A Texas-based Nigerian woman, United States, Gbemisola Akayinode, is facing a potential 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 by ABC News on Tuesday, the 36-year-old was arrested on Friday following confirmation by Harris County Sheriff, Ed Gonzalez, that the child’s death was a homicide caused by heat stroke.
The tragic incident occurred on July 1, 2025, when Akayinode allegedly left her daughter inside a vehicle for over eight hours while she went to work at a manufacturing plant in Galena Park, near Houston.
Court documents cited by ABC News stated that Akayinode arrived at work at about 5:45 a.m., leaving her daughter in the car with food, a rechargeable fan, ice cubes, and water, and rolling down the back windows halfway.
She reportedly told investigators that she did not check on the girl 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 court documents as saying.
Further filings cited by ABC News showed that Akayinode had brought her daughter to work several times in the past, 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 discovered that her foreman had been covering her child’s day care expenses, contradicting her claim.
Authorities told ABC News in July that they were awaiting the autopsy results before deciding whether to press charges.
Findings by PUNCH Metro from the website of Saputo Toufexis, a U.S.-based criminal defence law firm, revealed that Akayinode could face between five to 99 years or life imprisonment under Texas law.
The firm explained that under Texas Penal Code Section 19.02, murder refers to criminal homicide that involves “intentionally killing someone, accidentally killing someone while acting recklessly, or committing a felony that results in someone’s death.”
“Murder is punishable as a first-degree felony, with a penalty range from five to 99 years or life in prison. However, if the defendant proves that the death occurred under the immediate influence of sudden passion arising from an adequate cause, the offence becomes a second-degree felony with a maximum prison term of 20 years,”
the law firm’s website stated.
Akayinode is expected to appear in court on Monday.
Citing data from the nonprofit KidsAndCars.org, ABC News reported that at least 30 children have died in hot cars across the United States so far this year, with about 1,160 deaths recorded since 1990.
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