A Texas mother has been charged with murder after her 9-year-old daughter tragically died from heat stroke after being left inside a car for more than eight hours on a scorching summer day.
Authorities say 36-year-old Gbemisola Akayinode left her daughter, Oluwasikemi Akayinode, in the back seat of her vehicle while she went to work at a manufacturing plant in Galena Park, near Houston, on July 1. The temperature that day reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37°C).
According to court records, Akayinode arrived at work around 5:45 a.m. and left the child in the car with food, water, ice cubes, and a rechargeable fan. She reportedly lowered the windows halfway and gave her daughter melatonin to help her sleep before heading into work.
When she returned to the car around 1:53 p.m., she found Oluwasikemi unresponsive and blue. Panicked, she screamed for help, but it was too late — the 9-year-old had succumbed to hyperthermia, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators revealed that Akayinode had previously brought her daughter to work several times, citing financial hardship and lack of childcare. However, authorities later discovered that her supervisor had been paying for daycare expenses on her behalf, contradicting her claim.
The girl’s death was ruled a homicide, and Akayinode was arrested on Friday. She is expected to appear in court on Monday to face murder charges.
The heartbreaking case adds to a grim statistic — at least 30 children have died in hot cars across the United States this year alone, according to the nonprofit KidsAndCars.org. Since 1990, the organization reports, more than 1,160 children have lost their lives in similar tragedies.