Missouri Mother Arrested in Connection With 'Gruesome' Death of 1-Month-Old Baby Who Burned to Death in Oven

A mother in Missouri has been charged in connection with the death of her 1-month-old child, who law enforcement officials said died after she allegedly put the infant in an oven.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, officers went to a home in Kansas City in regards to a report of an infant not breathing, according to an affidavit obtained by KSHB.

responding officers reportedly found the baby in a car seat near the front door suffering apparent burn injuries.

First responders declared the little girl dead at the scene, an affidavit said.

According to the baby’s grandfather, he received a call about 1 p.m. on Feb. 9 from his daughter, 26-year-old Mariah Thomas, saying that “something was wrong with the baby and that he needed to return home immediately.”

When he got home, he told police he smelled smoke and found the baby dead in her crib, officials said.

Thomas allegedly told her father that she thought she put the child in her crib but “accidentally put her in the oven,” authorities said.

Police spoke with the victim’s grandmother, who said she received a call from Thomas about the same time and Thomas yelled “hysterically” while on the phone.

The affidavit states the baby had “thermal injuries” on her body and she was dressed in a onesie over a diaper. Police said the clothing appeared to have melted onto the diaper.

Officers described the clothing as “very dirty, possibly burned on the backside,” and they said they also found a blanket with “significant burn marks” in the living room.

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Thomas, who lived at the home with her parents, was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child leading to death, according to authorities.

In a statement, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said, “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.”