wrong with the baby."

He said when he arrived back home, he could smell smoke inside the house and found his granddaughter deceased.

When Thomas' father asked her what happened, she said: "I thought I put (infant's name redacted) in her crib, and I accidentally put her in the oven," as per the charge sheet.

'Suspicious death'

"This is a suspicious death investigation at this time," said the Kansas City Police in a statement. "Detectives want to make sure to gather all evidence with this opportunity, to ensure the case is able to be investigated in the event the medical examiner rules the cause of death a homicide."

It is not yet clear if Thomas has enlisted an attorney. According to Missouri state law, she could face anywhere from 10 years to life in prison, if convicted.

"We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene in order to issue these charges," 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."

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.