A Missouri mother, Mariah Thomas, 28, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty in connection with the 2024 death of her one-month-old daughter.
Thomas entered the guilty plea on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, in Jackson County, Missouri, to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death. Her first-degree murder charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
The case dates back to February 2024, when Kansas City police responded to a home following a report that an infant was not breathing. The baby, identified in court records as Za’Riah, was found unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene. Responding officers observed severe burn injuries on the child.
According to court documents, Thomas told investigators that she had intended to put her daughter down for a nap but accidentally placed the baby inside an oven instead of the crib.
The incident led to Thomas being arrested and initially facing a first-degree murder charge. She remained in custody while the case proceeded through the courts.
Under Tuesday’s plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the murder charge after Thomas pleaded guilty to the lesser offence. A Jackson County judge subsequently sentenced her to 13 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, with credit for time already served.
Thomas is expected to serve the remainder of her sentence under the terms of the court’s order.
The case has continued to draw attention because of the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death and the decision to resolve the original murder charge through a plea agreement.
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