A Missouri mother has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death, following the death of her one-month-old daughter in Kansas City.
Mariah Thomas, 28, entered the plea in Jackson County on Tuesday, 22 September 2026. A first-degree murder charge was dismissed as part of the agreement, and she was denied probation.
Thomas will receive credit for time already served and is due to be transferred from Jackson County custody to the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Baby found dead in Kansas City home
The case dates back to 9 February 2024, when Kansas City police were called to a home after a report that an infant was not breathing.
Officers found the child with severe burns. Kansas City firefighters pronounced her dead at the scene. She was later identified as Za’Riah Thomas.
Charging documents said investigators were told Thomas had been putting her daughter down for a nap when she accidentally placed the baby in an oven instead of the crib.
A family member told detectives that Thomas had said: “I thought I put [her] in her crib and I accidentally put her in the oven.”
Police said the baby was wearing a bodysuit over a nappy and that the clothing appeared to have melted on to the nappy. Investigators also recovered a baby blanket bearing significant burn marks in the living room.
Thomas initially declined to speak to detectives after being advised of her rights, but later agreed to provide a blood sample and allow investigators to access data from her mobile phone.
The first complaint against her alleged first-degree endangerment of a child resulting in death. Prosecutors later added a first-degree murder charge, which was withdrawn under the plea deal.
Judge Sarah A Castle found that Thomas had entered her guilty plea freely and understood the charge and its consequences. Court records state that she did not raise a mental disease or defect defence.
Jean Peters Baker, who was Jackson County prosecutor when Thomas was charged, previously described the child’s death as a “gruesome” tragedy.
“We acknowledge the gruesome nature of this tragedy, and our hearts are weighted by the loss of this precious life,” Ms Baker said in February 2024. “We trust the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to these awful circumstances.”
The judge ordered Thomas to pay $68 to Missouri’s Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund and waived the remaining court costs.
