Nigerian Woman in Texas Faces Felony Murder Charge After Daughter Dies in Hot Car
Story: written by Zara October 22,2025
Authorities in Harris County, Texas, have arrested Gbemisola Akayinode, 36, on suspicion of felony murder following the tragic death of her nine-year-old daughter, Oluwasikemi, who was left inside a parked car for hours in sweltering heat.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the arrest, stating that the death was ruled a homicide by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. The cause: hyperthermia, an extreme overheating of the body. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez posted on social media that detectives from the Homicide Division and Violent Criminal Apprehension Team took Akayinode into custody at the Harris County Jail.
According to court documents, first responders were called on July 1 to an industrial area on Mayo Shell Road in Galena Park, near Houston, after reports of a child left unattended inside a vehicle. The girl was transported to Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Investigators allege that Akayinode left her daughter in the vehicle with food, bottled water, ice cubes, and a rechargeable fan. She also reportedly administered melatonin to help the child sleep and rolled the rear windows down partway before heading to her job at a nearby manufacturing plant.
When she returned around 1:53 p.m., she found her daughter unresponsive and immediately called for help. Emergency crews attempted CPR, but the child could not be revived. It is estimated she was left in the vehicle for more than eight hours on a day with temperatures near 99 °F (37 °C).
Akayinode later claimed she had occasionally brought her daughter to work because she could not afford childcare, though prosecutors say her supervisor had been assisting her with daycare costs—a contradictory assertion. She initially attributed the death to her daughter’s prescribed ADHD medication but subsequently admitted giving her melatonin both the night before and the morning of the incident.
Investigators also pointed out that a sunshade was placed over the vehicle’s front windshield, making it difficult for passersby to see the child inside.
This case joins a troubling pattern in Texas: in the first half of July alone, at least four children have died from heat exposure after being left in vehicles. Separate incidents include a mother whose children died after wandering into her car from home, and another woman charged after allegedly leaving her infant in a car while attending work.
Akayinode remains in custody at Harris County Jail as she awaits her next appearance in court.
