A Nigerian woman living in Texas, USA, has been charged with murder after her 9-year-old daughter died from being left alone inside a hot car for hours.
The woman, Gbemisola Akayinode, 36, was arrested after police confirmed that her daughter, Oluwasikemi, died from heat stroke. The sad event happened on July 1, when the weather was extremely hot — about 99 degrees Fahrenheit (around 37°C).
That morning, Gbemisola went to work at a manufacturing company in Galena Park, near Houston. She arrived at about 5:45 a.m. and left her daughter in the car with a few items — some food, water, a rechargeable fan, and ice cubes. She said she gave her daughter melatonin, a sleeping pill, to make her fall asleep while she went inside to work.
Instead of checking on the child during her shift, she worked until almost 2 p.m., more than eight hours later. By the time she returned to the car, her daughter was already dead and turning blue. She cried for help, but it was too late — the girl had died from extreme heat.
Police reports show that this was not the first time Gbemisola had done this. She had taken her daughter to work and left her in the car many times before, even the day before the tragedy.
She claimed she didn’t have money to pay for daycare until her next salary. But police discovered that her boss had actually been helping her pay for daycare — meaning she chose not to use it. This showed serious carelessness and greed, as she preferred to save money at the cost of her daughter’s safety.
Officials said they waited for the autopsy before charging her. The result confirmed that the child died from being locked in the hot car.
Now, Gbemisola has been charged with murder and is expected to appear in court next week.
This heartbreaking story has shocked many people, who believe it is a lesson on the danger of greed and irresponsible parenting. Ojukokoro. No amount of money or convenience is worth the life of a child.
