Toddler Dies After Getting Locked Inside A Heated Oven

An infant girl was found dead in her family's Houston, Texas apartment earlier this week after being locked inside a heated oven, apparently by her older siblings.

Police found 19-month-old J'Zyra Thompson lying beside the stove, covered in “severe burn marks,” sometime Monday evening.

It appears the baby had been locked inside the oven for a significant period of time, and died as a result of her injuries.

According to police reports, J'Zyra's mother, Racquel, left the infant alone with her older siblings, one of which was 5 years old and two of which were 3 years old, while she and her boyfriend went to get pizza.

Sometime during the evening, according to investigators' conversations with the remaining children, J'Zyra's siblings intentionally placed the baby in the oven and turned it on.

However, because of the children's ages, the incident is being treated as an accident.

Child Protective Services have filed a suit seeking emergency custody of J'Zyra's siblings. The agency believes criminal charges will be filed against Racquel Thompson.

Meanwhile, the father of J'Zyra's siblings is also seeking to gain custody of the children.

J'Zyra was described as a “sweet” baby by her grandmother, Gina Dennis, who says she “has no words” to describe the pain she feels for her granddaughter's death.

A GoFundMe account has been set up for J'Zyra's funeral; donate here.

Citations: Houston Infant Dies After Being Locked In A Burning Oven (BuzzFeed)