Missouri Mother Pleads Guilty in Infant's Death in Oven
Mariah Thomas faces 11 years in prison after accepting a plea deal for child endangerment resulting in death.
A Missouri mother has pleaded guilty to child endangerment after her one-month-old daughter died in an oven. Mariah Thomas, 28, agreed to a plea deal on Tuesday, three years after she was arrested for the death of her infant daughter, Za’Riah Mae.
Thomas will serve 11 years in prison. She had initially been charged with murder, but prosecutors reduced the charge to endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death.
In February 2024, police responded to Thomas’ Kansas City home after a witness was alerted that something was wrong with the baby and asked to return home immediately. Upon arrival, the witness smelled smoke and discovered the infant’s body inside the oven.
According to court documents, the infant suffered severe burns, with her skin blackened and her clothing and diaper fused to her body. First responders found the baby in a car seat with apparent thermal injuries.
Thomas reportedly told police that she had been putting her child down for a nap and accidentally placed her in the oven instead of the crib. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker stated that the office's hearts were weighed down by the loss of the child and expressed trust in the criminal justice system to handle the situation appropriately.