Baby killed as mom puts 1-month-old for nap in oven

Prosecutors in Jackson County said Saturday that the mother of a 1-month-old was charged for putting her child in an oven for a nap instead of a crib in Missouri, Kansas City.

According to the complaint, it was reported that Mariah Thomas was "putting the child down for a nap and accidentally placed the child in the oven instead of the crib."  

Authorities found the deceased child Friday after they were told about an unbreathing infant. Officials when arrived, found that the one-month-old had thermal injuries.

"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," Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a statement.

According to the complaint, the baby was found in the living room lying in a car seat just inside the front door.

"She was clothed in a bodysuit over a diaper. The clothing appeared to have melted onto the diaper, and it was very dirty, possibly burned on the backside,” the complaint said.

The baby’s grandparents said they left the home they shared with their daughter earlier that morning.

Police said: "The child’s grandmother received a call about 1pm from the child’s mother, who was hysterical, and told the grandmother she had put the infant in the oven instead of the crib."

It also underlined that the baby's grandfather also smelled smoke in the home when he arrived.

Thomas allegedly told the officials that she "accidentally put her in the oven."

Thomas now faces a Class A felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the 1st Degree, Death of a Child, the prosecutor said.

If convicted, she will serve a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life.