A 36-year-old Nigerian mother Gbemisola Akayinode has been arrested and charged with murder after her nine-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi, died in a parked car in Houston, Texas.
The Harris County sheriff’s office said Mrs Akayinode left her daughter inside a car for more than eight hours on July 1 while she went to work at a manufacturing plant in Galena Park.
The temperature that day reached 99°F (37°C).
Authorities said the child’s death was ruled a homicide caused by hyperthermia.
Court documents obtained by local media showed that Akayinode told investigators she left her daughter in the back seat with food, a rechargeable fan, ice cubes and water, with the windows rolled halfway down.
She also admitted giving the girl melatonin to help her sleep before going to work at about 5:45 a.m.
Akayinode reportedly did not check on her daughter until after her shift ended at 1:53 p.m.
She found the child unresponsive and called for help.
Investigators said her claim that she could not afford daycare was contradicted by her foreman, who said he had been helping her pay for it.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed her arrest on Friday, saying the mother now faces murder charges after the autopsy confirmed hyperthermia as the cause of death.
Court records also indicated that Akayinode had taken her daughter to work on several previous occasions, including the day before the incident.
She appeared in court on Sunday and is expected to return on Monday for formal arraignment.
Her bond was set at $500,000.
According to KidsAndCars.org, at least 30 children have died in hot cars in the United States in 2025.
Since 1990, over 1,160 such deaths have been recorded nationwide.
