Mother faces manslaughter charge after accidentally putting her baby in oven instead of crib
A woman who claimed she accidentally put her newborn in an oven instead of a crib in February has been charged with involuntary m@nslaughter in the baby’s de@th.
A February 10 press release by Jackson County Prosecutor, said Mariah Thomas, 26, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree and de@th of a child for the Feb. 9 incident.
However, on Thursday, Dec. 5, a Jackson County grand jury added an involuntary manslaughter charge, The Kansas City Star reported on Monday, Dec. 9.
Michael Mansur, director of communication with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, along with Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, said Thomas told authorities she was trying to put her 1-month-old down for a nap, but instead of placing the baby in the crib, she put the child in a smouldering oven.
Kansas City police were dispatched just before 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 after receiving a report of a “non-breathing infant,” court records showed. They also observed apparent burns on the baby’s body and said the infant’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,” Baker said in the prosecutor’s office release at the time.
“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,” Baker continued.
“I thought I put (redacted) in her crib and I accidentally put her in the oven,” Thomas allegedly told an unidentified adult who lived in the home, according to court documents.
The individual had reportedly been at work but came home after receiving a “hysterical” phone call from Thomas regarding the infant.
The incident happened at a home near 41st Street and Forest Avenue in the Manheim Park neighbourhood.
Thomas has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.
