A Missouri woman who accidentally put her infant daughter in an oven instead of her crib has learned her fate after reaching a plea deal that resulted in the dismissal of 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, received a 13-year sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections on Tuesday, September 22.
She will not receive probation but will get credit for time already served. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the first-degree murder charge, according to the outlet.
The tragedy happened in February 2024, when Kansas City police went to a home after receiving a report that a 1-month-old baby was not breathing. First responders found the baby, identified by FOX 4 Kansas City as Za’riah Thomas, with severe burns. They pronounced her dead at the scene.
Investigators learned that Mariah had intended to put Za’riah down for a nap.
A family member later told detectives that 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, but they dismissed it as part of Tuesday’s plea agreement.
Judge Sarah A. Castle determined that Mariah entered her plea voluntarily and understood its consequences, Fox News reported.
Court records also indicate that she did not raise a mental disease or defect defense.
She remains in Jackson County custody while awaiting transfer to state prison.
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