A 28-year-old Missouri mother, Mariah Thomas, has pleaded guilty to causing the death of her one-month-old daughter Za'Riah Mae, who was placed in a hot oven in February 2024. Thomas accepted a plea deal on lesser charges of child endangerment leading to death, with prosecutors dropping the original murder charge. She has been sentenced to eleven years in prison, having been held in custody since her arrest nearly three years ago.

Thomas told investigators that she mistakenly believed she was placing the infant in a crib rather than an oven. Police discovered the child in her Kansas City home with severe thermal injuries, including melted clothing fused to her body and evidence of burns throughout. A witness had alerted someone that something was wrong with the baby, prompting the discovery. Records indicate Thomas was experiencing mental health difficulties at the time of the incident, and the one-month-old was previously described by acquaintances as a cheerful, smiling infant.