Officials: Mother Burns Baby to Death in Missouri, Claims She Mistook Oven for Crib

A mother is accused of burning her 1-month-old baby to death in an oven in Missouri, officials said.

Mariah Thomas, of Kansas City, claimed to police after the death of her baby that she mistook the oven for a crib, the New York Post reported.

Officers described the scene at the home as “gruesome,” after the child was found severely burnt and not breathing, The Guardian reported.

Missouri mother burns baby to death inside oven: cops https://t.co/AqQjEdjEq3 pic.twitter.com/PDc9thCveB

— New York Post (@nypost) February 11, 2024

Thomas told police she “was putting her child down for a nap, and accidentally placed the child in the oven instead of the crib,” Fox 4 reported.

Thomas is facing charges for endangering the welfare of a child and for the death of a child.

“We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene in order to issue these charges,” Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters 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.”