One-month-old baby burns to death after mother 'mistook cooker for crib'

A one-month-old baby tragically died after its mother claims she mistook the cooker for its crib, before the infant burned to death.

Police officials attended what they described as a "gruesome" scene in Kansas City, Missouri, where they tragically found the child badly burned and not breathing, according to reports from The Guardian.

The baby's mother, Mariah Thomas, had claimed that she'd put her child down for a nap but mistakenly placed it into the oven instead of its crib.

The child was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to reports from Wabi.tv, the Kansas City Police Department was called to a house near 41st Street and Forest Avenue at around 1:30PM on Friday.

Upon arrival, first responders found the child unresponsive and suffering burns, before the infant was declared dead at the scene, with the circumstances being deemed suspicious and requiring an investigation to be opened.

In a statement, responders said they were told by a witness that the mother "put the child down for a nap and accidentally placed her in the oven instead of the crib".

The statement did not elaborate further or offer an explanation into how the grave mistake occurred.

According to reports from Fox4 News, neighbors "heard screaming" before ambulances arrived at the home and a baby's car seat was carried from the home.

Neighbors told the outlet that police refused to tell them any information as an "active death investigation" was underway, but reassured them that there was no "danger" to the community.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said, via the New York Post: "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."

Thomas has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and for the death of a child. Court records do not yet show whether she has an attorney.

The official cause of death is yet to be determined by the medical examiner.

Featured image credit: Oscar Wong/Getty Images