Police Report: Mother Allegedly Leaves 9-Year-Old in Hot Car for Entire Workday

A Texas mother faces serious charges after allegedly leaving her 9-year-old daughter in a sweltering car while she worked, resulting in the child’s tragic death.

Gbemisola Akayinode, aged 36, has been charged with felony murder and is currently detained at the Harris County Jail, as announced by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez on Friday. The charges come more than three months after the heart-wrenching incident occurred.

The events unfolded on July 1 when Akayinode drove to her job at a mineral plant located on Mayo Shell Road in Galena Park, with her daughter, Oluwasikemi Akayinode, accompanying her. According to the sheriff, the mother left her car at 6 a.m. to start her shift, leaving her daughter inside the vehicle with the back windows slightly open.

Though the young girl had some water with her, the temperature steadily climbed throughout the day in the small town of South Texas. After finishing her eight-hour shift around 2 p.m., Akayinode returned to her car to find her daughter unresponsive, as reported by Houston’s CBS affiliate KHOU.

The child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was sadly pronounced dead due to hyperthermia.

The temperature in the area on that day reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit, according to AccuWeather. And while it is unclear where exactly the car was parked, Google Maps imaging in the area does not appear to show many spots that might offer much shade.

Gonzalez also reportedly said a window shade was put up in the front window of the car, making it harder for anyone to see inside.

Jan Null, a university professor and an expert on hot car deaths, said there were reasons this situation was rare, such as the child’s age.

“The scenario in the case in Galena Park is when the parent knowingly leaves a child in the car. Not to do them harm, but they make the conscious decision to leave the child in the car while they do something else,” Null told the local TV station. “While I go to work, while I go to the casino, while I meet up with somebody…”

Under Texas law, the felony murder statute reads: “a person whose conduct causes an unintended death during the commission or attempted commission of a felony is guilty of murder.”