A baby girl in the US died after her mother mistakenly put her into an oven for a nap, Sky News reported. The tragic incident happened on Friday afternoon when police officers in Missouri responded to a report of a month-old child not breathing. When they reached the Kansas City home, they noticed extensive burns on the unresponsive child. The baby was pronounced dead at the scene, which was described as ”gruesome” by the cops.
First responders said that the baby’s mother put her down for a nap and accidentally placed her in the oven instead of the crib. An arrest warrant says the child’s clothes were blackened and burnt into her diaper, with reports of her home smelling of smoke, as per Daily Express US. A burnt baby blanket was also found at the scene.
The statement did not provide further clarification on how such an error occurred. Other circumstances around the incident have also not been revealed.
Meanwhile, the baby’s mother identified as 26-year-old Mariah Thomas, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Thomas ”faces the Class A felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the 1st Degree, Death of a Child.”
”We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene to issue these charges. 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,” Jackson County prosecuting attorney Jean Peters Baker said in a statement.
A friend of the mother suggested Ms Thomas’ mental health may have played a role in the tragedy. They described the baby as a “very bubbly” child who was “smiling all the time”.
Ms Thomas is currently being held at the Jackson County Detention Center.
