What did Mariah Thomas do? Mental health explored as Missouri mother arrested in toddler's tragic hot oven death

26-year-old Mariah Thomas has been arrested in connection to her one-month-old baby’s death after she allegedly mistakenly placed the baby in the oven instead of her crib. On Friday, February 9, Mariah’s one-month-old baby, Za’Riah Mae, was found dead with severe burn injuries.

Trigger warning: The article contains references to the death of a child. Readers’ discretion is advised.

According to a friend of the suspect, Mariah was suffering from mental health issues. As per The Daily Beast, a close friend of the suspect, who wanted to stay anonymous, believes that Thomas didn’t kill the child intentionally. The friend further said:

“Mariah has been dealing with mental illnesses since a child.”

Mariah Thomas allegedly stopped taking her medicines during her pregnancy, as claimed by the friend.

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Missouri mother Mariah Thomas faces the Class A felony of endangering the welfare of a child

On Friday, February 9, 2024, Mariah Thomas was accused of being involved in her baby girl’s death. The Jackon County Prosecutor’s office states that Mariah “faces the Class A felony of endangering the welfare of a child in the 1st degree, death of a child.”

If convicted, she could face a decade or more behind bars. The Daily Beast has reported that according to an arrest affidavit, she called her parents and claimed that she mistakenly put the baby in the oven. The baby's grandfather told the police that Mariah called him and told him:

"I thought I put [infant's name redacted] in her crib, and I accidentally put her in the oven."

In a press release issued on Saturday, February 10, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, as per ABC News, said:

“We appreciate all first responders who worked this scene and the prosecutors who went to the scene in order to issue these charges.”

He added:

"We acknowledge the gruesome nature of this tragedy and our hearts are weighted by the loss of this precious life. We trust the criminal justice system to respond appropriately to these awful circumstances."

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Mariah Thomas was allegedly suffering from mental health conditions

The Daily Beast reported the friend's statements where she spoke about the suspect's deteriorating mental health condition after she gave birth. She referred to several social media posts that Mariah Thomas allegedly uploaded, where she mentioned that people cared about her only because she had a child.

In a Facebook post dated January 15, Thomas reportedly wrote,

"I’m done being f*cking nice. Like I said before y’all only f*cking with me cause of my daughter & I said what I said."

The friend said,

"She thought everyone only likes her because her daughter was born, and she didn’t like that at all. She wanted everyone’s attention, too, just like Za’Riah was getting attention."

The New York Post added that it was Mariah Thomas who called the cops after the baby stopped responding.