Missouri Mom Who Put Baby in Oven Instead of Crib Gets 13 Years After Murder Charge Dropped

A Missouri woman who mistakenly placed her infant daughter in an oven instead of her crib has learned her fate after reaching a plea deal that dismissed a first-degree murder charge.

The Kansas City Star reported Wednesday, September 23, that Mariah Thomas pleaded guilty to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death.

Mariah, 28, was sentenced to 13 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on Tuesday, September 22.

She did not receive probation but will get credit for time already served. The first-degree murder count was dismissed under the plea agreement, according to the outlet.

The tragedy unfolded in February 2024, when Kansas City police responded to a home following a report that a 1-month-old baby wasn’t breathing. First responders found the baby, identified by FOX 4 Kansas City as Za’riah Thomas, with severe burns and pronounced her dead at the scene.

Investigators were told that Mariah had intended to put Za’riah down for a nap.

A family member later told detectives Mariah said, “I thought I put [her] in her crib and I accidentally put her in the oven.”

The original case charged Mariah with endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death.

Prosecutors later added a first-degree murder charge before it was dismissed in Tuesday’s agreement.

Judge Sarah A. Castle found that Mariah entered her plea voluntarily and understood its consequences, Fox News reported.

Court records also state that she did not present a mental disease or defect defense.

She remains in Jackson County custody pending transfer to state prison.