Gbemisola G. Akayinode, 36, was arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail in mid-October, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. The arrest follows the medical examiner's ruling of the death of Oluwasikemi Akayinode on July 1 as a homicide resulting from hyperthermia, or severe heat stroke.
Court documents detail the harrowing circumstances of the incident. Akayinode is accused of knowingly leaving her daughter in the car in a Galena Park plant parking lot while she worked an eight-hour shift, beginning around 6 a.m.
The mother reportedly told investigators she had left the girl with a few resources, including cracked windows, a fan, water, food, and ice cubes. However, investigators noted that Akayinode had also placed a sunshade on the front window, obscuring the child from the view of anyone in the parking lot. Furthermore, court documents allege Akayinode administered melatonin to the 9-year-old and watched her fall asleep in the back seat before starting her shift.
Akayinode did not check on her daughter until her shift ended shortly before 2 p.m., at which point she found the girl unresponsive and "blue." The child was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The investigation also revealed discrepancies in Akayinode's account to authorities. While she initially claimed she brought her daughter to work because she could not afford daycare, investigators determined that the foreman at her job was actually providing financial assistance for her to cover childcare costs. Court documents also state that Akayinode had taken her daughter to work with her on multiple occasions, including the day before the fatality.
Child safety experts have noted the case is unusual due to the age of the child and the mother's alleged conscious decision to leave the girl unattended. According to national non-profits, dozens of children die in hot cars every year in the U.S., serving as a tragic reminder that temperatures inside a vehicle can rise nearly 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, making any time alone in a car potentially fatal.