Picture description: Mariah Thomas in Jackson County Jail. Scene: Home in Kansas City, Missouri, where Thomas reportedly placed her baby daughter in an oven (WDAF/YouTube).
A grand jury in Missouri has indicted a mother who allegedly killed her infant daughter when she “accidentally” put her in the oven.
Marie Thomas, aged 26, has been held at Jackson County Jail since February on charges related to endangering a child. Recently, a grand jury added a charge of involuntary manslaughter, as stated in the updated indictment. Thomas could potentially receive a sentence ranging from 10 to 30 years for the endangerment offense and three to 10 years for involuntary manslaughter.
As per the details in the probable cause affidavit, the Kansas City Police Department was called to a residence around 1:30 p.m. on February 9 regarding an infant who was not breathing. Upon arrival, officers found someone holding a baby girl with visible burn injuries. A male family member informed the police that earlier that day, the family had left the home with Thomas and the baby girl being the only ones there. The relative mentioned that at the time they departed, Thomas and the baby girl seemed to be in good moods.
But around 1 p.m. Thomas called him to say there was “something wrong with the baby” and he needed to come home “immediately,” cops wrote.
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The relative rushed home and could “smell smoke” in the house when he ran inside. He found the baby girl dead in her crib. He asked Thomas what happened.
She allegedly replied, “I thought I put [the girl] in her crib and I accidentally put her in the oven.”
Cops found the girl in a car seat placed in the living room. She had “thermal injuries” throughout her body. She was wearing a onesie that “appeared to have melted onto the diaper,” cops wrote. Investigators also found a burned baby blanket. Thomas declined to speak with detectives. She remains in jail on a $100,000 bond.
According to the Kansas City Star, Thomas is slated to go on trial on Jan 13.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a statement following Thomas’ arrest that she appreciated the first responders and prosecutors at the scene.
“We acknowledge the gruesome nature of this tragedy and our hearts are weighted by the loss of this precious life,” Baker said. “We trust the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to these awful circumstances.”
Neighbors said they were stunned.
“Within a matter of minutes I heard sirens. The next thing I know, there’s a baby carrier being transported between the [ambulance] and the house,” neighbor Corrine Foreman told local Fox affiliate WDAF.
The incident was tragic, the neighbors said.
