By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
A Kansas City mother has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after her 1-month-old daughter died from burns sustained inside a household oven.
Mariah Thomas, 28, pleaded guilty Sept. 22 in Jackson County, Missouri, to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death. Prosecutors dismissed a first-degree murder charge under the plea agreement. Thomas will receive credit for time already served.
Police were called to the family’s home in February 2024 after a report that the baby was not breathing. The infant, identified as Za’Riah Mae, had suffered severe burns and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said Thomas had placed her daughter in the oven while trying to put her down for a nap.
According to the criminal complaint, a family member told investigators that Thomas said, “I thought I put [her] in her crib, and I accidentally put her in the oven.” The statement describes Thomas’s account of what happened; the plea does not establish why she placed the baby there.
The child’s death drew national attention. When charges were filed, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker expressed grief for the baby and thanked the first responders and prosecutors who worked at the scene. a
Tuesday’s sentence resolves the criminal case more than two years after Za’Riah’s death. Thomas was sentenced to serve her term with the Missouri Department of Corrections.