A Nigerian woman based in Texas, United States, Gbemisola Akayinode, is facing a potential life sentence after being charged with the murder of her nine-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi, who died from heatstroke after being left in a car for over eight hours.
According to the News Men, the 36-year-old mother was arrested after the Harris County Sheriff, Ed Gonzalez, confirmed that the child’s death was ruled a homicide caused by excessive heat, when Akayinode allegedly left her daughter inside a parked vehicle while she went to work at a manufacturing plant in Galena Park, near Houston.
Court documents revealed that Akayinode arrived at work around 5:45 a.m., leaving her daughter with food, a rechargeable fan, ice cubes, and water, and lowering the back windows halfway. She reportedly did not check on her until her shift ended at 1:53 p.m., when she found the child unresponsive and blue.
Investigators said Akayinode initially told police she brought her daughter along because she could not afford day care until her next paycheck. However, further inquiries revealed that her workplace foreman had been covering the cost of her child’s day care, contradicting her claim.
Officials stated that Akayinode had previously brought her daughter to work on multiple occasions, including the day before the incident. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the mother’s account and surveillance evidence formed the basis for the murder charge.
Legal experts from Saputo Toufexis Criminal Defense, a U.S.-based law firm, explained that under Texas Penal Code Section 19.02, murder is punishable as a first-degree felony, carrying a penalty of five to 99 years or life imprisonment. However, if the defendant proves the act occurred under “sudden passion arising from adequate cause,” it could be downgraded to a second-degree felony with a maximum of 20 years.
Akayinode is scheduled to appear in court , where prosecutors are expected to present full evidence in the case.
