Gbemisola Akayinode, a 36-year-old Nigerian woman residing in the US, was arrested and charged with felony murder in Texas after her 9-year-old daughter died from hyperthermia after being left in a car for several hours on a sweltering day.
A 36-year-old Nigerian woman, Gbemisola Akayinode, has been arrested and charged with felony murder in Texas after her 9-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi Akayinode, died from hyperthermia after being left in a hot car.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who confirmed the arrest on October 17, the child’s death was ruled a homicide by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Sheriff Gonzalez wrote, “Arrest update: today, #HCSOTexas Homicide Detectives and our Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT) arrested Gbemisola G. Akayinode for the murder of her nine-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi Akayinode.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled the death a Homicide, as a result of hyperthermia.”
Court documents reveal Oluwasikemi was left in the vehicle for over eight hours on a 99-degree day while her mother was at work at a manufacturing plant. Gbemisola reportedly gave the child food, water, a fan, and melatonin to help her sleep before starting her shift around 5:45 a.m. When she returned at 1:53 p.m., her daughter was found unresponsive. The mother had allegedly taken her daughter to work several times before, claiming she couldn’t afford childcare.