US-based “Nigerian” woman charged with murder after daughter dies of heat stroke in parked car

A 36-year-old mother with a Nigerian name has been charged with murder following the tragic death of her 9-year-old daughter, who was left inside a hot car for over eight hours in Texas, US authorities have confirmed.

Gbemisola Akayinode was arrested on Friday in connection with the death of her daughter, Oluwasikemi Akayinode, after the Harris County medical examiner ruled the case a homicide caused by hyperthermia (commonly known as heat stroke), according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Oluwasikemi died on 1 July 2025, after being left alone in a parked vehicle during extreme summer temperatures reaching 99 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 37 degrees Celsius), while her mother worked a shift at a manufacturing plant in Galena Park, near Houston.

According to court documents, Gbemisola arrived at work around 5:45am and left Oluwasikemi in the car with food, water, ice cubes, a rechargeable fan, and the rear windows partially lowered. She also reportedly gave her daughter melatonin and saw her fall asleep in the back seat.

She did not check on her child until her shift ended at 1:53pm. Upon returning to the car, she found her daughter unresponsive and showing signs of heat-related distress. The child was pronounced dead shortly after emergency services arrived.

Investigators noted that the mother had taken her daughter to work on several previous occasions, claiming she could not afford childcare. However, the plant foreman was reportedly covering childcare costs at the time, contradicting her statements.

Authorities delayed filing charges until receiving the official autopsy report, which confirmed the cause of death as hyperthermia.