A woman in the United States has been charged with involuntary manslaughter following the death of her newborn, whom she claims she accidentally placed in an oven instead of a crib.
Mariah Thomas, 26, was initially charged on 10th February with endangering the welfare of a child and the death of a child after the tragic incident on 9th February. On 5th December, a grand jury in Jackson County added a charge of involuntary manslaughter, as reported by The Kansas City Star.
Thomas told authorities that she had meant to put her 1-month-old baby down for a nap, but mistakenly placed the child in a smouldering oven instead of the crib, according to officials.
Kansas City police responded just before 1.30 p.m. on 9th February after receiving a report of a “non-breathing infant.” When they arrived, they found the baby with visible burns, and the baby’s clothes were melted.
“We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene in order to issue these charges,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker. “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.”
Court documents state that Thomas told an adult in the house, “I thought I put (redacted) in her crib and I accidentally put her in the oven.” The adult had been at work but rushed home after receiving a “hysterical” phone call from Thomas about the infant.
The incident occurred at a home near 41st Street and Forest Avenue in the Manheim Park area of Kansas City, Missouri.
Thomas has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge.
