A Nigerian mother living in the United States, Gbemisola Akayinode, has been charged with murder following the heartbreaking death of her 9-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi, who was left inside a parked car for over eight hours on an extremely hot day in Texas.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the child’s death was ruled a homicide caused by hyperthermia (heat stroke). The tragic incident occurred on July 1 in Galena Park, a suburb near Houston.
Court documents show that the 36-year-old mother arrived at her workplace—a manufacturing plant—around 5:45 a.m. She allegedly left Oluwasikemi in the back seat of her car with food, water, ice cubes, a rechargeable fan, and melatonin to help her sleep. Akayinode reportedly rolled down the rear windows halfway before heading inside to begin her shift.
Investigators stated that Akayinode did not check on her daughter until 1:53 p.m., nearly eight hours later, when she returned to find the child unresponsive and blue. The mother said she immediately called for help, but it was too late—the little girl had already passed away.
During questioning, Akayinode reportedly explained that she often brought her daughter to work because she could not afford daycare. However, investigators later discovered that her foreman had been paying for her daycare expenses, contradicting her statement.
Authorities waited for the autopsy results before filing formal charges, which were confirmed last week. Akayinode is expected to appear in court on Monday to face the charges.
According to KidsAndCars.org, a U.S. nonprofit that tracks child vehicular heat deaths, at least 30 children have died in hot cars so far in 2025, and more than 1,160 have lost their lives under similar circumstances since 1990.
