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Za’Riah Mae

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace: NEWBORN DEAD After Mom ‘Mistakenly’ Bakes Baby in Oven

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Mariah Thomas and her 1-month-old baby, Za’Riah, live with Mariah’s parents.

Za’Riah’s grandparents leave for work just before 8 a.m. on Friday. After 1 p.m., Mariah Thomas calls her mother at work, hysterically screaming something is wrong with the baby. Her mother tells her to call 911. Mariah Thomas reports her baby daughter is not breathing.

When Mariah Thomas’ father comes home, he smells smoke and runs to the baby’s crib. He sees that Baby Za’Riah looks burned. He picks her up, realizing his granddaughter is dead.  Mariah Thomas says she was putting Za’Riah down for a nap and thought she put her in the crib, but accidentally put her in the oven.

First responders arrive to treat what they think is an infant who isn’t breathing,  but instead, they find the baby with what appears to be thermal injuries on various parts of her body. She is wearing a bodysuit over a diaper, but the clothing appears to have melted onto the diaper and it appears very dirty, possibly burned on the backside. A baby blanket with significant burn marks is found in the living room.

Thomas has been charged for allegedly placing her child in an oven, resulting in the death of the 1-month-old child. Mariah Thomas faces the Class A Felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the First-degree, death of a child.

Joining Nancy Grace Today:

Bernarda Villalona  – NY Criminal Defense Attorney & Former Prosecutor, Villalona Law, PLLC.: @BernardaVillalona (FaceBook, Instagram, LinkdIn, TikTok, Threads); X: @VillalonaLaw
Dr. Angela Arnold – Psychiatrist, Atlanta GA. Expert in the Treatment of Pregnant/Postpartum Women, Former Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynecology: Emory University, Former Medical Director of The Psychiatric Ob-Gyn Clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital
Wayne S. Promisel – Former Detective/Sergeant (Special Victims Unit) and Owner of Compass Investigative Services
Dr. Karl E. Williams- Forensic Pathologist, Former Chief Medical Examiner for Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, PA
Paula Rohde –  Child Abuse/Welfare Consultant and Expert and Former Child Protective Services Abuse Investigator; Paula Rohde Consulting LLC; Twitter: @PaulaRohde2

Additional Guest

  • Amanda Yen – Journalist, Breaking News at The Daily Beast

“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” on Fox Nation is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.

[Feature Photo: Za’Riah Mae/Facebook]