KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — A Kansas City mother has been charged for allegedly placing her 1-month-old baby in an oven, according to Jackson County Prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker.
On Friday, Kansas City Police began investigating the suspicious death of an infant at a home. Initially, police were told the child was unresponsive. She was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The next day, prosecutors charged the mother for allegedly killing the baby by putting the 1-month-old child in an oven.
The mother, identified by officials as Mariah Thomas, is facing a Class A felony of endangering the welfare of a child in the 1st degree, death of a child.
Charging documents claim that when the police arrived at the scene on Friday, they noticed the baby was badly burned. Prosecutors say a witness told them that the mother “was putting her child down for a nap, and accidentally placed the child in the oven instead of the crib.”
“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 a statement. “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.”
Authorities didn’t offer an explanation about how the mistake was made.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.