Mother mistook oven for baby’s crib, baked her to death

A 26-year-old woman has reportedly baked her newborn daughter to death in an oven after allegedly mistaking the oven for her baby’s crib.

DailyMail reported that Mariah Thomas was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after one-month-old Za’Riah Mae was found dead with ‘burn wounds’, according to an arrest warrant.

According to DailyMail, the police were called to the Kansas City home on Friday, February 9, the day after Thomas’s birthday, to report a child not breathing. Upon arrival, they found the infant covered in burns, with her ‘blackened’ clothing melted onto her diaper.

One of Thomas’s friends said the baby was a happy and bubbly child but also suggested that her mother had some mental issues, which she assumed may have contributed to the tragedy.

“A devastated friend of Thomas’s told DailyMail.com that Za’Riah was a ‘very bubbly’ baby who was ‘smiling all the time’.

She also suggested Thomas’ mental health may have played a role in the tragedy.

“Mariah had mental issues from what I know and didn’t have the mindset of an adult, she thought like a child,’ the friend said, adding she last talked to the mom on Monday.”

Thomas was then transported to police headquarters for an interview, where she invoked her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. The report said she is currently being held at the Jackson County Detention Center.

Meanwhile, a woman accompanied by a child on Sunday opened fire in a megachurch in Texas before she was gunned down by security officials in the church.

BBC reported that the suspect was 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno, with her 7-year-old son, who was ‘critically injured’.

The BBC said Investigators revealed that the attacker had “Palestine” written on the butt of her rifle, and they had uncovered antisemitic writings but said her motive was unclear.

However, police said they believe she had a familial dispute with her ex-husband’s family, some of whom are Jewish.

Source: BBC 

Moreno’s connection to the church is still being investigated, but the KHOU local television station reported that her mother attended Lakewood.

Lakewood Church is one of the largest congregations in the country, run by the renowned televangelist pastor Joel Osteen.

Montgomery County court records indicated that staff at the church may have been questioned during Moreno’s contentious divorce and child custody proceedings, the report said.

A 57-year-old man was shot in the hip during the incident and has since been discharged from the hospital, but her unnamed son was shot in the head during the shootout and is currently “fighting for his life” It is not clear who shot the boy, the police said.

Officials said the attacker had a history of mental health issues and was placed under an emergency detention order in 2016. Public records indicated Moreno also has a long record of arrests and convictions on assault, drug, and weapons charges.

Read more: Army bursts rifle fabrication factory in Mangu, Plateau State

About The Author

Kangmwa Gofwen

editor

See author's posts