A MOTHER has been charged with the death of her one-month-old baby after she allegedly accidentally placed her in the oven instead of her crib.
Mariah Thomas from Kansas City, Missouri, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after cops responded to reports of an unresponsive baby at a house on Friday afternoon.
Officers from the Kansas City Police Department arrived at the home around 1:30 pm.
After discovering Za’Riah Mae who was declared dead at the scene, they launched an investigation given the circumstances of her death.
The 26-year-old mother reportedly told officers at the scene that she was putting her baby down for a nap and accidentally placed her in the oven instead of the crib, according to WBTV.
According to an arrest warrant, Za’Riah was not breathing and had “burn wounds.”
Her “blackened clothing [was] melted onto her diaper.”
Thomas “faces the Class A felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the 1st degree, Death of a Child,” the Jackon County Prosecutor’s office states.
“We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene in order to issue these charges,” 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.”
Thomas’ Facebook account is full of loving pictures of her baby and depicts a dedicated and doting mother.
In a post on February 8, Thomas shared a photo of Za’Riah asleep on a fleece blanket with the caption: “Twin Where Have You Been? Nobody Knows Me Like You Do Za’Riah Mae”
The caption featured numerous love-heart and kiss emojis.
Following the mother’s arrest, Facebook users have flooded the post with tributes to Za’Riah.
“My Goal This Year For 2024 Is To Be The Best Mother I Can Be To My Beautiful Daughter & To Stay Outta Drama & To Get A Place For Me & My Daughter & FOR ONLY ME & MY DAUGHTER,” she wrote in an older post in January.
A friend of Thomas’s has spoken out about the mother’s struggles.
“Mariah had mental issues from what I know and didn’t have the mindset of a adult, she thought like a child,” the friend told the Daily Mail.
Numerous other social media posts from Thomas indicate that she was lonely following the birth of her daughter.
“Yea Mfs Claim They My Friend But Don’t Never Check Up On Me Or Za’Riah From Now On We Fw Whoever Fw Us Or Love Us I’m So Tired Of Mfs Claiming My Daughter & Ya’ll Pretending Like Just Stop,” she wrote.
Thomas who celebrated her birthday the day before her child’s death, is being held at the Jackson County Detention Center.
