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A Nigerian woman based in Texas, United States, Gbemisola Akayinode, faces a possible life sentence after being charged with the alleged murder of her nine-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi, who died after being left in a hot car.
According to a report published by ABC News on Tuesday, the 36-year-old mother was arrested on Friday after the Harris County Sheriff, Ed Gonzalez, ruled the child’s death a homicide caused by heat stroke.
The incident occurred on July 1, 2025, when Akayinode allegedly left her daughter inside a car for more than eight hours while she went to work at a manufacturing plant in Galena Park, near Houston.
Court documents cited by ABC News revealed that Akayinode arrived at work around 5:45 a.m. and left Oluwasikemi in the car with food, a rechargeable fan, ice cubes, and water, lowering the back windows halfway.
Akayinode reportedly told investigators that she did not check on her daughter until her shift ended at 1:53 p.m.
“When Gbemisola Akayinode reached the car, she said her daughter was unresponsive and blue, and she screamed for help,” the report quoted the documents as saying.
Further court filings, as reported by ABC News, indicated that Akayinode had taken her daughter to work several times before, including the day before the incident.
“She said she brought her daughter with her because she didn’t have money for day care until her next pay cheque,” the report added.
However, investigators later determined that the foreman at her workplace had been paying for her child’s day care, contradicting her claim.
Officials told ABC News in July that they were awaiting the autopsy results before determining whether to file criminal charges.
Meanwhile, findings by PUNCH Metro on Tuesday, from the website of a U.S.-based criminal defence law firm, Saputo Toufexis, indicated that Akayinode could face five to 99 years or life imprisonment under Texas law.
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