A Nigerian woman based in the United States, Gbemisola Akayinode, has been arrested and charged with felony murder following the death of her 9-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi, who died of hyperthermia after being left in a car for several hours in extreme Texas heat.
The Harris County Sheriff, Ed Gonzalez, confirmed the arrest in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on October 17, saying that the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled the death a homicide.
According to the sheriff, Akayinode was taken into custody by homicide detectives and the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team and booked into the Harris County Jail.
Reports indicate that on July 1, deputies responded to a distress call at an industrial complex on Mayo Shell Road in Galena Park, near Houston, where the 9-year-old girl was found unresponsive inside a vehicle. She was rushed to LBJ Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Court documents obtained by ABC News revealed that the child had been left inside the car for more than eight hours while her mother worked a shift at a nearby manufacturing plant. Temperatures that day reportedly reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37°C).
Investigators said Akayinode arrived at work around 5:45 a.m., leaving her daughter in the vehicle with food, water, ice cubes, and a rechargeable fan. She reportedly gave the child melatonin to help her sleep and lowered the back windows halfway.
When Akayinode returned around 1:53 p.m., she found her daughter unresponsive and called for help.
Further investigations revealed that Akayinode had previously taken her daughter to work several times, claiming she could not afford daycare until her next paycheck. However, court records allege her supervisor had already offered to cover daycare costs.
According to KHOU11, Akayinode later told investigators she believed her daughter’s prescription medication for ADHD may have contributed to her death, though she admitted giving the girl melatonin the night before and that morning.
The Daily Mail added that a sunshade had been left on the windshield, preventing passersby from noticing the child inside.
Authorities ruled Oluwasikemi’s death as one of four child fatalities linked to hot cars reported in Texas during the first two weeks of July.
