A mum has been accused of cooking herto death after placing the newborn inside an oven she mistook for the infant’s crib, according to an arrest warrant.
Mariah Thomas, 26, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child after one-month-old Za’Riah Mae was found dead with .
Police were called to the Kansas City home where the child was found not breathing. Officers reportedly arrived to find the child covered in burns a day after mum Thomas had a birthday.
An arrest warrant says the child’s clothes were blackened and burnt into her diaper, with reports of her home smelling of smoke. Za’Riah’s grandfather told officers he had received a call fromat around 1pm on Friday in which she told him “something was wrong with the baby” as she asked him to return home.
The mum has been charged following the death.
The baby was tragically found by her child’s grandad.
He reportedly went on to tell police he returned to the home where he could smell smoke before finding the one-month-old child lifeless in her crib. He allegedly told police that Thomas had told him she “accidentally” put her in the oven, according to court documents.
Police arrived at the scene where they allegedly found Za-Riah in a car seat with “apparent thermal injuries on various parts of a her body” while a charred baby blanket was also discovered and taken as evidence, according to authorities. Heartbroken friends have claimed Thomas’ mental health may have played a part in the incident, with a devastated friend saying Za’Riah was a “very bubbly” child, who was “smiling all the time”.
According to an arrest warrant, the baby’s clothes were burnt.
The mother was taken to the police station but invoked her Fifth Amendment, giving her the right to remain silent. However, Thomas’ blood was taken after she consented to the medical procedure, and her phone data was also handed over to authorities.
Thomas, who is currently being held at the Jackson County Detention Center has a social media and Facebook presence that seems to portray her as a loving mother.
She often posted pictures of her daughter referring to her as a ”princess.” One Facebook post sees Thomas declare she wants to be the ”best mother” she can be to her ”beautiful daughter.”
However, just weeks before the incident Thomas posted to Facebook seemingly angry at the lack of support she was receiving from those close to her. She wrote: ”Mfs claim they my friend by don’t never check up on me or Za’Riah.”
